Jason Palmer will take his one-handed chipping routine to The European Tour next year after the Englishman Secured his path to The 2015 Race to Dubai with a runner-up finish at the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic.
The Englishman won the second event in the Challenge Tour’s ‘Final Swing’, The Foshan Open, in China to launch himself into contention for European Tour graduation with just two events to go.
The 30 year old took that form into the penultimate event of the season and a four under par final round 68 at Almouj Golf, The Wave earned him outright second place and moved him to seventh place in the Challenge Tour Rankings on €105,886 to secure his place among Europe’s elite next season.
Palmer is a rarity in the game – having developed the yips while playing in a satellite tour years ago, he picked up a chipping routine which means he plays wedge shots one-handed from within 50 yards.
The Kirby Muxloe player was over the moon to have secured his place at European golf’s top table and knows that his chipping routine is likely to attract some attention once he gets there.
“Surreal would be the word I would use” he said, after learning that he had secures European Tour Membership for next year. “Two weeks ago I never thought that I would be stood here today with a European Tour card.
“It won’t sink in until I get home and have a think about next season and how I’m going to go about things because I was planning on probably being on the Challenge Tour again next year. It’s great though, it’s where I want to be and I’m really looking forward to it.
“I started hitting really well in practice back home in Kirby Muxloe. I said to the guys that I was playing well and hopefully something good was going to happen and it did.
“It’s been my goal since turning pro (to make The European Tour) and this is my fifth year. So it seems like the right time to try and mix it with the big boys.
“It’s disappointing not to win the tournament. You’re always trying to win but also today was about trying to secure my European Tour card and I was just trying to take it shot by shot.
“I’m happy to keep going with my chipping style on The European Tour. Today that’s what kept me going – I was playing some lovely one handers.
“It’s totally unique but I can’t play with two hands. I get the yips, but luckily with one hand the feel is still there and the touch is still there so I wouldn’t like to change it.
“The first year on the Alps Tour and my friend Neil Choudry and I were having a little pitching competition. I was shot and was at rock bottom. I was playing well but I couldn’t score because every time I missed a green I was making bogey. He convinced me to go one handed and I haven’t looked back since to be honest.”
