Monday 24 October 2016 07:02, UK
The Portugal Masters was the final chance for players "on the bubble" to secure their European Tour cards for next season, so who made it in and who faces a visit to the dreaded Qualifying School?
Mikko Korhonen started the week ranked 116th in the Race to Dubai and needing to move up five places to retain his card for next season. But the Finn, requiring at least a top-25 finish, contended for the lead for much of the event and eventually ended up just two shots adrift of champion Padraig Harrington. A huge payday for 112,600 euros lifted Korhonen to 86th.
Oliver Fisher was also on the outside looking in when the tournament started, but a closing 64 secured a top-10 finish and the talented young Englishman moved comfortably inside the mark to 100th.
Jason Scrivener was in much the same situation as Korhonen and Fisher, and the Australian defied the pressure to notch four sub-70 rounds to finish tied for 17th, elevating him to 105th in the Race to Dubai.
None other than former Ryder Cup star and occasional Sky Sports guest commentator and pundit David Howell. The five-time European Tour winner missed the cut in Portugal, but he clung on to the key 111th position.
Graeme Storm needed only a par at the 72nd hole in Vilamoura to leap into the top 111. However, Storm bogeyed the 18th for the second day running and ended up one place below Howell - the gap between them being just 100 points.
Eddie Pepperell looked certain to retain his card when he opened with a superb 64, but he suffered a meltdown the following day and was right on the cut line with one hole remaining. The pressure told and Pepperell blocked his drive into the unknown, running up a double-bogey six to card a 76 and miss out on the weekend. And the slip proved costly as he dropped to 114th in the Race to Dubai standings.
Spare a thought also for Scotland's Craig Lee, who bogeyed three of the last four holes of his first round to card a 73 before he bounced back on day two. Three birdies and an eagle put him on course to make the weekend on the number, but he bogeyed his final hole to miss the cut by a single shot. The Scot dropped to 113th on the R2D and missed out on retaining his card by less than 700 euros.
Zander Lombard got off to a great start to the season with a fourth place at the Australian PGA Championship followed by a runner-up finish on home soil at the Joburg Open. But the young South African opted not to play in Portugal and he slipped to 116th in the rankings.
Paul Lawrie earned his first top-10 finish of the season and rose to 121st in the Race to Dubai, but he'll be exempt for next season via his lofty standing in the career money list.
Richard Green is another relying on being in the top 40 in the career money list on the European Tour after finishing the season one place behind Lawrie.
The same goes for Stephen Gallacher, one place above Green at 38th on the career money stats, and one place below the Australian in this season's Race to Dubai.
Peter Uihlein has finished 14th, 65th and 47th on the order of merit over the last three seasons, but his 2016 campaign was a disappointment as he ended a lowly 122nd.
Alvaro Quiros earned only one top-10 finish in 23 starts this season, and he will now start preparing for Q School next month.
Eduardo Molinari was playing in the Ryder Cup not too long ago. But after a succession of injuries coupled with poor form, his future is far from certain having missed his 12th cut of the season in Portugal, leaving him languishing at 149th in the Race to Dubai.
