Peter Whiteford picked up the best cheque of his career, secured his playing rights for next season, and produced what he considered his best performance in his three years on tour at the BMW PGA Championship, but he is still not satisfied.
The 30-year-old from Windygates shot a one-under 70 on the final day to finish in a tie for seventh place, level with Colin Montgomerie, and picked up £91,053 £5000 more than he got for his second place to Louis Oosthuizen in last year’s Andalucian Open.
That finish made sure of Whiteford’s card for this year but he struggled for the rest of the season and missed his goal of finishing within the top 60 on tour and playing in the lucrative finale at the Dubai World Championship.
“It certainly didn’t help me to make sure of my card so early last year, when I didn’t press on, so hopefully I can learn from what I did wrong then,” he said.
“To be honest I’m looking at it as just another solid week, I won’t celebrate any because I didn’t win the tournament.
“It was my best stuff from tee to green and although I got a little frustrated on the greens, if you’re frustrated for a week in a big tournament like this finishing seventh then you must be doing something right.”
Whiteford pledged on Thursday he would not lay up at the 18th for all four days, but ended up doing so perhaps with more mature judgment.
He said, “I never hit a decent enough tee shot. It was probably better I didn’t have a chance any of the days because I can’t turn those down and a splash in the water I could end up 20th instead of seventh.
“I played a lot better here than Andalucia last year, and I know if I can get a few more putts in the hole then I can do even better. “You want to win when when you’re playing well. Maybe I didn’t really have a chance to do that this week, but I’ve won at every level I’ve played and it’s not far away.”MontyMontgomerie shot a three-under 68 which elevated him to a tie for seventh, his best European Tour finish since his second place at the French Open in 2008, a gap far too long for a man of his competitive fire.
He said, “It’s a lot of satisfaction, to do it here at Wentworth, in a big tournament against this opposition. I’m very pleased, I played well and the key was driving the ball well.
“I lead the driving accuracy stats this week and if I can do that, I can play, I can compete and I can contend.”
One sole bogey at the 12th was wiped out by four birdies and a decent attempt for a fifth at the 18th from 18 feet burned the hole but stayed out.
Montgomerie said, “I don’t know how that missed, but now I’m looking forward to tomorrow and trying to qualify for the US Open and to finding a caddie.”
Brian Martin, the usual bagman for expectant father Peter Lawrie will do the honours at Walton Heath and probably again in the Wales Open at Celtic Manor.
Even if Monty does not get to Congressional, where he finished second to Ernie Els in 1997, the South African thinks he should still be there.
“They should give him an exemption after all the close calls he’s had at US Opens, especially Congressional, where he was one putt away from being in a play-off,” said Els.
“It would be great to see him there, and he’s playing well now.”
Steven O’Hara slipped back with a 78 on Sunday for a 56th place finish, just ahead of Tartan Tour champion Greig Hutcheon, one of only three regional qualifiers to make the weekend and earning nearly £10,000, which will be easily his best cheque of the year.
Scott Jamieson’s weekend turned out to be a bit of painful experience-building, having started only four off the lead on Saturday morning but struggling through rounds of 85 and 78 on the weekend and ended up second last of the weekend players.