'I just didn't panic' - Liam Nolan keeps card hopes alive with back nine comeback at Grand Final
Liam Nolan. Picture: Niall O'Shea
Liam Nolan produced a spirited back nine fightback to keep his bid for one of 15 precious DP World Tour cards on track at the HotelPlanner Tour's Grand Final in Mallorca.
The Galway native (26) started the season-ending event ranked 10th in the Road to Mallorca standings, with the top 15 on the list on Sunday night earning promotion to the main tour next season.
Nolan will have enough with a top seven finish to mathematically ensure promotion to the big league, but he had to fight hard to card a two-under 70 in the opening round at Club de Golf Alcanada, which left him tied for 23rd in the 45-man field and projected to fall three places to 13th.
"I played really well," said Nolan, who followed birdies at the first and second with a bogey at the seventh and a double-bogey at the eighth before posting a three-under back nine.
"I hit two loose shots on the front nine, and they cost me a lot. But I continued to play well, and found a few more birdies on the back nine. So all in all, I'm playing nicely. So that's the main thing."
Nolan insisted he wasn't overly concerned about his front nine mistakes at a venue where he was joint last 12 months ago.
"I probably struck it better on the front nine, bar the tee shot on the eighth, so I wasn't really stressed today on the front nine, which is a big change from last year," the Bearna native said.
"The front nine tee shots are much more demanding. If you can get them away, you can go after a few pins, maybe. But if you're not on the ball off the tee, you're not going to have a fun time there.
"I just didn't panic because I knew my game was good, so I just kind of like relaxed and kept playing nice golf, and eventually the putts kind of a few putts dropped, which was nice."
He ended the day just five shots behind Spain's Joseba Torres, who shot 65 to put himself in position to jump from 23rd to fifth in the Road to Mallorca and earn his card.
Every player in the 45-man field has a mathematical chance of winning promotion, but Nolan insists he won't look at the projected rankings unless he needs to react coming down the stretch on Sunday,
"As much as I can, I'm just trying to treat it like any other tournament I've played in this year," he said.
"I'm just not going to look at the rankings. Maybe if it's necessary on the last few on Sunday. There's so much golf left to play, so I'll play my own game and see what happens."
Torres made eight birdies in his 65 to lead by a shot from former Irish Open champion John Catlin of the US and Frenchman Julien Sale.
His uncle, José María Olazábal, is coaching him this week, and while he needs a runner-up finish to confirm promotion, sixth place could be enough if other results fall his way.
On the LPGA Tour, French rookie Pauline Roussin-Bouchard shot an eight-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur.
Leona Maguire birdied two of her last three holes to shoot 72 and share 47th on level par while Kildare's Lauren Walsh dropped five shots on her back nine, carding a 75 to share 70th.
At the Ladies European Tour's Wistron Ladies Open in Chinese Taipei, Order of Merit leader Casandra Alexander eagled the 18th at Sunrise Golf and Country Club to take the first-round lead.
The KPMG Women's Irish Open champion carded an eight-under 64 to lead by two strokes from local player Cheng-Hsuan Shih.
Elm Park's Anna Foster was 72nd on level par after a 72, while a 73 left Douglas' Sara Byrne joint 80th, two shots outside the projected cut mark.
