Ashton Turner disappointed at European Tour qualifying school

Ashton Turner's hopes of making it through to the final round of qualifying school foe the European Tour were dashed on Monday.
Ashton Turner, second from right, with Kenwick Park's successful Mail on Sunday team EMN-160711-182048002Ashton Turner, second from right, with Kenwick Park's successful Mail on Sunday team EMN-160711-182048002
Ashton Turner, second from right, with Kenwick Park's successful Mail on Sunday team EMN-160711-182048002

The Kenwick Park golfer had a disappointing final round at the second and penultimate qualifying stage to miss out on a spot at next week’s finals.

Turner travelled to the Lumine Golf and Beach Club, near Barcelona, with confidence high after an excellent season, having come through the first round of qualifying with a superb top three finish.

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And the 20-year-old was right in contention going into Monday’s fourth round at the ultra competitive event.

But a six-over par round of 77 dropped him down the leaderboard for an overall tie for 59th.

It was the second year running Turner had qualified for Lumine, having finished in a tie for 25th in 2016, and he began well once again in Spain.

He posted four birdies and just one bogey as he completed Friday’s opening round with a three-under 68 for a share of 17th place.

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Turner fired in five birdies the following day, but gave them all back to finish with a solid level-par round of 71 on Saturday to cement the good start.

But he was unable to make the move he would have wanted as he carded a one-over 72 on Sunday’s moving day.

Starting the final day at two-under, Turner, competing in only his third event as a professional, knew early momentum was needed to climb towards the top 20.

But his hopes were dashed when he carded a disastrous quadruple bogey eight at the 12th hole, adding to bogeys at the third, fifth and 11th.

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Turner showed tremendous composure to bounce back with his second birdie of the day at the very next hole, but another shot went at 15 as he completed the back nine in 41.

His six-over round left him at four-over overall. The event was won by Scotland’s David Law with -12, with golfers returning overall scores of up to -6 booking their place in the final round at the PGA Catalunya Resort, in Girona, from Saturday.

Although he said it was his ambition to get on the European Tour as quickly as possible, Turner can reflect on a stunning year.

He represented the England men’s team and in August won the individual prize at the Home Internationals.

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He recently told The Leader about his desire to make it in the game, stating: “Since I was about five I set my aims to be not just a tour pro, but also the best golfer in the world.

“It is a long road, but it’s been the goal all of my life.

“This is just the first step, but it’s nice that everything I have worked for when I was young has all come together.

“A lot of my mates turned pro last year and I’ve met a few guys on the Challenge Tour and they’ve talked me through the ins and outs - you need a little bit of help at the start.”

He will return to Spain in less than a fortnight to cheer on his Kenwick Park team-mates in the finals of the Mail on Sunday Club Classic.