Despite defeating World No. 1 Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods earlier this year England’s Robert Rock will not be tempted to qualify for the PGA Tour.
A number of leading European players, including Scotland’s Richie Ramsay and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, are set to take advantage of the final PGA Tour qualifying school at the end of the year.
Robert Rock beats Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods to win Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship but turns down chance of PGA Tour card. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
Thereafter a player will have to contest a full season on the PGA secondary Buy.com Tour to advance to the main PGA Tour.
However Rock, who defends his BMW Italian Open title this week in Turin, has confirmed he intends remaining in Europe despite his current World No. 80 ranking making him exempt into the second stage of the PGA Tour School given he is inside the top-100 on the World Rankings.
“I tasted the PGA Tour at Doral early on this year and then in August at the Firestone for the WGC – Bridgestone and then the following week’s PGA Championship but it’s not for me,” said Rock.
“For starters I have a different flight with my driver and are trying to change my driver swing to suit the American courses, I found it wasn’t working for me.
“Also there’s the whole set-up on the PGA Tour.
“It had taken me long enough to get settled in Europe (Won the 2011 Italian Open at his 209th Tour start) that I thought do I really want to do that again playing in the States.
“So it was a no question because I don’t want to do down that path to the States.
“We can see that Rory’s game is perfect suited for the States but as much as I would like to be able to hit the ball higher for the U.S. courses I am happy with the realisation that Europe is where I should be.”
However since winning the Emirates capital, it’s been an indifferent season for Rock since relegating McIlroy into second place and Woods into joint third in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Rock’s best finish was 16th in May’s Spanish Open while he’s had two other top-20s in the intervening 15 events and to be currently lying 24th on the Race to Dubai money list
“After winning in Abu Dhabi I enjoyed it for a few weeks and kind of rolled with the flow and that kind of lasted me to Doral,” he said.
“Then I made a poor choice of trying to revamp my driver swing and that made for a dip in form.
“So that spoilt my form for a few weeks and then I started chipping poorly, and then I had to take some time off as I had a bit of a back problem.
“But now I feel after some decent results in the past few weeks I can get back to top form again.
“I’m also looking forward to the end of the season and also having seen the start of the 2013 season, I’m looking forward to that and also defending my Abu Dhabi HSBC title.”
Rock will play the opening two rounds of the Euro 1.5m BMW Italian Open in the company of Italy’s Edoardo Molinari and Spain’s big-hitting Alvaro Quiros.
