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He may have missed out on a European Tour card by the slimmest of margins but Daniel Young insists he’ll be accentuating only the positives from his Q-School experience.

The Perth golfer lost out on a card for next season by just one shot in the gruelling six-round shootout at Lumine Golf Club.

However, speaking to bunkered.co.uk from Spain this morning, Young said that he will fly home tomorrow with his chin up and excited about the future.

“It was a tough one to take, getting as close as I did,” he said. “But I’ve had almost 24 hours to digest it now and, honestly, there are far more positives than negatives to take from the week.

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“I started with no real status on either the European Tour or the Challenge Tour and I’ve ended up with a full Challenge Tour card and, hopefully, a handful of main tour starts as well, so I’ve got to be pleased with that.”

Young, attached to the Kingsbarns Pro Academy, performed best of the six Scots who teed it up in the ‘toughest week in golf’ – a week that saw many other big names leave empty-handed.

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The 2014 Ryder Cup match-winner Jamie Donaldson missed out, along with former European Tour winners Matteo Manassero, Gregory Bourdy, Marcel Siem, Gonzalo-Fernandez Castaño and Young’s fellow Scot Marc Warren.

“It was seriously strong field,” he added. “I heard a lot of guys say it was probably one of the strongest line-ups ever for the final stage of Q-School. So, again, that gives me a lot of confidence for the future, knowing that I was able to hold my own and post good scores.”

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With so much at stake for every one of the 156 players who took part – and, in some cases, careers literally on the line – Young admitted the atmosphere was different to what he’s become accustomed to.

“The best way I can describe it is ‘edgy’,” he said. “Even at the second stage, it was a bit like that. There was a lot of emotion flying around. I just tried my best to blank that out and concentrate on myself. I know it’s a cliché but I just tried to focus as hard as I could on taking it one shot at a time and staying in the present. I really didn’t feel too much in the way of nerves, so that bodes well.”

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Young will now wait for the Challenge Tour to release its 2020 schedule before drawing up a plan for the next stage in his career but, having seen some of his fellow Scots and former teammates use the circuit as a launchpad to the European Tour, he’s understandably excited about the future.

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“It’s been great to see the likes of Bob [MacIntyre], David [Law] and Grant [Forrest] not just make the step up from the Challenge Tour but stay on the European Tour,” he said.

“That gives me lots of encouragement. These are guys that I’ve competed with for a number of years, so I have to believe that if I’m good enough to beat them, I’m good enough to be where they are. There are a lot of young Scottish guys doing really well at the moment and I’d love to be part of a big Scottish contingent on the European Tour for many years to come.”


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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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