Max Orrin heads to China for the Hainan Open knowing that he needs a strong finish to the European Challenge Tour season if he is to seal a spot in the top 15 of the Road to Oman Rankings and graduate to the European Tour.
The 22 year old, a two-time winner on Europe’s top developmental tour, has twice finished in the top five this year, and though his current standing of 37th is not as high as he would have liked, he knows that this next month is a crucial one.
China has been kind to the Englishman in the past – he is yet to miss a cut there in three previous visits – and though Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club is unfamiliar to him and all his colleagues, he is hopeful that the upcoming double-header, with the Foshan Open following straight after, will be another good one.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s going to be a long day and night traveling out there but I’m sure it will be a good fortnight once we’re there.
“It’s very different – different culture, different food, different weather. I don’t mind it at all, I like it in the Middle East and also in Asia, but it isn’t always easy – different grass you’ve got to get used to. It’s just another challenge though and I’m looking forward to it.”
All roads on the Challenge Tour ultimately lead to Oman, where two years ago Orrin took his maiden victory, and he is confident that his form is strong enough to do something similar, despite the strength of the competition this year.
“I’ve been playing pretty decently this last week, not so well in Kazakhstan, but I’m feeling pretty good,” he said. “I’ve just not been holing the putts.
“The year has been a bit frustrating really. I’ve played better than my results, I haven’t really had too many really good weeks, but I’m in a position where now if I have a couple of good weeks in these last four events then anything can happen.
“I don’t mind the pressure coming on at this time. A lot of the time in golf it’s frustrating, you don’t get too many good weeks where you’re happy all the time with what happens, so you have to learn to deal with that. I’ve had nearly three years at that now so I’m used to it.
“There’s been a lot of good players this year, and a lot of the good players have been playing well every week – that’s why you see a lot of people with a lot of points up already.
“It’s tough when the points are so big at the end of the year and all the guys who are playing well are there, because you have to beat them as well, but it has been a good year for the players on the Challenge Tour for sure.
“I’m just trying to either win or have a couple of top threes. I imagine somewhere over 90,000 should be good enough – it could be 80, it could be 100, it’s just random really so you don’t really know. But if I can have a couple of good weeks I’ll give myself a chance at least.”
