Conor O’Rourke and Dermot McElroy had to bide their time at the weather delayed DP World Tour Q-School Second Stage Qualifier at Las Pinaillas, but both held their nerve to advance in Monday’s final round.
O’Rourke began the final round in a tie for third, safe in the knowledge that barring a complete meltdown, he’d be on his way to Infinitum this week for the final stage, but McElroy lying one-over through 54 holes, had work to do.
O’Rourke all but secured his passage on the front nine, making three birdies to one bogey to make the turn at -2 for the day and -7 overall. This afforded him the luxury of being able to bogey four on the back side, making just the one birdie but still comfortably finishing in sixth place overall.
McElroy knew he’d likely need a round in the 60s to advance, and a bogey at the second hole was far from the ideal start. He got that shot back with a birdie at four, but it was on the ninth where his fortunes really turned, making an eagle-three to take him into red figures for the tournament.
Still on the bubble, he’d par eight of his closing nine holes, with a birdie at 14 the only deviation and his final tally of -3 on the day moved him to -2 overall and into a tie for 14th. With 24 qualifying, a -1 72-hole total would’ve seen him embroiled in a five-for-four playoff to advance, but he held his nerve and now has a chance to earn his DP World Tour card this week.
“I was pleased mostly in my attitude all week,” O’Rourke said after securing safe passage. “It was obviously a very messy week in terms of weather and stop-start golf in really testing conditions.
“So I was particularly proud about the way I handled myself and I have to credit my brother James who was caddying this week.
“He did a really really good job when I got ahead of myself a bit here and there today and helped me come through and do my job.”
McElroy will be taking his third bite at the cherry at Q-School’s Final Stage, so is hoping it’s third time lucky this week when he runs the six-round, 156 for 25 gauntlet at Infinitum.
“It was tricky to keep the concentration going with all the delays and how bad the weather was but in general I think I handled myself very well on the course and controlled my game fairly well,” McElroy said.
“I think this week should be exciting. I got to the Final Stage as an amateur in 2013 and again in 2017 in my first year as a pro so I’m definitely more experienced.
“The last time I was there it was around the same two courses so I definitely know how to prepare for it and what to do and what not to do.
“I am looking forward to it. I have a chance to play some good golf and hopefully that’s good enough.”
Sadly, Paul Dunne won’t be joining them after the Greystones man’s closing 71 saw him fall three strokes short, whilst Marc Boucher also came up short in the similarly weather-troubled qualifier at Desert Springs.
O’Rourke and McElroy join Ruaidhri McGee and Mark Power, who both qualified at Fontanals in Girona, and they now head to Infinitum on Spain’s Costa Daurada to compete in the six-round marathon.
Also in the field will be Conor Purcell who came desperately close to skipping Q-School altogether at last week’s Challenge Tour Grand Final, but by qualifying for the Challenge Tour’s season-ending championship, received a bye into Q-School’s Final Stage.
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