“In this sport, on this tour, every week is a good opportunity. It doesn’t matter where you are, you always have something to play for.”
On the back of eight missed cuts in nine starts, it would be easy to feel sorry for yourself but Joel Moscatel is reaping the benefits of a positive mindset.
Competing in his rookie season on the DP World Tour, the Spaniard arrived for his debut at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo in need of a big week.
Down at 154th in the Race to Dubai Rankings, time was of the essence for Moscatel as the season entered its final stretch with the start of the Back 9.
With increased prize money and increased Race to Dubai points at play, he is in a position to capitalise and move nearer to the mark of 110th required to guarantee retaining your card after moving up the leaderboard at The Belfry Hotel & Resort with a five-under-par 67 in the third round on Saturday.
"It’s a good opportunity," said Moscatel. "Here in this sport, on this tour, every week is a good opportunity.
"It doesn’t matter where you are, you always have something to play for.
"Whether you are up high in the Race to Dubai, wherever, you always have goals.
"I’ll stick to trying to do a good job tomorrow and we’ll see what I shoot and where I finish."
It doesn’t matter where you are, you always have something to play for.
Moscatel secured promotion to the DP World Tour by finishing tenth on the HotelPlanner Tour’s Road to Mallorca, winning twice – his first titles as a professional.
Understandably, the 26-year-old came into the new season optimistic and confident in his chances of making his mark.
While he made four of his opening six cuts, he has struggled to be in the upper echelons of leaderboards. But he has never lost his belief.
“It’s been tough,” he added, speaking to the DP World Tour at The Belfry. “I was coming in confident but at the same time, it’s a new tour, a new environment, new people.
“It’s the same sport but different scenarios. In my case, you have a lot of new things to learn. I am still learning a lot.
“Obviously, the [start of the] season didn’t go well at all but at the same time it is a learning process so hopefully I can keep going, keep getting better.”
And on the basis of this week, maybe something has clicked in his game.
His 67 on Saturday featured two eagles, while he played his back nine in five under, bouncing back from the disappointment of back-to-back bogeys to end his front nine.
That followed the high of an albatross at the par-five 17th in the second round on Friday, holing a four iron from 240 yards, to help him card a 70 and make the cut on the number of even par.
“I actually executed the shot perfectly,” he said of his moment of brilliance.
“I started the ball where I wanted. I didn’t see the ball go in, but I did see some crowds making some noise, so I thought it might be near, but never did I think it would be an albatross.
“Because we didn’t react the guys told us we holed it. I tried to stay calm because you have the 18th next which is a tough hole. I tried to stay focused.”
Part of life on tour as a player is the shared experiences, with Moscatel one of a strong Spanish contingent that features a blend of experience and youth.
Among those is fellow HotelPlanner Tour graduate Angel Ayora, who has registered three top tens in his rookie DP World Tour campaign.
“I spend a lot of time with Angel Ayora,” said Moscatel. “We were together a lot on the HotelPlanner Tour last year.
“But at the same time, I have met [Jorge] Campillo, [Rafa] Cabrera Bello and [Pablo] Larrazábal, who I have trained with.
“These are the guys that I spend the most time with. But we as Spaniards all have good relationships together. Whenever I see a Spaniard, we go to dinner together so it’s very nice.”
