Sam Hutsby earns another shot at the golfing big time

The Portsmouth-born golfer – who lost to Rickie Fowler in the singles at the 2009 Walker Cup – has regained a full card in Europe for 2023 after another successful trip to Spain.

The 34-year-old – attached to Lee-on-the-Solent Golf Club – posted a total of 19-under par to finish in a share of 13th place, with just the top 25 and ties out of the original field of 156 players earning playing privileges for next season.

But it could have been so different if he had not come through a three man-play off at the second stage in Spain earlier this month.

Hutsby faced elimination after finishing tied for 21st place with four other players, including Freshwater‘s Brandon Robinson-Thompson, who played for Hampshire U18s two years after Hutsby.

Hutsby has loved playing in Spain ever since he claimed the Spanish Amateur Championship as a 17-year-old England junior international in 2006, beating Edoardo Molinari at Sherry GC.

But a crucial birdie earned Hutsby his spot at the final stage of Q-School, and six more rugged rounds in north east Spain, and has given him another shot at the big time as he came through all three stages of Q-School – the last Hampshire player to do that was Corhampton‘s Scott Gregory in 2018.

Hutsby, who won the Hampshire Under-14 crown back in 2003, has now successfully come through the marathon ordeal at the DP World Tour‘s Qualifying School for a fourth time in his career.

All of those successes have come at Spanish soil – three of them at PGA de Catalunya while his latest joy came at Infinitum in Tarragona, which has been used as the Final Stage venue since 2017.

The 2022 Qualifying School was the first held in three years because of the pandemic and Hutsby, who has enjoyed a very successful season on the PGA South Region, quickly set about achieving his goal.

He started the sixth and final round in 20th place, but with little margin for error with just a shot between himself and another season on the Challenge Tour, Hutsby enjoyed a relatively stress-free time, carding a round of 68 on Infinitum‘s Lakes course.

After a birdie at the first hole, he bogeyed the second and reached the turn in two-under having picked up shots at the eighth and ninth. A three at the 13th got him to 19-under, only to drop a shot at the penultimate hole.

But another birdie at the last – his 28th of the week – moved him up into 13th and avoiding any risk of a late charge by others bumping him into the last card category.

Hutsby made one eagle on the last hole of the Lakes course in the third round, and only made 11 bogeys in total, avoiding any costly doubles that can do so much damage to momentum at Tour School.

And crucially because he carded a 68 – the best final round score of the six players tied on 19-under - he earned the 13th card at Q-School, which gives him a chance of getting more starts in some of next year‘s bigger DP World Tour Events.