Scott Hend was not on
top of his game in the opening event of the Race to Dubai Finals Series but
played decent golf to finish T25 at the Turkish Airlines Open. That gave him enough
confidence for the final two events.

Only Hend, Marcus
Fraser and Nathan Holman have qualified for the three event end of season
Series reserved for the top-60 on the Race to Dubai though Fraser elected not
to make the trip to Turkey this week.

For Hend, rounds of
68-72-68-70 at the Regnum Carya course showed consistency in his game but with
low scoring it was never going to be enough to be a genuine challenger.

Hend’s 6-under total
for the week was 14 shots off the pace set by eventual winner Thorbjorn Olesen,
who claimed the title by three with a dominant performance.

While Hend was steady
over the four rounds, Nathan Holman continued to find the going tough in a
season which has seen the reigning Australian PGA Champion struggle.

An opening 75 wasn’t
the start he wanted but the 25-year-old fought hard to follow up with 71-69-69
and claw his way back to even-par for the week.

With his title defence
just weeks away at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, Holman will be
eager to turn around some indifferent form.

His weekend rounds in
Turkey may have been the first step in that journey, the first time he has
posted consecutive sub-par rounds since the China Open in May.