Hugh Foley and Conor O’Rourke are both in with a good chance of advancing from the DP World Tour’s First Qualifying Stage at Denmark’s Royal Oak Golf Club, lying T21 and T26 respectively.
Rounds of 70 and 72 saw the Royal Dublin amateur make the 36 hole cut, but, in need of a round in the sixties to see him climb into contention, Foley duly delivered. Starting on the back nine, three opening pars were followed by back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14, and he added two more at 16 and 18 to make the turn at -4.
Another birdie at the first saw him move to five-under, and he’d trade two bogeys with two birdies to sign for a dive-under 67 that moves him to -7 for the tournament and climb to a tie for 21st.
One stroke further back is Naas native O’Rourke. Bogeys at his opening two holes saw him moving in the wrong direction on moving day, but he’d respond with birdies at nine and 13, before dropping another stroke at the 14th. He’d get back to level-par for the day with a birdie-three on 16 and close out the round in 72 strokes to finish where he started at -6.
Currently lying just outside the qualifying spots, he’ll likely need a 70 or better in the final round if he’s to advance to the second stage in October.
Rowan Lester and Liam Grehan will sadly miss out after both missed the 54-hole cut on the number after rounds of 71 and 75 respectively. Grehan will be particularly disappointed having opened with a four-under 68 in round one, but rounds of 73 and 75 on Wednesday and Thursday saw him fall back to level-par with -1 or better needed to advance to the fourth and final round in Denmark.
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