Gonzalez rolls back the years with Stadium show

Four time European Tour winner Ricardo Gonzalez made his experience count at The European Tour’s Qualifying School Final Stage as the Argentinian carded the joint lowest round of the day on the more challenging Stadium Course at PGA Catalunya Resort with a four under par 68.

The 45 year old is hoping to successfully negotiate the gruelling six-round marathon for the first time since 1991, when he earned a rookie season on The European Tour before amassing €6,333,252 thus far in a hugely successfully career.

Gonzalez took one step towards ensuring he continues that success in The 2015 Race to Dubai with an impressive three under par back nine that moved the Rosario player to within two shots of leader Christian Gloet.

He was joined in a share of third place by 13 others, a host of former European Tour winners among them, including Australian Andrew Dodt, Johan Edfors of Sweden and Englishmen Kenneth Ferrie and John Parry.

It was a particularly impressive start to the week for 2001 Omega European Masters champion Gonzalez on the more difficult of the two courses at the spectacular European Tour Destination outside Girona, and he admitted that he put his experience to good use, as well as the memories of his first trip to golf’s toughest examination.

“I am very happy because after 15 holes or so the wind picked up and the last few holes were very difficult,” said Gonzalez, whose last appearance at the Qualifying School Final Stage came 21 years ago, when he missed out on a card for the top tier. “But I was hitting the ball very well today and that was the key to my good round.

“I’m also happy because I played the difficult course first and made a good score. The course plays long – on a few of the par fours I was hitting four, five or six iron and that makes it difficult to get scores.

“Many things have changed since the last time I was in Qualifying School, I am a more experienced player now.

“It was in Montpellier in 1991. I have many memories of that week, I played with some really good players like Per Ulrik Johansson. I was very young so to get my card for The European Tour was an amazing feeling, I’ll never forget it.

“But everybody is here for the same reason, to take one of the cards, and it is always a nervous experience.

“After around five holes today I relaxed and I started to hit the ball well so I was feeling really good after that. It’s a very different pressure here to European Tour events but it is still a lot of pressure.

“I am just focussed this week on hitting the ball well and putting the ball in the right positions and whatever happens at the end of the week happens. That’s the only thing you can do here at Qualifying School.

“I am confident for the rest of the week. I’m playing well and I’m feeling OK. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the rest of the week but right now I’m feeling great.”

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