Nick Bachem revealed he has his sights firmly fixed on clinching a spot at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai after boosting his chances by making a strong start to the 2023 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters on Thursday.
The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates will once again play host to the top 50 golfers available in the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex next month, and Bachem's goal is to be among that number.
The 24-year-old German, who claimed his maiden DP World Tour title at the Jonsson Workwear Open in March, currently sits 57th on the Rankings with a handful of events still to play.
And he did his chances of qualifying for the season finale no harm whatsoever as he fired an opening 65 at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande to sit one shot off the early clubhouse lead held by James Morrison.
Bachem said: "Dubai is my big goal, to play Dubai.
"Having a good finish to the season would be amazing and you never know, we've got a couple more tournaments with big points and prize money so if you have a good finish to the season, anything can happen."
Strong winds made life difficult for the field in the afternoon on day one, with morning starter Bachem managing to avoid the worst of the conditions.
Bachem is a big fan of this week's host venue, calling the course "a great test".
He added: "The course is amazing.
"It’s a pleasure playing here, practising here. The greens are normally firmer and faster, they’re always crazy but I think the Tour did a great job being able to play in this wind today.
"It’s obviously pretty windy so it’s a bit slower than usual but it’s a great test out there."
