Niall Kearney carded a bogey-free round of 66 to play his way into the fifth and final round of the final stage of Asian Tour Q-School, but there was no joy for Paul Dunne who missed the 72-hole cut.
Starting the day at +1 and knowing that anything short of a round in the 60s would see him come up short, Kearney, the reigning Irish PGA champion, got off to the perfect start as he tackled the A/B Course at Lake View Resort in Thailand for the second time.
Birdies on holes one and two were just what the doctor ordered and his hot hand continued when he carded an eagle-three on the par-5 fifth. 10 consecutive pars followed, before he picked up another stroke on the par-4 16th, and he closed out the round with two more pars to record a five-under 66 that was enough to see him push his way inside the top 70 on -4.
There’s still a tough task ahead, however, as the Royal Dublin man sits four shots off the six-way tie for 32nd, with only the top 35 players at the end of Saturday’s final round earning full cards for the 2025 season.
Paul Dunne began round four shots ahead of his fellow countryman, but four bogeys on the opening nine holes on the C/D Course left him a mountain to climb on the back nine. A single birdie and a single bogey saw him cover the final nine holes in level-par, but he found himself tied for 118th and misses out, leaving the 2017 British Masters winner without full tour status anywhere for 2025.
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