Philip Walton is in severe danger of missing out at the halfway stage of the European tour qualifying school in Spain.

The 39-year-old Dubliner, a former English and French Open champion, was hoping to make it third time lucky back at the school, but a third successive 74 has left him in 119th place.

David Higgins is the best placed of the Irish: his second successive 71 left him on 214, tied 48th and firmly in contention to make the cut tonight. The top 75 and ties will make it through and the leading 35 will eventually earn cards for next year.

Paddy Gribben on 219 and Gary Murphy on 220 are 12 and 13 shots, respectively, off the pace.

Four players are tied for the lead - Englishman Matthew Cort sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the last hole of his round at Sotogrande for a 69 which pulled him alongside Swede Dennis Edlund and Belgians Nicolas Vanhootegem and Didier De Vooght on the nine-under-par mark of 207.

Walker Cup star Nick Doughterty is back up to joint 16th after a fine 66. The 19-year-old Liverpudlian, one of the heroes of the Walker Cup win in America in Augusta, has had a real rollercoaster ride so far.

After coming through eight rounds of pre-qualifying his opening 69 put him joint ninth, but then came a 76 that dropped him to 63rd.

The teenager spoke to his sports psychologist Ron Cuthbert before setting off again and said: "I think I was too casual in the second round and today I was determined to make it happen.

"You can play aggressive and stupid, but I was aggressive and smart." That was until the last hole where he charged a putt and missed the return for his only bogey. "Pathetic," he added.

Steve Richardson, runner-up to Seve Ballesteros on the 1991 Order of Merit, has survived the last three schools.

But that does not make the marathon ordeal any easier. "You can't enjoy it," he said after a 71. "In a normal tour event you would be more jovial and chat, but everybody is concentrating here."

Paul Broadhurst, fighting for his future for the first time since he turned professional in 1988, had no bogeys in his opening 69 and no birdies in his second-round 75.

To keep the unpredictable nature of his week going the 1993 Benson and Hedges International champion had six birdies and four bogeys in a 70.

Overnight leader Magnus Persson, who has made nine trips to the school in the last 10 years and failed every time, dropped to 27th with a 75.