After mixed results in the first few DP World Tour Q-School Stage One Qualifiers where only Hugh Foley and John Ross Galbraith managed to advance, things are looking a lot brighter for the Irish with four of the eight Irishmen competing at the Donnington Grove Qualifier booking their places in Stage Two.
After rounds of 71, 69 and 67, David Carey had put himself in a strong position going into Friday’s final round tied for fifth and with the top 17 and ties advancing. The Dubliner made two early birdies to strengthen his position further, then followed with 15 pars before making a double at the last which, while it did cost him prize money, had no bearing on his bigger goal of qualification as he finished solo sixth on -9 overall.
A four-under 68 in round three pushed Cormac Sharvin up into the qualification places, and he followed up with a one-under 71 to move to -6 which was good for a tie for 10th, and he was joined on that number by Tom Dowdall and Paul McBride who each shot three-under 69s. An eagle on the 13th was the crucial move for McBride as it took him from outside the provisional mark to just inside, and, at the end of the day, -6 would be the cutoff point.
Niall Kearney will be left to rue a second-round 75 that left him too much work to do, but he put up a brave fight, carding a closing 67 that included four birdies in his final seven holes but it was too little, too late. Marc Boucher, Michael Young, and Ignatius McGuinness also missed out.
At Arlandastad Golf Club in Sweden, John Murphy was the lone Irishman competing, but the Kinsale man continues to find himself out of luck. A three-under 67 put him right in the mix but he would eventually endure heartbreak as he finished tied for 18th with Welshman James Ashfield’s 72nd hole birdie knocking Murphy and the two others who looked poised to sneak through.
Leave a comment