Carey chasing PGA Tour dream in Texas despite Sport Ireland grant disappointment
David Carey at The 150th Open Championship last year.
Big-hitting David Carey sensationally Monday qualified for this week's $8.9 million Valero Texas Open on the PGA TOUR after being turned down for a grant by the Golf Ireland Professional Scheme for 2023.
The Dubliner (26) fired three eagles, three birdies and a bogey in an eight-under 64 to win the pre-qualifier last week, then blasted eight birdies in a seven-under 65 at Fair Oaks near San Antonio to win the Monday qualifier and one of four spots on offer at TPC San Antonio.
The winner will pocket $1.6 million and a spot in the Masters next week and Carey hopes to take advantage of his chance in an event where he stands to make $19,000 just for making the cut.
"It's always nice to shoot a few good scores and start seeing some results after a long winter's work," said Carey, who shot to fame last summer when he qualified for The 150th Open at St Andrews, made the cut and tied for 62nd with the likes of Ian Poulter.
An Alps Tour player, he received €17,500 of the €270,000 in funding handed out to 12 budding Irish tour players by the Golf Ireland Professional Scheme last year.
But while he applied for a grant for 2023, he was turned down appeal after failing to meet the strict criteria, which required him to finish in the top 10 on the Alps Tour's Order of Merit last season.
While the grant recipients will not be announced by the Sport Ireland-funded scheme until next month, Carey is hoping they might have a change of heart and add him to the list as he struggles to meet his expenses with help from his family and sponsors Dundonald Links.
"I was quite surprised by that," Carey said of his failed appeal for funding, which could also see him miss out on valuable Challenge Tour invitations secured for Irish golfers. "That was unexpected, so I will have to sit down and look at my budgets and planning and everything for the rest of the year.
"I'm not sure where that leaves me with starts. That's all to be figured out whenever I return to Ireland."
Carey, who will have his American girlfriend Katelyn on his bag again this week, is keeping his fingers crossed that the Golf Ireland Professional Scheme can look at his case again.
"I hope they'll change their mind," said the Castleknock native, who received a congratulatory text from Pádraig Harrington with an offer of a practice round this week. "I don't know if they will or not. Hopefully, they can. They turned me down because I didn't finish top 10 on the Alps Tour, which I didn't play after The Open because I got DP World Tour and Challenge Tour starts."
Injury and illness also marred the last few months of his 2022 season, but he's solely focussed on this week.
"Obviously, I can build on the DP World Tour starts and The Open," he said. "It's another new experience."
As for the possibility of making a huge cheque and even earning some PGA TOUR status or that dream spot in the Masters, he said: "I've shot eight under and seven under in my last two rounds. So if I can keep some of that form going, then it should be a good week.
"I just have to keep producing good golf. What I can get out of it, I'll figure it out on Sunday evening."
Carey will play with Americans Austin Eckroat and Brent Grant in the first two rounds, teeing off at 3:31 pm Irish time on Thursday.
Harrington will join Lucas Glover and Francesco Molinari at 2:25 pm Irish time as he bids for that last-gasp spot at Augusta National.
