European Tour School: Echoing Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator, Philip Walton surveyed the wreckage of his tour card dream and vowed: "I'll be back." The 44-year-old Dubliner's eighth visit to the European Tour Qualifying School finals ended in bitter disappointment at San Roque yesterday when he posted a two-over-par 74 on the Old Course to miss the four-round cut by a shot.

Eighty players finished on three over par or better and will contest the last two rounds at the Sotogrande venue, with the top-30 and ties earning full tour cards tomorrow night.

But they will not include Walton, whose short game weaknesses came back to haunt him around the turn yesterday.

As Waterville's David Higgins survived the cut with a stroke to spare at the New Course, slipping from 23rd to joint 55th after a three-over 75, Walton was left to reflect on what might have been.

After a bogey at the first, he battled back to one over par with birdies at the fourth and seventh holes, before undoing all his good work in the space of the next six.

An uncharacteristic missed fairway led to a bogey at the eighth, but he then made life difficult by failing to birdie the ninth or 10th - back-to-back par fives that produced six eagles and 86 birdies for the 76 players who tackled them yesterday.

Walton then missed two par putts inside six feet at the 11th and 13th to go to four over par.

"Eight, nine, 10, 11," Walton said. "That's where I lost it today. Four fives in a row. It's been a long haul, qualifying from stage two. It's really disappointing that I didn't make it today because this was probably the best I've hit it for the four rounds.

"That is the way it goes. But this won't put me off trying to get my card. I'll definitely be back here again."