COLCHESTER golfer Jamie Moul will be rubbing shoulders with the giants of the golfing world next year after claiming his European Tour card for 2012 in Italy at the weekend.

Although Moul finished 15 shots behind winner Andrea Pavan at the Apulia San Domenica Grand Final, his performance was enough to see him end the year in eighth place on the European Challenge Tour.

The 27-year-old, who was born in Chelmsford and played for Stoke-by-Nayland golf club, earned 80,771 euros in the 20 tournaments he played this year.

The top 20 players in the Challenge Tour standings, which were headed by England’s Tommy Fleetwood, will now be able to play on the European Tour next year.

It means Moul, coached by Ipswich Golf Club’s Kevin Lovelock, will take his place alongside the likes of world number one Luke Donald, new number two Rory McIlroy and Major winner Martin Kaymer on the greens and fairways of Europe’s best courses in 2012.

Moul’s achievement is the culmination of years of practice and success at lower levels of the game in Suffolk and beyond.

He first played for Suffolk in the county’s under-14 team and achieved his ambition to be a scratch golfer before he turned 16.

He played for England at the age of 15 and went on to represent his country in every age group.

Moul spent a record 16 weeks atop the World Amateur Golf standings and won the English Strokeplay Championship in 2007, the same year he played in the Walker Cup at Royal County Down.

He turned professional after the Walker Cup, in September 2007.