Thirty years after first becoming a professional, Glasgow-born veteran Euan McIntosh will turn pro for the second time in his career after earning a place on the Staysure Tour at the qualifying school final in Portugal.
The 50-year-old, who became the oldest winner of the Scottish Amateur Championship in over three decades when he won the title in 2018, grabbed the second of just five tour cards on offer for the over-50s circuit.
McIntosh, who was re-instated to the amateur game after his initial spell in the paid ranks, closed with a four-under 67 for a 12-under tally and finished runner-up behind No 1 qualifier, Michael Long.
Having demonstrated he could still teach the young ‘uns a few tricks as a sturdy competitor in the amateur scene in recent seasons, McIntosh is now looking to take his game to a new level as a rookie among the golden oldies of Europe.
“I play a lot of high-end amateur events with guys that are going to be winning European Tour events, and I’ve been doing that for the last three years,” he said. “It’s been a really good grounding, these young guys have been amazing.
"They’ve pushed me on to get my golf to the level it’s at now. Without their help, and their competitiveness, I wouldn’t be here right now.
“The strange thing is, I’m sad in a way to be leaving the amateur ranks. I’ve got a lot of friends, because I play for Scotland, and now I’m not going to be doing that ever again. It’s great, but there’s a bit of sadness there.”
Aberdeen’s Scott Henderson, the 1997 European Tour rookie of the year, just missed out on a play-off for the final card by a single shot on seven-under.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article