Macaulay goes close

CALLUM Macaulay saw his bid to secure the third place finish he required to qualify for the Challenge Tour’s Grand Final come up short by an agonising two strokes following the final round of the penultimate event of the season, the Roma Golf Open.

The 27-year-old birdied the 16th and 17th holes to give himself a fighting chance of a top-three finish with a two-under final round 69 at the Olgiata Golf Club, but finished two strokes behind eventual play-off winner Sam Little and Pelle Edberg on nine-under. Fellow countryman, Raymond Russell, shared third place with José Filipe Lima on ten-under.

In the end, Macaulay finished his Challenge Tour season in 49th place on the rankings, four spots away from a Grand Final place alongside countrymen Craig Lee (12th in the rankings) and Chris Doak (36th).

For Russell, his tie for third was worth £8,964 and came as a welcome bonus, having only recently resumed his career following a mystery virus that disabled his body to just 15 per cent of its normal capacity.

“I have to be happy with the result,” said Russell, who has been granted a medical extension by the Tour for the whole of next season following his injury plagued season.