Colm Moriarty's hopes of securing a tour card suffered a slight dent today after he carded a one-over par round of 73 on day two of qualifying school at San Roque in southern Spain.
At one-under overall, Moriarty has slipped six shots off the pace set by Pablo Larrazabal but remains in a tie for 29th place.
On Sunday, the 155-strong field will be whittled down to 70 before the final two rounds will determine the top 30 players who will earn full playing rights on the European Tour.
Moriarty had a mixed day on San Roque's New Course, recording five birdies in total. But two double bogeys on the back nine were largely responsible for spoiling his card and leaving him down the pecking order.
Moriarty's struggles were minor compared to the nightmare rounds endured by Peter O'Keefe (eight-over) and Michael McGeady (nine-over), who both turned in scores of 78 to leave their prospects in tatters.
Stephen Browne (five-over) has a good deal of ground to make up over the weekend while Damien Mooney (three-over) remains in contention to make the cut.
