Dylan Frittelli holds eighth place in the Road to Oman rankings and goes into this week’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final with a chance to win it all.
The 26-year-old won the Rolex Trophy in August this year and has three top 10s from his last five starts on the Challenge Tour.
It’s not the first time Frittelli is aiming to play his way onto the European Tour. Back in 2013 he won the Barclays Kenya Open and spent a year trying to earn his card, but things went awry.
‘I did have a big downfall after that Challenge Tour season in 2013,’ he said. ‘My swing went on a wander there, but I managed to get it back. I’m really glad that I went through that patch early in my career.’
This year Frittelli has gone from strength to strength, beginning with top 20s at the SA Open and Tshwane Open.
‘I had some great form coming from the co-sanctioned events in South Africa. I knew once the Challenge Tour started up I had a good chance of playing well. I got a top 10 in Kenya and then and managed to let that form continue as I moved here to Europe.’
His time spent playing alongside Jordan Spieth at the University of Texas came in handy as Frittelli honed his mental fortitude abroad.
‘It’s about making those little strides and making your game better to move up the ranks,’ said Frittelli.
‘The mental side is probably 80, 90 per cent of the game. Most of the guys have the physical attributes, but once you have the mental edge it’s different.’
He ground out decent results on the Challenge Tour until victory finally came at the Rolex Trophy in August. It secured Frittelli a top-20 spot on the Road to Oman, but he needed 15th or better to ensure a card for the 2017 European Tour season.
Further top 10s at the Kazakhstan, Hainan, and Foshan Open have earned the world number 147 eighth place in the season’s earnings, which means a guaranteed card for the European Tour next year.
This week there is nothing to lose and Frittelli targeting Oman glory comes as no surprise.
