A four-under-par 68 sees Conor O’Rourke move to the front of the Irish contingent hoping to successfully navigate the DP World Tour First Qualifying Stage at Denmark’s Royal Oak Golf Club.
An opening 70 saw the K Club man in a tie for 29th alongside Hugh Foley, with fellow club man Liam Grehan two strokes better off, but four birdies and no bogeys in round two saw him climb to a tie for 16th at -6 as the top 82 advanced to the third round.
Grehan was only able to muster a one-over 73, making back-to-back birdies on his front nine, but dropping shots at one, 11 and 14, and he fell to tied 38th.
Royal Dublin amateur Foley, who’d opened with a 70, posted a level-par 72 where he mixed four birdies and four bogeys, but having sat level-par for the tournament through 15 holes on day two, he’ll take the positives as he managed to claw his way back to -2.
Rowan Lester improved on his opening round by one stroke, matching Foley’s level-par on day two, but he lies tied for 64th at +1 and will need to go low on day three if he is to survive the 54-hole cut and make a push for qualification.
Darren McHale will have to wait another year after finishing well off the pace.
A quartet lead the qualification process at -10, but O’Rourke is only two strokes off fifth place going into the third round, and has advancement well within his sights at present.
Leave a comment