Robinson on a roll
Oct 9 2008 by Golf North East
NORTH East golfer Simon Robinson is bidding to boost the numbers on the European tour.
The 27-year-old, who plays out of Wynyard Golf Club, is enjoying a big season on the European Challenge Tour as he attempts to win a place on the full European Tour alongside fellow local stars Graeme Storm, Rob Dinwiddie and possibly Ken Ferrie again next season.
Since completing a golfing scholarship in the US four years ago, Robinson has been battling the odds on the EuroPro and Challenge Tours but he has consistently produced his best golf this summer and could now be on the verge of making the leap to the big time.
He's even scooped his first major title on the Challenge Tour.
The former World Amateur Boys champion put on a record-breaking show to storm to his maiden title at the SK Golf Challenge at Laurence Golf Club in Lohja, Finland.
Robinson, who lives in Seaton Carew, said: "Compared to my previous achievements on the Tour this is something else. I just thought that it would be better to hit the greens and keep the bogeys off the card. It worked perfectly but I managed to make lots of birdies too, which was fantastic.
"Playing on Tour is expensive for players on the Challenge Tour but the promoters have been wonderful. The people at Lohja were a big bonus for all of us too and, if I can, I will definitely come back next year as will most of the players."
Starting the day two shots behind firm favourite and local hero Mikko Ilonen, Robinson showed his intent straight away with a birdie at the opening hole.
He reached the turn in 32 to move into contention and as Ilonen fell back with a final round 72 to share fourth place in the end with Spain's Sebastian Garcia-Grout on 278, Robinson powered to the title with a sensational back nine.
He birdied six of the eight holes between the tenth and the 17th to build himself an unassailable lead and he could even afford the luxury of a bogey five at the 382-yard 18th and still pick up the title.
Since then, Robinson has managed two further top 20 finishes and with four events to go stands in 40th place in the order of merit.
If he can finish in the top 15, as Dinwiddie did last year, he will win a place on next season's European Tour.
However, he does have another route to the full tour through the European Tour School Qualifying.
The top 45 finishers on the Challenge Tour automatically go through to the second round of the tour school, to be played in Spain in the first week of November.
In the meantime, Robinson is determined to pick up as much credit as possible on the Challenge Tour and has just played at the Qingdo Golf Open in Qingdo, China - though he just missed the cut following rounds of 75 and 77 - and at the Kazakhstan Open, where he finished 40th after rounds of 72, 69, 70 and 74.
Interestingly, the latter event was won by Penrith's Gary Lockerbie, who now looks assured of regaining his European Tour place after moving into first place in the Challenge tour's order of merit.
The first round of Tour school qualifying has just taken place at no less than six venues across Europe.
Several North East-based players took part but missed out on progressing to the second round, including Westerhope's George Cowan and Morpeth's David Clark, who competed at Dundonald Links near Ayr, and Middlesbrough's Jon Lupton, who was unlucky not to go through after a four under total at Chart Hills in Kent.
