Ulstermen Jonathan Caldwell and Michael Hoey are on course to secure their European Tour cards after rounds of 70 left them comfortably inside the top 30 in the final stage of the qualifying school at PGA Golf de Catalunya.
With one round to play, the pair is tied for 15th on eight-under-par, 10 shots adrift of overall leader Oskar Henningsson of Sweden.
Remaining in the top 30 after tomorrow's sixth and final round would see them secure a category 11 Tour card for next season.
A 74 has left Michael McGeady on five under and right on the cusp in a tie for 30th, while Simon Thornton is one-over-par after the same score and looks to be out of contention in a tie for 58th.
Henningsson leads Carlos Del Moral of Spain by two, while former amateur world number one Danny Willett of England dropped to third on 14 under after a 74.
Pádraig Harringtonis back up to fourth in the latest world rankings following his second place finish at the at the Barclays Singapore Open yesterday. The Dubliner missed a five-foot birdie attempt at the last yesterday as Jeev Milkha Singh claimed the title by one stroke.
Harrington, who brought the curtain down on a remarkable year that saw him claim two major titles, moves above Vijay Singh in the rankings. He will now take a well-earned break that won't see him reappear on the circuit until Abu Dhabi in mid-January.
Rory McIlroy, who finished fourth in Singapore, moved a step closer to a dream US Masters debut. The Co Down teenager is up to a career-high 63rd (from 79th), two behind Darren Clarke. The top 50 players at the end of the year qualify automatically for Augusta.
World Rankings
1. (1) Tiger Woods (United States) 13.79 average points
2. (2) Sergio Garcia (Spain) 8.59
3. (3) Phil Mickelson (United States) 7.95
4. (5) Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 7.51
5. (4) Vijay Singh (Fiji) 7.44
6. (6) Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 5.27
7. (7) Camilo Villegas (Colombia) 5.25
8. (11) Ernie Els (South Africa) 5.01
9. (9) Anthony Kim (United States) 4.84
10. (8) Lee Westwood (England) 4.83
11. (10) Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 4.78
12. (12) Jim Furyk (United States) 4.77
13. (13) Steve Stricker (United States) 4.45
14. (15) Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) 4.36
15. (14) Stewart Cink (United States) 4.32
16. (16) KJ Choi (South Korea) 4.25
17. (17) Adam Scott (Australia) 4.24
18. (18) Justin Rose (England) 4.10
19. (19) Kenny Perry (United States) 3.90
20. (20) Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 3.76
Other leading Irish players
33. (33) Graeme McDowell 3.01
61. (61) Darren Clarke 2.05
63. (79) Rory McIlroy 1.97
94. (95) Paul McGinley 1.56
