'This Will Make Me Stronger Because I Never Want To Feel Like This Again'

For one week of the year it's not about who finishes in first place. For one (very long) week it's all about finishing inside the top 25 and ties to get your playing privileges for the following season.

Gary Boyd, part of the Bunker Mentality team, three-putted his 108th and final hole to miss out by one. After coming 4th at the Second Stage Boyd then produced rounds of 70-65-71-67-70 at Infinitum in Spain before his final-round 72 left him one shot agonisingly shy.

The one banker about Q School is that there will be a lot of very good news, with players either continuing an upward trend or rescuing a poor season, another is that there will be a handful of players who could not have come any closer.

For Boyd, who finished 69th on the Challenge Tour, he almost saved his best for last but he would slip just outside the key spots after missing out on that closing birdie.

"Tour school an emotional rollercoaster, a week that is the most mentally and physically draining challenges we face as professional golfers with so much on the line. Six rounds of golf, 108 holes and it can come down to one shot, one bad swing, one missed putt, one poor decision or just damn right bad luck," he wrote on his Instagram page.

"Right now it's hard to take any positives away from this week coming so close missing out by one shot but one thing I do know is I left everything out there on the golf course and have no regrets..I played some of the best golf I have done for a very very long time, just all the pieces haven’t come together right now. I know I’m not the only one hurting right now but I do know these tears will dry up, the frustration will disappear and the emptiness will fade inside."

The beauty, of sorts, with golf is that there will always be another tournament and another opportunity to turn everything around and Boyd ended on a positive note as he looks ahead to the 2024 season.

"Sometimes It’s not always about the destination, it’s the journey we take to where we want to get to. It’s what defines us as professional athletes, the heartache and struggles to push us to become better. I know this will make me stronger, more determined than ever to improve and become a better player because I never want to feel like this again.

"Thank you to everyone’s support this week I’m grateful for all the phone calls and messages I have received - @liamrobbo89 I can’t thank you enough for what you've done for me this week being on the bag."

Good luck, Gary.