Profile - Gareth Maybin

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In 2010 Gareth Maybin secured a second place finish at the fog plagued Ballantine’s Championship at the Pinx Golf Club to secure his playing rights for the 2011 season, easing the pressure of needing that late surge in earnings to keep his card. 

In fact on the final day in Korea Maybin may have done even better except he faded down the stretch, losing out on sole possession of second place after a par putt at the last lipped out. The level par 72 score dropped him back alongside Australia's Brett Rumford - albeit a vital pay day of €191,516.50 towards the Race to Dubai

Originally from Ballyclare in Northern Ireland, Maybin had a very successful career as an amateur, representing Ireland at boys, youth and senior levels, in addition to wins in the Leinster Youths and North of Ireland. 

In 2001 Gareth accepted a four year golf scholarship at the University of South Alabama, where he set a record by winning eight times in one season, beating PGA Tour player Heath Slocum’s record of seven wins. In 2004 Gareth played on the successful European Palmer Cup team at Ballybunion Golf Club and was also a member of that year’s Walker Cup panel.

Maybin turned professional after the 2004 University season, initially playing on the Hooters Tour in the US, where he was named Rookie of the Year in 2005. 

After two wins on the Tour, in 2005 and 2006, and a victory in the 2006 Alabama Open, he returned to Europe to compete on the European Challenge Tour, for the second half of the 2007 season. After four top ten finishes in only ten events, including a third place finish in the First Plus Wales Challenge, Gareth finished the season in 49th position on the Order of Merit and secured full Challenge Tour playing rights for 2008. Gareth rounded off 2007 in style, playing in the World Cup of Golf with fellow Northern Irishman Michael Hoey, at Mission Hills in China. 

Maybin had a superb 2008 season on the Challenge Tour, with nine top-10 finishes, including his first Challenge Tour victory at the Qingdao Golf Open in September. Gareth’s consistent performances saw him finish the 2008 season ranked 4th on the Challenge Tour Rankings. This secured a category 10 card on the main European Tour for the 2009 season, which gave Gareth entry to most tournaments. 

He took full advantage of this opportunity, and nearly secured the European Tour’s Rookie Of The Season award for 2009. Maybin had no fewer than seven top-10 finishes, and came close to winning on a number of occasions. None more so than at the South African Open Championship, where he missed out on a play-off. Gareth finished 53rd in the final 2009 Race to Dubai rankings, a superb debut season. 

Maybin would continue in the same vein going into 2010, narrowly missing out securing his first European Tour victory. Gareth would secure five top-10s, including finishing second at the Ballantine's Championship in Korea and also the Andalucia Valderrama Masters in Spain. He sampled his first taste of Major golf by qualifying for both the US Open and the Open Championship on his way to finishing 40th in the Race to Dubai. 

The 2011 season however saw a loss of momentum mid season with a large number of  missed cuts impacting his twenty eight season starts, including the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland in Jillana. The loss in earnings was sufficient to cause concern through the last few events in the European Tour schedule, nit  helped when Maybin earned only €8,700 from 57th place at the Andalucia Masters.

However fortune favoured and a €13,327 cheque in Hong Kong moved him to 117th from 120th in the Race to Dubai standings. 

With the three players ahead of him - Fredrik Jacobsen, Ryan Moore and Tom Lewis - not playing the required number of tournaments to count, this bumped him to 114th on the list - one spot inside the automatic 115 players on the money list who retain their playing privileges for the new year.

In 2012 Maybin left Horizon Sports to join a new management company Sportology.

The highlight of his 2013 campaign came at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, where he followed up a joint eighth finish in the Alstom Open de France with a joint fifth finish behind Phil Mickelson. 

Needed to make the cut in his last event of the 2011 season, the UBS Hong Kong Open, to have any chance of keeping his card, and duly did so, coming tied 39th to scrape in in 117th place in The Race to Dubai. 

Was a less nervy finish in 2012, when he took 111th place. His highest finish in the Money List was in 2010, when he came 40th. Graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2008, the year he won his maiden title, at the Qingdao Golf Open. 

2014 loses European Tour card after finishes 123rd in the Race to Dubai.

At The European Tour Final Qualifying a 58th place finish ended Maybin's hopes of a quick recovery of playing rights.

Personal Details 

Date of Birth: 14th September 1980 

Management: Sportology

Residence: Ballyclare, Northern Ireland 

Turned Professional: 2005 

Interests: Football, Shooting, Cars and Pool 

Tour school: 2007 (14)
Career earnings €2,363,328 [November 2014]

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Profile - Simon Thornton

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Simon Thornton achieved much in his Rookie year on the European Tour and more than the results suggested at first glance. All of which gave him the chance to learn the ropes after years on the Irish PGA Region and the Challenge Tour. 

Having finished 136th in the Race to Dubai in that year Thornton returned to Q School with the knowledge that his consistency in the 2010 season was rewarded in the two of the season’s re-ranks. 

Having missed the cut in his first Tour event in South Africa Thornton then went on to finish a creditable 17th - in only his second event - which was followed by 36th place at the Open de Andalucia and then 10th place at the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal in April – an event he decided to risk playing although it was the weekend his first Daughter was due. 

In the build up to the first Re-rank in May the former Royal County Down Assistant Professional missed five consecutive cuts - Open de España in Sevilla, BMW Italian Open in Italy, Ibedrola Open Calla Millor Mallorca and the Madrid Masters – but was fortunate to have done enough in the early part of the season to move to 18th place. 

