Craig Lee quickly cancelled a trip home last night and instead was aboard a charter flight bound for Dubai and this week's season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The Stirling golfer jumped three spots from outside the top 60 and into 58th place on the back of shooting a final-round 71 for a share of 36th place on 11 under par in the Turkish Airlines Open, won by Frenchman Victor Dubuisson.
It will be Lee's first appearance in the European Tour's $8m season finale and he will be joined by fellow Scots Stephen Gallacher (19th on the money list), Scott Jamieson (31st) and Marc Warren (32nd). Lee, who was £5563 outside the top-60 teeing up in Turkey, moved £6593 inside the 60.
"I was feeling pretty low at the turn as a bad drive down six went into the water and I then three-putted seven and didn't get up-and-down at eight and before you know it I've dropped four shots," said Lee. "That's the way it's gone this week. I would hit one bad shot and then take a double, but then I hit a lot of good shots and couldn't hole the putts.
"It's been a strange week but it's definitely been satisfying given the circumstances and a lot different from a couple of years ago in being in 115th position against fighting to get inside the top 60, as that's proper pressure. That's your whole career on the line."
Dubuisson upstaged some of the best golfers in the world to secure his first Tour title by two shots with a 24 under tally. The 23-year-old Frenchman, a former world No.1 ranked amateur, when quizzed about his golfing idol, responded: "He was playing in the group ahead of me. Tiger Woods."
The American birdied four of the closing five holes in a five-under 67 to finish in a tie for third place with England's Justin Rose, who boosted his hopes of finishing next week as European No.1 by shooting a 64 Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who finished ahead of them in second place, two shots behind Dubuisson, had a hole-in-one at the par-3 16th that earned him one million air miles, courtesy of the title sponsor.
Henrik Stenson, who shot a 69 to share seventh place on 18 under, heads to next week's Race to Dubai finale still leading the money list. The Swede has seen his lead slashed from €343,866 to €213,468 over Rose, who moved into second place ahead of Graeme McDowell.
Stenson is considering withdrawing from this week's pro-am to rest his injured wrist. "I want to give my wrist a full two days' rest and just do light practice," he said. "It's been like this for three weeks, so I just do the best I can."
Missing out on the Race to Dubai final leg was a bitter disappointment for Paul Lawrie, who moved up just one place to 63rd after his 69 for 279 left him in a share of 44th place in Turkey. "I wanted to play next week, so it's been a disappointing year, to be honest," said Lawrie. "I have a bit of work to do over the winter and then I will come back out for the Middle East swing and, hopefully, do better."
Joining Lawrie in not competing in Dubai is Padraig Harrington (68th on the money list) and Richie Ramsay (70th), who shot a 64 for a share of 18th place on 14 under.
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