Michael Stewart earned £2,500 for finishing runner-up in the Tartan Pro Tour event at Duddingston Golf Club near Edinburgh on Wednesday. Four days later, the world number 979 has just picked up nearly 100 times that by finishing joint fourth behind winner Adrian Meronk at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. But what the 36-year-old Scot regards as "without doubt" the best week of his career has left him with a dilemma.
Finishing in the top 10 means he qualifies for next week's Spanish Open. However, that clashes with the conclusion to the Tartan Pro Tour, the Gleneagles Masters, after which Stewart will qualify for next year's second-tier Challenge Tour should he protect his current second place. "Right now, in all honesty, in my mind, it's definitely play the Tartan Pro Tour final at Gleneagles," Stewart said.
"If I don't go and somebody overtakes me, I don't think that's the right thing to do. It would be silly if I wasn't to go to Gleneagles and at least tee it up and try and secure my Challenge Tour card." Stewart, who finished one stroke ahead of defending champion Robert Mac Intyre, was making only his sixth DP World Tour appearance and described his performance at Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and St Andrews this week as a career highlight.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing