EUROPEAN TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL: ROYAL DUBLIN'S Niall Kearney chipped in for a late eagle to make the four-round cut with a shot to spare and keep his tour dreams alive at the European Tour Qualifying School finals at PGA Golf de Catalunya.
The 22-year-old former Walker Cup player confessed that his swing was “all over the place” as he racked up three double bogeys in his first 10 holes to slip three shots outside the projected cut mark on day four of the six round marathon.
But he dug deep to play his last seven holes in four under par and card a roller-coaster, level par 72 on the tough Stadium Course to share 55th place on four under par with two rounds to go.
Three strokes outside the top 30 and ties who will earn tour cards after six rounds, Kearney knows he must produce more heroics over the next two days. “Relief? Absolutely,” Kearney said. “I drove poorly and the swing felt all over the place but I am still there and a good round tomorrow will put me back in it.”
Kearney was the only Irish player to make the cut with Simon Thornton missing out by a shot on two under par after a 73 on the Stadium Course. The former Royal County Down assistant looked likely to survive despite a bogey at his final hole but a late birdie by Swede Joakim Lagergren meant that exactly 70 players finished on three under, eliminating Thornton and 18 other players. Glassson’s Colm Moriarty and Belfast’s Damian Mooney failed to fire the low rounds they needed on the Tour Course to survive the 72-hole guillotine.
Spain’s Alfredo Garcia Heredia leads on 14 under par while big names to miss the cut include former Ryder Cup players Andrew Coltart, Jarmo Sandelin and Paul Broadhurst.
Scores
European Tour Qualifying School finals, PGA Golf de Catalunya, Girona, leading fourth round scores.
270A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) 70 67 64 69
271S Lewton (Eng) 63 72 66 70; M Korhonen (Fin) 73 67 65 66
272M Nixon (am) (Eng) 74 69 65 64
273S Wakefield (Eng) 70 68 65 70; J Van Zyl (RSA) 72 67 65 69; L Bond (Wal) 66 69 67 71
274J Campillo (Esp) 66 71 68 69; R Kakko (Fin) 71 68 64 71; L Saltman (Sco) 68 69 65 72; E Canonica (Ita) 69 69 65 71
275B Etchart (Esp) 71 69 64 71; A Harto (Den) 68 76 66 65; W Ormsby (Aus) 66 71 66 72; S Norris (RSA) 68 71 68 68; F Fritsch (Ger) 69 65 68 73; E Saltman (Sco) 66 71 64 74; E Dubois (Fra) 70 72 62 71; P Oriol (Esp) 71 69 67 68; J Elson (Eng) 76 69 67 63; C Del Moral (Esp) 68 72 64 71; A Gee (Eng) 66 71 65 73; E Johansen (Nor) 67 73 65 70
276T Norret (Den) 69 69 66 72; M Kieffer (Ger) 70 71 63 72; J Knutzon (USA) 69 68 66 73; R Wattel (Fra) 71 68 65 72; S Manley (Wal) 74 65 64 73
277A Tampion (Aus) 64 72 69 72; V Dubuisson (Fra) 69 74 69 65; A Tadini (Ita) 68 73 64 72; S Tiley (Eng) 73 71 68 65; J Arruti (Esp) 74 66 69 68; C Doak (Sco) 67 73 64 73; C Lloyd (am) (Eng) 69 71 67 70;
278G Coetzee (RSA) 72 63 70 73; S Little (Eng) 71 71 65 71; M Tunnicliff (Eng) 70 74 68 66; B Evans (Eng) 70 72 65 71; T Whitehouse (Eng) 73 67 66 72; T Sluiter (Ned) 72 70 68 68
279F Delamontagne (Fra) 75 66 66 72; C Monasterio (Arg) 66 73 68 72; P Dwyer (Eng) 72 72 71 64; F Ohlsson (Swe) 67 69 68 75; B Ritthammer (Ger) 70 70 67 72; J Doherty (Sco) 66 73 63 77; M Brier (Aut) 71 68 65 75; M Ruiz (Par) 68 73 67 71; A Kaleka (Fra) 69 73 67 70; F Calmels (Fra) 72 70 64 73; E Kofstad (Nor) 71 64 69 75; J Haeggman (Swe) 70 73 68 68; M Southgate (am) (Eng) 74 69 69 67
Also – 280 Niall Kearney(Irl) 76 65 67 72
(Non-qualifiers - Cut)
282Simon Thornton (Irl) 72 69 68 73; 286 Colm Moriarty (Irl) 74 69 72 71; 287 Damian Mooney (Nir) 68 75 77 67.
