Benjamin Purshouse may have taken an unconventional route to his first DP World Tour start but he was almost rewarded with a hole-in-one on the opening day of the Omega European Masters.
The Swiss has previously tried to qualify for his home event via the Memorial Olivier Barras, an annual event also played at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club, but this year he made it into the field via the OEM 2023 eSport Tournament.
In June, players took part in four rounds at this week's venue on a simulator, with the top three playing the real course on Tuesday for a place in the field.
Purshouse carded a 70 to edge out fellow Swiss Léo Andeer and Briton Josh Oddy and while he started his first round with four bogeys, he was two under for the next 14 in a 72.
The highlight of his round was undoubtedly his tee-shot on the 13th, which lipped out when it looked destined for an ace, and Purshouse revealed he was relishing his opportunity on the DP World Tour.
"I saw it disappear, I thought I holed it and it just jumped out so unfortunately I didn't get my first hole-in-one," he said.
"To do it on the DP World Tour would have been amazing - memories for a lifetime."
On qualifying, he added: "My heart was beating faster than Max Verstappen. I was really nervous but I know the course.
"I've been working for the past month with (coach) Hugh Marr and he's been helping me out with my game so he gave me a bit of confidence to tee it up.
"I didn't play my best golf but my short game was amazing and I got it round in 70 and that was good enough."
Two-time DP World Tour winner Eddie Pepperell is known for his use of a simulator for preparation and Purshouse also believes they have their benefits.
"With the simulator, the hardest thing is actually the short game because you don't have any visual references, you have to base your distances purely off feel," he said.
"That said, we're always playing off a mat and it's always flat so there's some advantages and some disadvantages.
"I prefer to play outside but it's definitely good practice. I got to know the course even better but to be fair I did know it because I used to play the Memorial Olivier Barras to try and qualify for this event.
"It's definitely a different kind of game. You play better long shots but the short game is definitely where you need to get used to the simulator before you play."
