David Howard has secured a tour card for 2025 for the UK based Clutch Pro Tour.
The Fota Island golfer, who finished in the top ten on the Bridgestone Order of Merit this year entered the event after being told about the qualifier by PGA Professional Brian Kelleher.
With the Irish championship season over, Howard headed off to Mannings Heath outside London for the 54 hole qualifier on what is effectively Europe’s third tier of professional tour golf. He ended up finishing in the top twenty, earning tour status for next year.
“I had two weeks notice, Brian sent me on a link qualifier so I booked it off the back of the East Cork win,” explained Howard after the good performance.
He entered after winning the East Cork Scratch Cup which was at the end of the Irish season.
“I shot a nice score there and played decently after not playing great towards the end of the championships. I started playing good golf after that coming into the winter which wasn’t ideal.”
“Having two weeks notice I played every day and practiced every day pretty much. I went over there knowing I had put in the work and was playing pretty well.
“I had to play the course blind on the first day. Because of bad weather I had no practice round so just walked the course.
David Howard (Fota Island) who made it to the last 16 in the West of Ireland over the weekend.
“I went out the first day and played well, apart from starting off with a double bogey – first tee nerves in my first pro event so I was two over through one. So to finish two under after round one was a good start.
“After the first two days playing solid golf and hitting the ball really well I knew I was playing well.”
A second two under par 70 followed on day two, and that put Howard into the top twenty with one round to go.
It brought the prospect of winning a tour card into sight and David set his sights on claiming a spot for 2025.
“I went out and hit the ball really well in the final round but couldn’t make any putts.
“I parred the first 12 holes and then there was a rain delay. After an hour we went back out and I shot two under for the last six holes coming in so it was a nice way to finish it.
“I was definitely a bit nervy for the last six holes knowing that I needed one or two birdies when I went back out. I finally made a putt on the last when I birdied it with a nine-foot putt.”
That saw him finish tied for 18th place alongside Marc Boucher.
With Rowan Lester finishing in 4th place, that saw three Irish golfers get status for 2025.
They join James Sugrue, Rob Brazill and Paul McBride who also qualified at an earlier event in Belton Woods.
They now have a Category 5 card which guarantees entry to all Clutch Tour events in 2025.
Howard was effectively a full time amateur in 2024, and he did well in several championships.
He finished in the top ten in the Bridgestone Order of Merit for 2024 after a solid campaign.
He made the final 16 (third round) of the West of Ireland in April and followed that with top twenty finishes in the Munster Strokeplay and the Flogas Irish Amateur Open.
He was runner up in the Connacht Strokeplay and was 4th in the Mullingar Scratch Cup.
Despite the relative success on the championship circuit and his win in East Cork, Howard has no immediate plans to turn pro.
“I’m fairly set on staying amateur for another year at least, I think I need a bit more experience.
“I try and get a few wins next year as an amateur and play a few of the Clutch Tour events and see how I get on against the pros in the UK.”
David has set himself short term goals of working on his game and getting fitter over the next few weeks, and he already has a schedule planned for the early part of 2025.
In January he’s off the Dubai along with a few more from Fota to take part in the Emirates Amateur, and after that he’s targeting the Toro Tour in Spain.
In addition to some early season competitive golf, it will also provide him with an opportunity for warm weather practice.
After that he’ll sit down and map out the season between the Irish championships starting with the West of Ireland and also several Clutch Tour events.
