A couple of weeks ago Marcus Armitage made the point at Q School that a few people go to ground when the results aren’t happening. This year on the Challenge Tour he missed the cut in half his 18 starts and didn’t break €15,000.
Then Q School happened and the 32-year-old got his European Tour card. There are other ways to do it – look at Joel Sjoholm and Wil Besseling, second and third at Leopard Creek but both didn’t make it through at Lumine – but it’s the difference between half a dozen and probably 20-plus starts on the main tour.
Armitage was tied for 4th after three days and an eagle at the last on Saturday. Here was his chance to tuck away €80-100k if he could maintain that position or even reach for the skies and take the top prize and all the exemptions that go with it.
This is what he does, Armitage told me at Q School that his mentality was to try and win it rather than worry about what was going on around the 25th and ties placings. At the end of it all he was quite frustrated by finishing in a tie for 13th.
Having watched him for the final two days and chatted with him he’s impossible not to enjoy on both fronts. His golf is sensational and he has the rare talent of making things look very simple while his conversation is equally as good.
Armitage’s final round added up to 83, including a quadruple-bogey at the 16th which he then followed with a pair of birdies. The big pay day had never materialised, at the end of it all he had earned €8,700 and it is likely one of his worst rounds as a professional.
All of which makes the following video even classier, funnier and more remarkable…
Advertisement
[object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object]
Imagine many, if any, of his peers doing likewise. Like he says he’ll be back, he’s far too good and ballsy not to.
