As a university graduate in mathematics, Euan Walker enjoys crunching the numbers of his golfing statistics with the kind of gleeful relish that Carol Vorderman used to adopt during the rapid-fire arithmetic bit on an old episode of Countdown.

There is, of course, no guaranteed formula for success in this pursuit of wildly fluctuating fortunes but Walker’s figures could all add up to a place on the DP World Tour next season.

The 28-year-old Barassie member is in Mallorca this week for the European Challenge Tour’s season-ending Grand Final and the Ayrshireman has arrived with plenty of positive purpose as he aims to put the tin lid on his promotion to the main circuit.

“My stats have shown that my golf has been better than any other year,” said Walker. “Overall, my stroke average is almost a stroke lower than last year. Virtually every area of my game has improved, even if that improvement is marginal.”

In this game of fine margins, though, any gain can have a significant impact. The top 20 players on the Challenge Tour rankings after this week’s shoot-out will earn a DP World Tour card for 2024.

Walker is occupying 20th spot although the eye-catching efforts of Alex Fitzpatrick, who currently sits ninth but has already secured a place on the DP World Tour courtesy of some fine performances in his main tour outings, means the promotion places will drop down to 21st. “He’s done us all  favour by freeing up an extra spot,” noted Walker with a smile.

A year ago, Walker pitched up at the Grand Final on the outside peering in. He was 21st on the order of merit and would eventually come up short of the promised land. Here in 2023, the Scot is tucked inside the promotion berths and is determined to fortify his stronghold.

“It’s a much better position to be in,” admitted Walker, who has enjoyed a consistent campaign on the second-tier scene which has been illuminated by a third and two fifths.

He was a winner on the Challenge Tour last season but it’s that consistency this term that has given the former Walker Cup player plenty of satisfaction.

“I felt I didn’t have a big enough body of results last season and needed an extra year to put together a better portfolio,” added Walker, who was runner-up in both the Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship in 2019 during his final year in the unpaid ranks.

“I think my game’s now in a much stronger position to move up and give myself a chance of being successful on the DP World Tour. I feel more confident now and I’ve grown more comfortable about being a touring golfer and dealing with everything that comes with it.”

Not that long ago, Walker was wondering if this touring lark was worth the hassle. His formative days in the pro game were decimated by the Covid pandemic while a stuttering start to 2022 had him banging his head against a brick wall like this correspondent trying to fathom out the Riemann Hypothesis.

“I did manage to turn it around with that win but at the start of 2022, I wasn’t feeling great about golf at all,” he reflected of that stint in the doldrums. “Had I not been playing well at the end of the year, I probably would’ve looked at doing something else. I love golf. It’s my hobby, it’s my favourite thing to do and I didn’t want to lose that.

“I understand that every golfer has to go through some adversity and there are always low points. I was willing to work had to get through that. But I wasn’t going to keep chipping away for the sake of it. I knew I had a qualification and I could probably have a successful life that didn’t need to be in golf.

“I didn’t want to be turning up at events feeling like I had no chance of competing. Thankfully, I managed to recover. The past 18 months have been much better. I’ve been consistent, I’ve felt confident and I’ve enjoyed doing it. It’s not been a chore. I’ve now put myself in a great position to make the main tour and that’s a sign I’m heading in the right direction.”

What did we say about those numbers adding up again?