Justin Walters put himself in a fine position heading into the weekend at the 2021 Austrian Golf Championship as he looks to find the consistency that will bring a long awaited European Tour win.
The South African is playing his 242nd event this week and he has produced some memorable and emotional moments since making his debut in 2003.
Just weeks after the death of his mother, he made a 60 foot putt on the last to finish solo second and keep his card at the 2013 Portugal Masters.
Some six years later and after losing his father in the summer, he once again arrived in Vilamoura needing a good finish and once again was runner up to maintain his playing privileges.
In total he has four second placed finishes, coming closest last season at the ISPS HANDA UK Championship where he led wire to wire before losing in a play-off to Rasmus Højgaard.
There would be few more popular winners this week than the 40-year-old and a second round 68 has put him right in the mix at Diamond Country Club.
Me and my team drew up a plan and it’s starting to take a bit of form now and show some results
After missing the cut in the Rolex Series at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, he has improved his result every week on the 2021 Race to Dubai, and Walters has put some of that success down to a change of equipment.
"I changed to Callaway earlier in the season and it’s been great to find a good level of consistency with my bag and my clubs," he said. "I haven’t changed anything in a while now so I have settled in a little bit.
"As for the game, I’ve been focusing on the same stuff as I did last year, really focusing on my mid-irons, my putting from inside six feet and trying to hit as many fairways as I can which encompasses the whole game.
"But I was very inconsistent last year and took a good look at myself. Me and my team drew up a plan and it’s starting to take a bit of form now and show some results."
Walters admitted he had struggled with the cold conditions in Atzenbrugg but after finishing third here in the Shot Clock Masters in 2018, he was pleased with his performance.
"I think that was as solid as I could produce given the conditions," he said. "I didn’t miss many shots and the ones I did miss I managed to find the edge of the green or edge of the fairway, it was just solid all day."
