After missing out on a full European Tour card for 2019 by a single stroke, the cruel set of circumstances have emerged today that cost Cormac Sharvin his 2019 European Tour card.
In yesterdays sixth and final round Sharvin was playing nicely and sitting on 15 under par for the tournament after six holes, two under for the day and on course to push on and claim a full card.
It has emerged today however that Sharvin incorrectly teed-up his tee shot on the Par 3 seventh and was not fully behind one of the tee markers at the Lumine course at Tarragona in Spain and it wasn’t until he was completing his swing when German playing partner, Alexander Knappe noticed the Ardglass man was marginally in front of the tee-markers and but his warning shouts came too late.
Under the Rules of Golf, Sharvin’s first shot did not count and, after calling a two-stroke penalty on himself, he teed-off properly and bravely sent his third shot to just five-feet of the flag before holing out for a bogey ‘4’ in an eventual round of 69. The round left him one shot adrift of the magic number and he didn’t join Mt. Juliet’s Gavin Moynihan in securing one of the 27 full European Tour cards awarded.
“I teed off a couple of inches ahead of the tee markers causing a two-shot penalty and then I had to retake the shot and got it up and down for four,” Sharvin revealed.
“Alexander was very apologetic and was very upset that he didn’t call me off the shot. He said he only noticed as I took my backswing.”
“Genuinely it was not his fault. He could have maybe shouted in my backswing which may have worked but he didn’t. I take full responsibility for the mistake.”
Sharvin added: “With the pin being so far left on the green it obviously threw me off [in my alignment]. But I didn’t let it affect me in any way and just treated it as a test of character and I feel I showed great character to respond the way I did!”
Rory McIlroy was very sympathetic of an incident commenting, “I heard what happened to Cormac and it’s really disappointing. Naturally, I feel sorry for him and hoping, given his finish one place outside of getting a full Tour card, he may still get enough starts in in the New Year.”
While sympathetic for Sharvin, McIlroy was delighted for Moynihan, who despite two bogeys over his closing four holes, held on to earn full membership.
“Gavin had been showing plenty of good signs throughout the year, so it’s great he’s been rewarded with his Tour card,” said McIlroy.
“The more Irish on the Tour, the merrier”.
And Moynihan’s close friend and Golf Sixes winning team-mate, Paul Dunne was equally pleased.
“Gavin was a serial winner as an amateur but everyone takes to it at different stages and professional golf is a lot different,” said Dunne.
“He has shown in the performances, like Valderrama recently, he played very well and the Irish Open last year so I know what kind of a player he is.”
“What’s very important for a player coming out of Q-School is that they go and play these four events before Christmas, the start of this season just get off to a good start.”
“Gavin struggled at the start last year and that kind of set the tone for the year so if you can get off to a good start, a bit of momentum then everything becomes much easier. Hopefully he can keep that run of form going and have a few good finishes before Christmas and then he will be off and running.”
The good thing with Moynihan now in the main Tour ranks is that it may take some of the pressure off Dunne who has been losing-out in ‘Credit Card Roulette’.
“Hopefully, it will be Gavin who starts losing,” said Dunne smiling.
“Seriously though with Shane playing less in America next year, I am not saying that is a good thing but it is a nice thing for me, so that’s Shane back a bit, Padraig is playing more in Europe, it should be a bigger Irish contingent playing a similar playing schedule to me, which I have been missing for a few years.”
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