Stuart Manley
| Stuart Manley | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
15 January 1979 Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lb; 13.1 st) |
| Nationality |
 Wales |
| Residence | Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales |
| Spouse | Nicola (m. 2005) |
| Career | |
| College | University of West Florida |
| Turned professional | 2003 |
| Current tour(s) | European Tour |
| Former tour(s) | Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 2 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| Challenge Tour | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
Stuart Manley (born 15 January 1979) is a Welsh professional golfer.
Early life
Manley was born in Mountain Ash in the historic county of Glamorgan. He showed sporting promise at an early age, and at age 16 had trials with the football clubs Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Luton Town. However, he chose to concentrate on golf, taking a four-year scholarship to the University of West Florida. The pinnacle of his amateur career was playing in the 2003 Walker Cup.
Professional career
Manley turned professional in later 2003, and immediately joined the Challenge Tour, finishing 90th in his first season. At the end of that year he came through the qualifying school to earn a place on the European Tour for the first time. However, Manley has consistently failed to establish himself at the highest level; he is yet to retain his card by finishing in the top 115 at season's end, and has only regained it via the Challenge Tour in 2007 and qualifying school in 2008, 2010 and 2013.
Manley graduated from the PGA EuroPro Tour in 2012,[1] returning to the Challenge Tour in 2013 where he won the Finnish Challenge. He narrowly missed out on winning a European Tour card, finishing 19th on the Challenge Tour rankings.[2] However, he came 10th in European Tour Qualifying School to earn a 2014 European Tour category.[3]
Manley hit the headlines in 2013 when, during the third round of the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne, he hit a hole-in-one followed by an 11 at the next hole. Manley had originally believed the hole-in-one had won him a Mercedes-Benz car, only to find out afterwards that the prize only applied to the final round of the tournament. He attributed the following score of 11 to his shock and disappointment at not winning the car, but still eventually ended with an even-par round of 72.[4]
Professional wins
Challenge Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Aug 2013 | Finnish Challenge | −21 (65-69-64-69=267) | 2 strokes |  José-Filipe Lima |
EuroPro Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Aug 2012 | Eagle Orchid Scottish Masters | −7 (72-66-68=206) | 1 stroke | Oliver Farr,  Michael McGeady |
Team appearances
Amateur
- Palmer Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2002
- Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2003 (winners)
Professional
References
- ↑ "Congratulations Stuart Manley". PGA EuroPro Tour. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ↑ "Challenge Tour Rankings". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ↑ "Final Qualifying Stage". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ↑ "World Cup of Golf: Stuart Manley hits hole-in-one - then takes 11". BBC Sport. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
See also
- 2007 Challenge Tour graduates
- 2008 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2010 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2013 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2015 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
External links
- Stuart Manley at the European Tour official site
- Stuart Manley at the Official World Golf Ranking official site