Hamilton’s Nick Carlson earns spot on European Challenge Tour ‘It means the world’

Since winning multiple state golf championships at Hamilton, Nick Carlson has been in pursuit of a dream.

For the past several years, Carlson has been trying to reach his goal of playing professional golf – as a regular.

It finally happened.

This week, he qualified for the European Challenge Tour by his performance during Europe’s Q-School, qualifying with one round to go – a full-time spot on next year’s Tour.

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“I just told myself to hit a good stroke, and I made it,” Carlson told the World Tour. “I was so nervous I was shaking. It just means the world. I always knew I could do it. To come this far and make the birdie on 17, just so cool.”

It is his first tour card on any tour. If he reaches the top 20 in this final Q-School event, he could be on the World Tour.

Carlson was elite in high school, played at the University of Michigan, made the semifinals at the U.S. Amateur, received a letter of congratulations from Arnold Palmer, and more.

But the past few years, he has been all over the world trying to qualify for tournaments and tour spots. Earlier this year, he has been a coach, a substitute teacher and delivery driver.

Now he is a professional golfer on the European Tour.

“It just means the world,” he said.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Hamilton state golf champion Nick Carlson earns spot on Euro Tour