At the Celtic Manor Wales Open in June Thornton notched up a 61st place finish which was followed by the sixth missed cut at the Estoril Open de Portugal and then a 9th place in Germany. His weekend at the BMW International Open at Eichenreid Golfclub in Munich saw him play in the final group on Sunday with Bradley Dredge and Ross Fisher - following three rounds of 67 – showing that Thornton clearly has the game for the big time. 

At the 3 Irish Open Thornton was disappointed with his first round of 71, which was followed on Friday by a 74, to finish three shots off cut and an early trip home to Newcastle, County Down. 

Thornton earned his European Tour card after successfully negotiating his way to Final Stage Qualifying School in 2009. Doing just enough to see him finish inside the ten under par cut-off for the 29th card. 

For the 2011 season Thornton had to qualify once again at PGA Catalunya and was joined by Gary Murphy. Who after ten years was back to basics.

However it was his victory in the 2013 Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open that completed a remarkable rise through the professional ranks. 

Born in Yorkshire but now an Irish passport holder after moving to Newcastle, in County Down, he was playing off a handicap of seven just a decade or so ago. 

“When I first went over to work as an assistant in the pro shop at Royal County Down, I could barely hit it out of my own shadow,” he admitted. But his hard work and perseverance paid off as he progressed firstly through the Irish PGA regional circuit, before moving onto the EuroPro Tour and then graduating to the Challenge Tour in 2011. 

Thornton posted two top ten finishes en route to 51st place in the Rankings, but later earned a European Tour card for the first time after successfully negotiating his way through the Second and Final Stages of the Qualifying School. 

Showed his determination and grit in a turbulent week at the 2011 Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, during which he learned of the birth of his second child back in Ireland and also battled illness and intense pressure of possibly missing out on a European Tour card before posting the best round of the final day, a 64, to clinch his spot. Lost his card in 2012 and was playing on the Challenge Tour again at the start of 2013, before victory in Saint-Omer gave him exemption for The Race to Dubai until the end of 2014.

At 2014 European Tour Final Qualifying a T30 finish proved insufficient to reclaim his tour card.

Fact File 

Date of Birth:March 18th, 1977 

Attachment: Team Ireland Golf 

Place of Birth: Bradford, England 

Turned Pro: 2005 

Qualifying School: (2005), (06), (07), 08, 09* (10) 12 (14)
Career earnings: €577,449 November 2014

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Lowry and McIlroy Joint Earth Leaders

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Rory McIlroy displayed the quality of golf that has made him Race to Dubai champion as the World Number One joined friend Shane Lowry in a share of the lead on day one of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

McIlroy carded six birdies and no bogeys in a flawless 66 on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates to finish alongside Ireland's Lowry in the climax of The European Tour Final series.

That took the 25 year old to an amazing 80 under par for his 21 rounds to date in this event, after previous finishes of third, fifth, 11th, first and fifth.

McIlroy, who wrapped up The Race to Dubai title for the second time in three years with a week to spare, certainly looked ready as he birdied four of his first five holes, the only aberration coming when he missed from eight feet on the third.

A surprising run of nine successive pars followed before birdies at the 15th and 16th ensured he delivered on his promise not to rest on his laurels at the end of a phenomenal season.

“It was a great way to start,” said McIlroy. “You never expect to start like that, but I've been hitting the ball well for the last couple of weeks that I've been practicing and it was just a matter of trying to take that good range play on to the course, and I was able to do that today, which I'm really happy about. 

“I feel like it really suits my style of play. I can be aggressive with the driver, and that can set me up to hit shorter irons into greens and obviously give myself a lot of birdie opportunities like I did today. 

“I didn't feel like I took as many of them as I could have but it still added up to six under and I'm very happy with that.”

Lowry birdied four of the last six holes as he looked to make amends for his collapse in the final round in Turkey on Sunday, when he eagled the fourth to claim a share of the lead only to triple bogey the next hole and make a double bogey on the sixth.

"The whole day Sunday and the flight down here you're thinking about it," Lowry admitted. "It's one of those things. But I gave myself a chance to win last week. If I can give myself a chance to win again this week, maybe I'll do it.

"I have been playing well for most of the year. I've been very consistent. I've been shooting some great scores, making a lot of birdies and I did that today again."

Scotland's Richie Ramsay and Denmark's Thorbjørn Olesen were a shot off the pace on five under, with defending champion Henrik Stenson another stroke back alongside Argentina's Emiliano Grillo.

Ramsay said: "I'm really happy. Obviously it was a great start, three birdies on the spin, and then played lovely in the middle, had a lot of chances but just didn't take a few.

"But most important was I stayed patient, stayed with it. I kept on hitting good shots and then took a couple of chances on 14 and 15 and then finished off pretty solid coming down the stretch.

"I played great in the middle part of the season. I know the game is there. (It's) just a matter of staying out of my own way and committing to it."

Olesen had reached seven under par at one stage, but double bogeyed the 16th to miss out on the overnight lead.

“It feels like a second home golf course for me really,” said the recent ISPS Handa Perth International winner.

“I played lovely, hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. Hit a few really close, and the putter was working nicely. It was a really solid day.

“When you're seven under going to 16, and you know you have 18 which is a possible birdie chance, also, of course it's a little bit disappointing, but I took a chance and it didn't work out very well. 

“I felt like it was going so well and I felt like I could pull it off - that's what happens in golf.”

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