By Nick Totten, europeantour.com
At Foshan Golf Club
By his own admission, Dave Coupland has surpassed all of his own expectations in his rookie season on the European Challenge Tour, and the Lincolnshire native will tee it up at the Foshan Open this week knowing that anything else he achieves this year is a bonus.
The Englishman earned his place on the second tier in 2014 thanks to a top five finish on the EuroPro Tour’s Order of Merit, one of four Satellite circuits that feed into the Challenge Tour, the others being the Alps Tour, the Nordic Golf League and the Pro Golf Tour.
Coupland settled in very quickly though, posting a top 30 finish in his first start of the season at the Barclays Kenya Open, before a couple of top three results quickly followed in the months just after.
His tie for second at the tricky Turkish Airlines Challenge proved he belonged out here, and just five weeks later he almost replicated that feat at the Belgian Challenge, finishing in a share of third after missing the eventual play-off between William Harrold and Florian Fritsch by just two shots.
Two impressive events, and with them the assurance of a place in the top 70 of the Rankings, a feat that guaranteed his place on the circuit for the following year. With his main target therefore achieved in June, he admits it was tough to refocus for the rest of the year, but he arrives in Foshan City this week looking to finish off his fine debut in style.
“I’ve really enjoyed it out here this season,” said the 28 year old from Boston – no, not that one – who is currently 31stin the Rankings. “I accomplished all of my goals half way through the season, so it was hard to recalculate and get focused again. We still have three tournaments to go though, so hopefully I can have a good finish and come as high as I can on the Rankings.
“Starting off my main goal was to keep my card, as with my category I wasn’t sure how many events I would get into, but luckily I played well early on and managed to get into everything after that. So the main thing was always to keep my card and secure play for next year, and then re-evaluate where to go from there.
“I’m 31stin the Rankings now, so hopefully I’ll stay in the top 45 and then go to Final Stage (of the Qualifying School) if I need to. I just want to take it one tournament at a time.
“I felt a lot more comfortable out here after making such a good start, and it took the pressure off, to secure the top 70 early on. From here I just need to try and better my category, but there are worse things than another season out here. I can certainly cope with that as I have got used to it now. I’m just looking forward.”
As the unassuming Englishman turned his attention to this week in China after a missed cut last time out in Chongqing, he was in bullish mood about his chances, assuming his putter does the business.
Often the difference between an average week and a great one for most professionals, the sweet-swinging Coupland admitted that the flat stick can sometimes hold him back. After some good work on the range in the build-up to the Foshan Open though, he believes he is in good shape ahead of a one of the biggest events of the year.
“I’m feeling OK this week, as I am hitting it quite well on the range,” said the man with a stroke average of 71 this season. “I’ve been working on a few bits, and have gone back to basics, working on my alignment and things like that, which has got my swing more in-time. I practiced yesterday and enjoyed the course, and I feel comfortable on the greens too, which is the main thing, so I’m looking forward to it now.
“When you have a few weeks in a row like this you don’t get to see your coach as often, and reverting back to basics has always worked for me, so I try not to get too bogged down.
“Putting is often the difference for me, and if you hole a few at any tournament then you will be up there. It is important here to hit it in the right part of the green, wherever the pin is. You need to keep it on the low side as the greens are very undulating, so if you leave yourself in a smelly position then it will be a difficult two putt.
“I thought the grain here would come into play a little more, but because the greens are quite short, it doesn’t play too much of a role. We found out yesterday that it goes with the slope generally, so you might have to allow a little more break. Other than that though they’re not too grainy, especially compared to places like Kazakhstan, in particular.”
It seems like Coupland has a handle on things then – especially the greens – so it will be interesting to see how he gets on in Southern China. Whatever happens though, the Challenge Tour rookie has no pressure, and that could well be the secret to him discovering his best golf this week at Foshan Golf Club.
“I’m trying not to think about top 15,” said the man who finished fourth on the 2013 EuroPro Tour Order of Merit. “If you think about it too much then it can affect your play, and put a bit too much pressure on yourself. I’ve outdone my expectations for this year, so I just want to enjoy these last three events and see how it goes.”
