A third-round 69 sees Dubliner Niall Kearney climb to eighth on the leaderboard ahead of the fourth and final round at the final DP World Tour First Qualifying Stage at France’s Golf de Moliets.
Starting the day at -5 after a wonderful 66 on day two saw him rocket up the leaderboard, he’d trade two birdies with two bogeys on the front side, and cancel out another birdie at 10 with a bogey at 14 to enter the final four holes at level-par for the day.
An eagle-three on the 15th was just what the doctor ordered, and he followed that up with a birdie at the par-3 16th and it would see him reach the clubhouse at -8, tied for eighth overall, and knowing that another round in red figures will surely be enough to see him through to Second Stage qualifying in early November.
Tullamore’s Stuart Grehan remains in the hunt to advance as well after shooting a best-of-the-week 69 in round three to climb to 22nd at -4, currently one shot outside the provisional qualification mark.
French-based Michael Young is one stroke further adrift after a two-under round of 70, while Tim Rice, who shot a five-under 67 on day two, drops to -2 overall courtesy of a 75 that included a run of six consecutive bogeys on the back nine.
At +1, Birr native Stephen Grant made the 54-hole cut with a shot to spare, but will need something in the mid-60s at worst if he’s to have any chance of pushing his way into the all-important top-20.
Cormac Sharvin will have to wait another year, however, as the Ardglass man’s struggles continued and he finished round three well outside the cutline.
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