This week’s Andalucía Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation will mark the end of the 2017 European Tour campaign for many players, and a huge week lies in store for those still battling to retain their cards for the 2018 season.
The majority of the top 100 players in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex will already be forming their 2018 schedules, safe in the knowledge that they will be teeing it up as European Tour members next season.
For those who could potentially finish outside the top 100, but are secure in the fact that that they will finish in the top ten of the Access List, they too will be planning for another year at the top table of European golf.
However, this week is going to prove significant for a number of players as their fate all comes down to what transpires in southern Spain. The pressure will be ramped up ahead of four crucial rounds, so europeantour.com spoke to Nino Bertasio, a man who has felt the pressure in recent weeks, to find out how a player copes with being in danger of losing their card.
Bertasio has enjoyed a strong month on tour, earning three top 15s in his last four events to move into 86th place in the Race to Dubai Rankings. A share of tenth at last week’s Italian Open has given the Swiss-born 29 year old a vice-like grip on his card for next season. Here, Nino speaks about the lengths he has gone to to stay out on tour, feeling the pressure and providing advice for those still hoping to keep their card.
Going all in…
“It’s huge pressure. Playing on the European Tour is a lot of fun, so you really don’t want to give up your spot. With it now being the top 100 earning their card nobody really knew how many points they would need to keep their card.
“I didn’t play well in the Rolex Series during the summer and was in a bit of a bad position. After that I took a week off and decided to play all the tournaments left, which means ten in a row now. It was a big relief after that final round on Sunday at the Italian Open.”
Performing when it counts…
“I wish I could say I’m not thinking about points during a round, but it’s hard. I started the final round in Italy at nine under par and the goal was to reach 15 under. I felt if I could do that I’d have a good chance to finish in the top 15, which would make things a lot easier.
“I started well and went on to eagle the 14th, which brought me to 17 under and eight under for the day. After that I was very nervous, because I knew I’d achieved what I wanted to achieve, but still had four holes to play.
“The last four holes aren’t easy, especially 18, which is an intimidating hole. I got a little nervous, because all day long I felt like I was attacking and trying to make birdies, but from that point on I was just trying to make pars and to get into the clubhouse. That’s the worst feeling for a golfer.
“When you start attacking and picking targets, your brain starts thinking ahead and not staying in the present. That is when it gets really hard and you could see I was quite nervous on those last four holes and then I made a bogey on 17. That wasn’t great, but I finished 16 under and it turned out well.”
It’s all about strategy…
“You try not to think about rankings. You just need a great strategy for the golf course and to stick to your routine.
"Just make daily goals – look at the conditions, look at what you need to achieve and go out and do it. At the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship I had a great week, which was big because of the prize money. On the last day my goal was six under and I shot five under. Daily goals are important. Just stick to that, because you can’t control the rest.
