Finch slips two spots but remains in field for elite

Richard Finch had little time to breathe a sigh of relief before hopping on yet another plane to head to Dubai for the European Tour’s most lucrative tournament this week.

By The Newsroom

Published 20th Nov 2012, 07:58 BST

When he missed the cut at the Hong Kong Open last Friday, the 35-year-old Hull golfer must have feared that his slender hold on a place in the top 60 of the Race to Dubai would be ripped from his grasp. He was 58th on the money list going into the tournament, with his failure to make the weekend meaning he earned no more money and had to hope that players continuing on in Hong Kong and competing in South Africa did not overtake him.

On Sunday evening he was relieved to discover he had clung on to his place in the elite field for this week’s season finale in Dubai, which starts on Thursday. Finch dropped to 60th to take the last place in the exclusive field for the World Tour Championship.

It is his first appearance in a tournament that has a prize fund of $8m (£5.034m). Finch earned less than £8,000 more than 61st place Brett Rumford.

He joins fellow Yorkshiremen Danny Willett, who is 22nd on the list, and Simon Dyson, 49th, in Dubai.