Stewart ties second in Kazakhastan Open

The Scot carded rounds of 70, 70, 65 and 72 to finish a notable 11 under par, tying him for second and moving him to 14^th in the Order of Merit (was 40^th going into the tournament).

Stewart went into the tournament with the aim of making the top-30 in the Challenge Tour Rankings to automatically qualify for the Foshan Open in China. However he gave himself a little scare when he took nine on the 15^th (Par 5) on the opening day but rather than giving up, fought hard and birdied the last five holes to finish -2.

“I am delighted with last weeks result in Kazakhstan and now lie 14th on the Order of Merit,” said Stewart. “It was a great week where I played very solid and my putter was very hot, especially on the Saturday when I shot -7. I actually made a nine on the Par 5 17th the first day and thought my chances were gone but I made five birdies in a row to finish my round to shoot -2.”

On his final round yesterday, Stewart was in a great position. He started the day just two shots behind the leader but was unable to keep up with eventual winner Johan Carlsson, who had a bogey-free round. Looking to then secure the runner-up spot for himself, Stewart thought he needed a birdie to secure solo second, when in fact a par would have sufficed.

“I am very disappointed with my last hole yesterday where I thought I needed a birdie for solo second, but in fact a par would have done. I went at the flag and made bogey and it cost me €12,000 and three spots on the Order of Merit. I would definitely have taken tied 2nd at the start of the week and to be in the top 15 with only three events left is huge because top 15 get their European Tour cards for next season.”

The 29-year-old is looking forward to his break this week but doesn’t want to relax too much. He will play in two MENA Tour events to keep on top of his game before returning for the final three tournaments on the Challenge Tour.

“I am home for four days then heading to Dubai to play two MENA tour events to keep sharp and heading to China from there. The last three events are China, Oman and Dubai and one really good finish would all but secure my card. I am really looking forward to the next month and hopefully I will be on the main tour next year.”