FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Come next year, expect to see plenty of Richard Mansell on the Golf Channel. Just over three years removed from his playing days at Nova Southeastern, the former national champion and three-time All-American recently finished the season ranked fourth on the Challenge Tour, and as a result, has been given exemption to compete in 75 percent of the European Tour's events in 2021.
Mansell collected a pair of runner-up finishes, and added a tie for 14th in Italy, as part of his successful 2020 campaign. There were some bumps along the way, though. Down the final stretch of the season, the Englishman was forced to miss the second-to-last tournament due to COVID-19. Fortunately, he recovered in time for the Challenge Tour Grand Final, and having never even played a single practice round on the course, captured a share of the round one lead en route to an eventual tie for 21st.
In any other season, Mansell's efforts would've warranted him full exemption on the European Tour. However, in lieu of the on-going pandemic, certain adjustments were made to players' statuses. Still, despite the topsy-turvy year, he received the best possible outcome.
"This year, everyone was faced with tough times," Mansell stated. "To get through it all and have some success is a massive bonus. It's now up to me to take advantage of the opportunity I have, which I'm very excited to try and do so. It's a pleasing feeling seeing all the hard work starting to pay off."
Mansell's ultimate goal is to have the freedom to compete on both the European and PGA Tours. Although he admits there's more work to be done, he's certainly taken a strong step in the right direction in hopes of following in the footsteps of players like Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, who began their careers on the European Tour before reaching their current stardom with the PGA.
"It was a great year and obviously another step in the right direction," said Mansell. "I know exactly what I'm capable of and want to become a household name in golf. Every year I get better, and have continued to do so for a long time. There's still areas of my game that are weaker than others and that's exciting to me. The sky really is the limit and that's what's so great about sport. You get out what you put in and I have always wanted to be the hardest worker in the room and not skip any steps. With this same mindset, I know big things are around the corner."
Mansell's quick ascension on to the European Tour is rather impressive, yet comes as little surprise following his decorated NSU career in which he was named a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus Division II Player of the Year award, and later selected as a member of Team Europe for the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup. Overall, Mansell recorded a combined 24 Top-10 finishes as a Shark. His career numbers still currently rank him second on the program's all-time list for: wins (5), scoring average (71.72), rounds of par or better (60) and total birdies (409).
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