Little joins golf's elite (From Stroud News and Journal)

Little joins golf's elite

NAILSWORTH golf professional Stuart Little was 'highly delighted' after earning himself a place alongside Europe's golfing elite.

Rounds of 69, 66, 72 and 69 were good enough for a ninth place finish in Sunday's Challenge Tour Grand Final at Bordeaux, hauling the 34-year-old from 16th to 14th in the order of merit to gain one of the 15 tickets on offer for the European Tour.

"I'm very pleased, it's nice to finally do it," said the left-hander when he spoke to the News and Journal on Monday.

Failure to have qualified would have been a blow as he admitted: "The initial disappointment would have been there, but disappointment is a hazard of the trade."

Despite the pressures involved, Little coped admirably even though he wasn't quite on his 'A' game, as he explained: "I played steady although I wasn't in control of my game as much as I would have liked to have been. It was just a good, solid performance helped by the fact that competition was close all week."

Stuart earned more than £36,000 in securing the chance to compete against the likes of Clarke, Goosen, Westwood and Montgomerie for the 2001/02 campaign, but was pleased most by the attainment of his goal: "Getting on the European Tour is a goal that I set out to achieve at the start of the season and I'm highly delighted to have done this - it's always pleasing to achieve a goal you have set yourself."

For more see this week's SNJ