General / Editor / 26 October 2007 / 1

Forget the glory - former European Tour pro Roger Chapman describes the emotion of fighting to save your livelihood...

Imagine standing in front of the scoreboard after two rounds. You are 115th in the European Tour Order of Merit and you think you are going to miss the cut by one shot and your whole career starts to fade before your very eyes.

What am I going to do next year? Do I go back to the Qualifying School and tee-up with 155 other players for 30 cards? Do I play the Challenge Tour for a lot less money? Or do I give the whole thing up and do a 'proper job'.

Your mind is racing. Suddenly the scoreboard changes, a couple of guys who are in the same predicament drop shots. The cut is now the score you are on - a lifeline.

These are some of the emotions of a pro golfer at the other end of the spectrum. Whilst the Harringtons and Westwoods are off playing big money events and getting paid to be there, think of the journeyman pro trying to make ends meet, living the dream. This is real pressure. I have always said there is more pressure on the guys just trying to keep their card than on the top guys. They have no financial worries.

I remember 1999 well. I needed to make the cut in the Belgium Open and finish in the top 20 to keep my card. Cathy, my wife, came with me for moral support. We drove over, stayed in a hotel in Knocke and thought positive thoughts.

But it wasn't to be. The way I played all year, my game wasn't going to jump out and find me again. I was playing with Tony Johnstone and because of my predicament Sky Sports decided to put a roving camera on me for the last nine holes. That was nice of them.

Not only are you going through personal turmoil but they choose to show everyone watching at home too! Eventually I finished my round and missed my card. My two playing partners didn't really know what to say or where to look. There was a halfway hut at the ninth hole and I just went to the bathroom and cried my eyes out. Tony, bless him, talked to me through the door and said: "Rog, you have a great wife, wonderful kids and a great swing. Go to the Tour School and get your card back."

Will Carling called me to say bad luck and would I want two tickets to the Rugby World Cup quarter-final between England and South Africa in Paris. Of course England went down to defeat. It didn't exactly make my weekend.

I did go back to the Tour School, got my card back and won in Brazil the following year. Fate?!

I have known players who needed a top three or top 10 finish to keep their cards. Years ago Richard Boxall had to finish in the top five to keep his card and ended up in third place. Mark Roe also finished third to keep his card. I stayed around to watch him come in. He came off the green with tears in his eyes, started me off and we hugged. It is that emotional. But I can't think of anything, sporting, that is worse.

This week in Mallorca, of course, it's happening all over again. There are names that will be familiar to some people - Ian Garbutt, Jarmo Sandelin, Lee Slattery - who will need to stand tall and produce heroics come Sunday night.

Some may argue, quite rightly, that it's not just the final event that puts you under pressure - it's the whole season. They're right of course but that won't make the pressure any less severe for those in the shake-up on Sunday.

Good luck to all the players this week. I really know how they feel because I have been there, and it's not pleasant.

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1. bigboy | 27 October 2007

   great story - I hope the guys do themselves justice this weekend.

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