Jonathan Caldwell is looking forward to a week’s break before jumping back into the deep end of competition next fortnight in South Africa for the start of the 2021/22 DP World Tour season.
Caldwell, 37, completed his best-ever season on the European Tour, finishing off by just missing a birdie putt in a closing round of 68 for an 11-under par tally in the AVIV Dubai Championship.
The effort handed Caldwell a top-60 finish and he is projected to end his year 95th on the Race to Dubai, easily his best standing on the money list in officially 52 events spread over three seasons (2009, 2020 and 2021) he’s competed in on the main European Tour.
Of course, standing out on his ‘information’ page on the European Tour website is his maiden Tour victory earlier this year in Sweden.
The Clandeboye golfer’s final round of his last event of the season was a mix of five birdies and one bogey and there were some six people at the back of the 18th when Caldwell closed out his best-ever season just prior to noon local time, with just two really paying close attention to the players – one being Portmarnock Golf Operation Manager, Ryan Donagher and other this writer. The others were security personnel and they’ve been in abundance around the clubhouse and practice facilities.
“I played really good today and again, I just didn’t capitalise on good shots while I struggled on the greens a bit”, said Caldwell.
“The game is in good shape and you have to take the positives. It’s been a great year, and while it would have been nice to finish the year a bit stronger, I look back on the year very positively now going forward into a new season”.
After contesting 25 events since travelling earlier in the year to Qatar, that new season for Caldwell will take-off when he jets out of Dubai at around 3am (UAE time) Monday morning bound for Capetown in South Africa for the start of his first season fully exempt on the 2021/22 new named DP World Tour.
“I’m just going to chill out spending a week in Capetown and probably go and visit some nice wineries, eat some good food and rest-up before heading up to Joburg for the Joburg Open”, he said.
“I’ve played the Randpark course in Joburg a few times, so I know the course well enough. I’m into all three South African events and then looking forward to about a month off over Christmas.
“It will be nice being back in South Africa but after Alfred Dunhill at Leopard Creek, I will be really looking forward to packing the clubs away before getting ready for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. I’ll probably come here to Jumeirah the week before for a little practice and then get back out there.
“Hopefully, I can continue to play the way I played this week tee-to-green, and also get the putter going a bit and get off to a good start down in South Africa”.
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