A final-hole bogey sent former Ryder Cup winner Philip Walton crashing out of the European tour qualifying school after a day of real tension and heartbreak in Spain today.
Four out of the seven Irishmen attempting to gain their Card for next season have made it into the final two rounds of an enduring week that can effectively mould a player's career.
Kilkenny's Gary Murphy maintained his excellent form with a 67 to be only four shots behind the lead held by Warrington's Philip Archer - who also shot 67 for a 21-under 265 aggregate. Philip Golding was next on 19-under after he too shot 67.
Damien McGrane, Stephen Browne and Gary Cullen all made the cut with two shots to spare on 278. Browne's round was by far the most impressive, carding a 63 to maintain his chances of a card. Cullen shot 69 while McGrane limited the damage with today's 73.
Walton, meanwhile, three-putted Emporda's ninth green for a 71 and five-under par total of 281. He thought at the time he had still made it through to the last 36 holes of the six-day marathon, but after a three-hour wait his fate was sealed by the very last group.
It meant a fourth successive school failure by the man who only seven years ago sent the Americans to defeat on the final green of the final match at Oak Hill.
Also out are three former British amateur champions - England's Graeme Storm agonisingly alongside Walton on five-under, and Scot Gordon Sherry and Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey down on one-over.
Hoey had battled back from an opening quadruple bogey eight at Pals to be four under after 54 holes. But he then collapsed to a 77 and finished almost as badly as he had started with a double bogey seven.
"I've got a lot of learning to do. My game isn't ready yet," admitted Hoey, who was a shot away from making the halfway cut in the Masters at Augusta in April.
Killarney amateur Danny Sugrue struggled to keep with the pace all week and found himself towards the back of the field despite shooting no higher than mid 70's. Today he closed with a 73.
additional reporting by PA