It wasn’t just Duncan Stewart who was quids in after his maiden victory on the European Challenge Tour in Madrid on Sunday.
“My dad had a fiver each way on me at 350 to 1 so he was well on his way when I spoke to him at night,” said Stewart after his profitable performance in the Spanish capital.
Compared to the riches on offer on the main European circuit, Stewart’s cheque for over £21,300 was hardly a king’s ransom but it can still be life changing at this cut-throat level.
After two years of toil, the Grantown-on-Spey man made more from his win at the weekend than he did in the last couple of seasons put together and now the aims and objectives have changed dramatically.
“I’ve got to be looking at getting promoted to the main tour now,” added Stewart, who is already well on course to secure a top-15 finish on the money list that will be rewarded with a full tour card for 2017.
“The way I’d been playing over the last couple of years I would have been happy to make the top 45 and get into the Road to Oman final this season but now the goals have altered. I’m up in the top five already and I want to stay there.
“One week can change the whole year. It’s mental really. Another year of toil and I may have had to look at it and ponder doing something else, what with having a young family now, but I always remained hopeful that I could turn it round. There was so much on the line at the weekend but I was in a good frame of mind and felt positive.”
Playing on an invitation in Madrid, Stewart made the most of his opportunity. He also repaid the faith shown in him by those at Team Scottish Hydro, the financial support programme which helps a select group of Scots on the Challenge Tour and the Ladies European Tour.
“I may not have gone to Madrid if I didn’t have the Hydro backing,” added the 31-year-old, who has moved on to Belek this week for the Turkish Airlines Challenge. “If they had turned round and told me I wasn’t in the programme this year I would have said ‘no problem’ because my performances have not been good enough over the last couple of years. They stuck by me.”
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