Glasgow golfer Paul Shields is hoping he can rise to the challenge on the European Challenge Tour – after receiving valuable backing to aid his debut season on the second-tier circuit.

The Kirkhill ace, twice a runner-up in the Scottish Boys Championship during his amateur days, earned a step up at the professional at the end of 2015 after playing in all six rounds of the European Tour’s qualifying school.

Shields, 25, was dealt a blow earlier in the year when he was turned down for funding from the Scottish Golf Support programme.

But he has now been given a financial fillip after being called into Team Scottish Hydro, a support package aimed at easing the burdens for Scottish Challenge Tour and Ladies European Tour players.

Shields said: “I’m delighted to be part of it and it will be a huge help for the season ahead. When you play at the q-school and get some form of category for the Challenge Tour the adrenaline is going and you just want to play. People say ‘when is your next event?’ and you say ‘not until April’. It’s a long winter. You want to go away over that period but then you realise you’ll be away for 20 odd events in a busy summer so you have to plan your schedule well. This backing will help me do that.”

As well as Shields, the seven-strong Team Scottish Hydro also features Bothwell Castle’s Pamela Pretswell. She has been getting support for the last couple of seasons and the former Curtis Cup player continues to make impressive strides on the Ladies European Tour.

“The goal now is to break into the top-10 of the order of merit,” said Lanark-born Pretswell.