Stuart Manley Admits His Climb Back To Europe’s Golfing Elite at 44 Means So Much

By Paul Jones

Stuart Manley has revealed it means everything to him to have reclaimed his place on the DP World Tour – formerly called the European Tour – at the age of 44.

The Welsh golfer snatched back his tour card after enduring a nerve-wracking three-and-a-half-hour wait to confirm his position among the Challenge Tour’s graduates at the weekend.

Manley began the season-ending Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca, ranked 14th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings.

https://twitter.com/MountainAshGolf/status/1719811206259597453?s=20

However, following initial rounds of 78-74, he posted a 79 on Saturday, plummeting to the bottom of the 45-man field and slipping to 22nd place in the projected standings for the season-long card race.

It meant his longed for route back to the golfing elite was out of his hands.

Despite concluding with a commendable one-under-par 71, the outcome remained uncertain until other challengers slipped away.

“This means everything to me,” said Manley after securing his main tour status once again, having embarked on his first full season in 2005 and accumulating nearly 250 appearances.

“It was the perfect storm for me this week. Everybody who at the start of the week I didn’t want to see doing well from a selfish perspective were doing well. You could not have scripted it worse from me.

“I think it’s almost too heavily weighted in terms of the points. I don’t think you should be 14th and potentially move to 22nd and not get a card. Personally, that seems a little bit unfair, but I guess it adds to the excitement.”

#SPORT Stuart Manley has regained his place on the #DPWorldTour but fellow #Welsh #golfer Oliver Farr missed out after the Challenge Tour Grand Final.https://t.co/8UQGBwuXoL

— Radio Cardiff News (@RCLocalNews) November 6, 2023

Among the card recipients, Manley was notably the eldest, with South African Casey Jarvis and Frenchman Tom Vaillant being more than half his age.

“It doesn’t get any easier,” he added.

“They obviously hit it a lot further than me. I’m obviously a lot more experienced and I can control my ball better than a lot of them. I hang out with some young guys and they keep me young and I can still compete with them.”

Manley, who lives in Aberdare, has been a professional golfer for two decades.

He shot a 14-over-par tournament total, but three straight birdies on the back nine on Sunday all but saved Manley, who is the oldest player out of the 21 to graduate to the DP World Tour at 44.

Stuart Manley is back in the DP World Tour! ✅#BBCGolf pic.twitter.com/cN6j5ObWzI

— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) November 6, 2023

Read more about Stuart Manley

Stuart Manley Seeks Rankings Boost After Winning Fourth Challenge Tour Title