Peebles golfer Craig Howie so close to European Tour card

In what is deemed to be one of the toughest tests in golf, Howie thrived under the pressure to make the final 76 players and secure his Challenge Tour Card (second tier) for next season.

With the top 25 and ties making it onto the 2020 European Tour (top tier), the 25-year-old shot an impressive 10 under par total, tied in 34th place.

Howie stormed into contention, racking up six birdies on the final day after carding four rounds of 70 and an opening day 72 during the gruelling six-round event.

Howie’s bid to retain his Challenge Tour card began at the First Stage in Europe Section 3 in Austria in September, where he finished tied 20th on eight under par and qualified for the second section.

He then got through the second qualifying stage at Las Colinas in Alicante, finishing third with a five under par score to take him into the final round thanks to an eagle, birdie finish.

This week in Tarragona, Howie endured the energy-sapping final six-round stage and made the cut after four rounds, to play the final 36 holes, securing his Challenge Card for next season.

And he looked to go for the jackpot when he continued his surge up the leaderboard after starting on the tenth hole, with five birdies on the back nine and only one dropped shot.

He added an extra shot on his final nine holes to finish on 10 under for the competition, but narrowly missed out on the top level tour.