After an up and down first European Challenge Tour campaign last year, there was only one thing on the mind of Ireland’s Ruaidhri McGee starting this season, and that was earning €15,322 in the first three events on the schedule.
The 24 year old suffered a brief bout of illness that kept him from competitive action last year, and that earned him a potential 216-hole reprieve as he attempted to pocket enough money to retain full playing privileges for 2015.
Cue the Challenge de Madrid last weekend, where the Derry native carded four sub-par rounds en route to a share of second spot, and McGee had earned all the money he required to secure his playing privileges for what will now be a full second tier sojourn.
There was still plenty for the Irishman to play for though as a share of second would still secure his playing rights, but a costly double bogey at the par three 16th hole had looked like throwing all that into jeopardy as Ricardo Gouveia drew alongside.
Heading down the last, McGee just needed to match the score of his Portuguese playing partner to assure himself of a little job security going forward, and after both laid up on the par five, Gouveia went first with the wedge, skipping one in to just two feet to set up an almost certain birdie.
McGee therefore knew what he had to do and subsequently hit it to 12 feet, leaving a tricky downhill putt for his future. He need not worry though, as it fell in on the right hand side to ensure a share of second place and – alongside the €2,077 he picked up for a tie for 19th in Kenya – a cheque for €14,400 and a full Challenge Tour card for 2015.
“It was a long day out there, but it was good,” said McGee. “To have sorted out my medical extension is great, so I know what I’m doing now for the rest of the year. I’m looking forward to a week off now so I can sit down and plan my schedule, compared with where I was previously, which meant I would have just needed to play everything I could get into.
“It’s tough when you hit it in to eight feet on a par five and then Nacho went and did what he did at the fourth. He was playing really well on Saturday and I don’t know what he was – six or seven under early on – so I had to do something big on the back nine and unfortunately I didn’t do it.
“The shot on the 16th was not great, it was a stupid shot, and I don’t know what I was thinking. I had picked up a few on Nacho when he dropped a couple of shots and I made some birdies, so I could have applied some pressure, but then I hit it in the water and all of a sudden I had to worry about second.
“All I was thinking over the putt at the last was that ‘this better go in’ and thankfully it did. I hadn’t holed much all day, so I just gave myself no option because I knew Ricardo was going to get his. It would have been an expensive one to miss.
“It was a great week though and I’m pleased with how I played the first three rounds, and even four rounds under par is pleasing. It’s a long way to go this season but I’m looking forward to it, and this is a good start.”
