David Drysdale retains European Tour card

Going into the Perth International ranked 116th on the Race to Dubai – five places outside the top 111 spots that keep their cards – the Dunbar man knew that he needed a good finish in Australia to hang on to his playing privileges.

He duly obliged, finishing in a five-way tie for fourth to climb to 103rd on the standings.

He signed-off with a flourish, too. Needing just a par on the final hole to keep his card, Drysdale hammered a magnificent 3-iron into the heart of the green and converted from fully 30 feet for a magnificent, gutsy birdie.

Watch David Drysdale’s stunning birdie putt to keep his tour card

“I am still shaking from that putt on the last,” said the 39-year-old at the conclusion of the tournament, won by Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen. “To see that putt drop on the last was unbelievable. I came here thinking I had to finish seventh to keep my card so I am delighted.”

Drysdale’s fellow countryman Craig Lee also did just enough to hang on to his card, finishing in 108th spot on the Race To Dubai.

There was no such luck, however, for three other Scots in the field, Jamie McLeary, Jack Doherty and Peter Whiteford.

Kirkcaldy man Whiteford will be particularly disappointed with the way his season ended. Needing a top-two finish to hang on to his playing rights, he gave himself a fighting chance by opening with a pair of 66s. However, he played the weekend in 21 more shots to plummet down the leaderboard into an overall share of 35th in Perth and 145th on the Race To Dubai.

With the regular season having now ended on the European Tour, attention turns to the four-tournament Final Series for the top 60 on the money list, which kicks off on Thursday in China with the BMW Masters.

Three Scots – Stephen Gallacher, Marc Warren and Richie Ramsay – have earned their places in the lucrative finale.

David Drysdale :: Did you know…?

In October 2009, David Drysdale was briefly the highest ranked Scottish golfer on the Official World Golf Rankings.