Castelló Masters
Valencia, Spain is the destination for the European Tour’s final regulation event on European soil in 2009 as the Club de Campo del Mediterráneo plays host to the Castelló Masters.
The final event on European soil means the final outing of the season for the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV). The TTSV and driver Ian Martin have covered many thousands of miles across the 2009 season taking in events across 12 countries beginning in Spain at the Open de Andalucia back in March and ending this week back in Spain at the Castelló Masters.
With the season reaching its climax there is certainly plenty riding on the final few events and players are therefore reluctant to make any significant changes to their equipment as they look to improve their place on the Race to Dubai. A select few are still in with a realistic chance of claiming top spot but for many the motivation is to consolidate their place inside the top 60 places and qualify for their shot at the $7.5 million Dubai World Championship. For others the motivation is simply survival as they battle hard for a position inside the top 115 places that will guarantee their European Tour playing privileges for 2010. This really is a tense time of the year!!!
Click here to view the slideshow
One player that falls into the latter category is Titleist Ambassador Callum Macaulay. The young Scot has had a mixed bag of results in his rookie season on the European Tour with second place at the Madeira Islands Open the undoubted highlight. Currently in 127th place on the Race to Dubai standings Callum will be looking to post some strong finishes in the closing weeks of the season to retain his card. Callum was one of the few players to request new equipment this week in Valencia and popped into the TTSV to discuss a new putter. Callum wanted something with a different look to his current Newport. His choice was a centre-shaft Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi. The Kombi has captured the attention of a number of players this season and Callum liked the stability offered by the advanced mallet design. At the time of writing Callum is just outside the projected cut in Valencia but fingers crossed that the scoring elsewhere goes his way.
Callum Macaulay
Model: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi – Centre-Shaft
Length: 34”
Lie: 71°
Grip: Scotty Cameron Cord (Black)
Another player ‘on the bubble’ in terms of retaining their card for 2010 is Titleist Ambassador Seve Benson. Seve is currently just inside the top 115 at 114th on the Race to Dubai. Following a disappointing opening round 73 (+2) Seve has work to do to make the cut but from the evidence of this week’s slideshow the young Englishman seems pretty relaxed about retaining his card. The team took the opportunity to supply Seve with a set of back up Spin Milled Vokey wedges this week to ensure that his short game is sharp for the end of season run-in. These will be the last set of existing Spin Milled wedges for Seve before he switches to the new CC (Condition of Competition) wedges required for European Tour play in 2010. We wish Seve the best of luck as he looks to post a low number during the second round in Valencia.
Paul Waring is someone who has featured regularly on the Blog in recent weeks as he looks to secure his Tour card for 2010. We’re pleased to report that solid finishes in each of his last two events now have him well inside the top 115 in 107th place. However, Paul isn’t resting on his laurels and continues to put in the work to retain his card. This week he checked in with Titleist Tour Representative Phil Dimmock to work on his 909F3 fairway metals. Paul wanted to compare the two fairways that he had at his disposal using the Trackman system before deciding which one to put in play this week. At the time of writing Paul, like Callum and Seve, is around the projected cut line as he enters the back nine holes of round two. We again wish him well.
Paul Waring
Model: 909F3
Loft: 13° or 15°
Shaft: Grafalloy Blue X-Flex
Length: 43” (both)
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Red/Black (+1/32”)
Swingweight: D3
Although the TTSV is finished with European Tour action for 2009 it does still have one more stop to make on its European road trip before the year is out. That venue is PGA de Catalunya near Barcelona for the European Tour Q-School. A number of players that have missed out on the top 115 places in this seasons Race to Dubai will be looking to play their way back onto the Tour whilst a number of new faces will get their opportunity to become part of the European Tour’s class of 2010. We will have members of the team on location at PGA de Catalunya and the Blog will have inside the ropes information from the event. In the meantime the 2009 season heads back to Asia for the final events of the season culminating in the rarefied atmosphere of the inaugural Dubai World Championship starting on November 19th.
Keep it locked to the Blog for regular updates and please don’t forget that you can send us your questions using the portal below. In the meantime, Adiós from the Castelló Masters!!!
Add comment October 23rd, 2009
