James Busby is set for his debut on the European Tour in 2013
James Busby is set to make his debut on the European Tour next season, after finishing 16th in the European Challenge Tour Rankings this year.
Busby entered the season-ending Apulia San Domenico Grand Final ranked 45th in the standings.
He was the last player to qualify for the tournament, as the event featured only the top-45 players in the Challenge Tour Rankings.
Therefore, the Englishman desperately needed at least a second-place finish, in order to confirm his berth in the 2013 European Tour season.
At the end of the week, he found himself sharing the second spot on the leaderboard. As a result, he also made a strong charge in the rankings and finished among the top-20 players in the list.
According to the European Tour’s qualifying policy, the top-20 Challenge Tour players at the end of each season receive invitations to play on the European Tour in the following year.
Therefore, it was a shocking moment for Busby, as he could never have thought of making it into the top-20, especially when he was having troubles with his swing technique.
“It was a shock at the Grand Final,” he said. “I found a swing from nowhere and went on from there”.
He continued, “The main aim at the start of this season was to keep a Challenge Tour card, just to finish in the top-80. Then when I got into the top-45, the plan was to just enjoy the Grand Final. It has gone from there and I was just gobsmacked with the
final week”.
He added, “When I was standing over that putt on the last to secure second place all I was thinking was, ‘I hope the feeling comes back in my arms for this one!’”
According to the golf commentators, his qualification to the European Tour was nothing as compared to his recovery from the accident and a return to the game after almost a year’s bed rest.
Just one month after he started playing professional golf, he suffered a car accident and was advised to remain off the course for at least two years.
He then played on the satellite Europro Tour for four years, prior to moving to the Challenge Tour in 2011.
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