Cork golfer James Sugrue’s roll of the dice paying off after years of setbacks

James Sugrue won the Amateur Championship in 2019. A promising pro career beckoned but it hasn't been easy. The Cork native endured setbacks but his career is finally on the rise. 

James Sugrue earned a Hotel Planner Tour card by finishing third on the Clutch Pro Tour order of merit. Pic: Andy Crook / Clutch Pro Tour

James Sugrue had a “sweaty hour” watching the leaderboard on Thursday. The desert heat of Abu Dhabi didn’t help. A year’s work had come down to what others could do in the closing holes of the Clutch Pro Tour Championship. The Cork native went into the last event of the season ranked third on the order of merit with three Hotel Planner Tour cards up for grabs.

He’d given himself a strong chance of gaining promotion to the second tier of European golf but then had a disappointing level par opening round at the Al Ain club. The perspiration started. Bogey-free second and third rounds got him to 10-under, wiping much of it from his brow. It was enough to tie for sixth in a tournament won by Kilkenny man Mark Power, and sufficient to take that step up the ladder.