After So Long In The Golfing Darkness, Chris Wood Finally Attracts The DP World Tour Limelight

6 months ago by Comments Off on After So Long In The Golfing Darkness, Chris Wood Finally Attracts The DP World Tour Limelight

After so long in the golfing darkness, Chris Wood has finally attracted the DP World Tour limelight and thanks to those admistering the Turkish Airlines Open.

If not for their generatous invitation, Wood would probably be back home in Bristol wondering where he will be competing next but now after a closing round 64 for a hard-earning top-10 finish (fingers crossed) in Antalya Wood could be headed to next fortnight’s Soudal Open at Anterp in Belgium.

Wood’s effort of 64 was a his lowest DP World Tour round since the 2016 Italian Open.

GolfByTourMiss reached out to Wood some seven months ago when he was afforded an invitation to contest the Asian Tour’s Black Mountain Championship.

Please read our story from this chat with Wood:  http://www.golfbytourmiss.com/2024/10/chris-wood-should-find-black-mountain-an-easy-climb-after-years-of-hurtful-decline/

Wood’s plight sadly is not an uncommon scenario in golf.  It’s a scenario that when you are playing well everyone wants to know you but then your game declines and you lose full playing rights no-one seems to want to know you.

This is what Wood faced and so too did our good friend David Drysdale, who lost his DP World Tour card at the end of 2022 and despite he and his manager/caddy wife sending off nearly two dozen written requests for 2024 tournament invitations they received the courtesy of just one reply but that was a polite ‘sorry, we can’t help you’.

Thankfully, Drysdale’s passion for the game help him secure full playing rights for the 2024 Asian Tour.

It was the same for Wood who lost his DP World Tour card at the close of the 2022 season and as much as he sought invitations for the 2023 season he too was also overlooked.  If fact, Wood played just two events in 2023 and those on the African Tour while he managed 15 last year thanks to the HotelPlanner Tour and the Asian Tour.  His only DP World Tour event was early in 2024 at the Qatar Masters, as the 2013 champion.

And Wood’s start his week was due to a late invitation while his management team have reached out seeking hopefully more opportunities like this week for him.

Of note, his finish this week in Turkey will be a best since his share of 11th in the 2021 British Masters, a result that should see him vastly improve Wood’s current World Ranking of the 1,472nd best player in the world, and a far cry from World No. 22 this month back in 2016.

“It’s been horrendous to be honest,” said a teary-eyed Wood he said speaking post his round in Turkey.

“It’s been – since 2019 really – I just feel like I;ve been going through hell so to put a score together today is obviously great.

“I want to feel like I know my game’s there, not just put a score on one day, and I genuinely feel like I’m starting to do that now.

“I’ve been working so hard at home just quietly with a great team and it’s been a long old road to be honest.

“I never lost belief in myself – you obviously have days where it feels harder than some.

“The fire in my belly has always been there. I’m relying on invites this year. I’m ready – I’m practising so well at home that a call last minute is a problem, I’m ready to go.

“I played with Oli Wilson the first couple of days and he asked how I’m doing it, how I’m practising at home to be match ready – they’re my secrets.

“The Tour have been good. The medical team have really helped me. Hopefully this is a first little step forward and anyone who wants me at their event, please pick up the phone because I need a few starts this year!”

Great effort Chris and as we mentioned to you last October, hope you get back to those heights in the game where you belong.



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