AFTER thinking about attempting to join the lucrative US PGA Tour, Knighton Heath assistant Carl Jessup has decided to try once more for his European Tour card.

Jessup negotiated the European Tour qualifying assault course last year and reached final qualifying in Spain without doing well enough to win a tour card. He toyed with the idea of going to the States.

"I feel my game is better suited to America than Europe," he said. "In Europe, it's all about chipping and putting but in America it is more to do with ball-striking and distance which is my strength.

"I hit it long and straight. While I have got good sponsorship this is something I would love to try."

He is partly supported financially by the club. He was given £8,000 last year and is budgeting on £6,000 plus extras this year.

Despite feeling that the European qualifying courses are too short and benefit the players who can chip from inside 100 yards and then hole putts, he is in Kent today to start this year's first qualifying stage.

He is one of a group of Dorset professionals who have invested £1,000 each in the annual gamble to win a place on the Tour next year.

That is the entry fee for the toughest roller-coaster ride in European golf. Yet most will play only 72 holes at their chosen venue before hopes for another year are shattered.

The successful players at the five courses in the first stage of qualifying move on to the second phase at three Spanish courses - one at Gerona and two in Valencia - where they will be joined by some exempt players from November 3-6.

Finally, the leading players move on to the San Roque club in Southern Spain for the 108-hole final stage on November 11-16 where the leading 30 players win Tour cards for next year.

Jessup will be surrounded by friends at Chart Hills this week. Others in the field are former Parkstone and Dorset county player David Norton and ex-county men Dean Barnes (Ferndown) and Rob Thomas (Broadstone and The Dorset G and CC).

Paul Jones and Richard Pullen (Canford Magna) and Sean McDonagh (Rushmore Park), who has just recovered from a wrist injury, compete at Carden Park in Cheshire alongside Weymouth's Jon Bevan (Wessex Golf Centre).

There are even qualifying events in Germany and France. Former Dorset amateur Ben Welch has opted for French course Golf de Moliets.

A total of 41 teams have entered the Bournemouth Festival that has been run by the West Region PGA for around 20 years.

It starts at Knighton Heath on Tuesday, continues at Meyrick Park on Wednesday and concludes at Dudsbury on Thursday where the prize-giving will be held.

Most local professionals will be leading teams but there is also the usual influx of teams from other parts of the West Region and Wales.

Regional secretary Ray Ellis said: "Bournemouth is an ideal venue for a festival in the late summer and several teams book up to return a year in advance."