Mixed Irish Grill on First Day QS

The first day of European Tour Qualifying School second stage teed off on Friday across four venues in Spain, with eight Irish hopefuls chasing the dream. Many of whom are now veterans of the annual tour school pilgrimage.

It is anticipated that there will be approximately 310 participants at 2nd Stage and around 80 (25%) will progress to the Final Stage. The exact number of qualifiers will be determined during the week of 2nd Stage.

At Las Colinas Golf and Country Club Niall Turner finished with a two over par 73, to hold a share of 65th place, and nine shots off the leader.

Campo de Golf El Saler saw Michael McGeady trail the first round leader by just four strokes after a round of 73 left the 2013 Irish PGA Champion in favourable 14th place.

Lumine Golf and Beach Club hosted four contenders in the mix with Niall Kearney the best of the Irish after a one under par 70 in T15.

David Higgins finished Friday in a share of 50th place with a first round of two over par along side fellow Waterville golfer Mark Murphy.

Brendan McCarroll saw his dream end early this year with an opening nine over par 79.

At Panoramica Golf and Sport Resort Ruaidhri McGee signed for a level par round - eight strokes off top of the eladerbiard - and more worrinbgly for him in a share of 52nd place.

Gareth Shaw was unable to match his exploits from last week in Oman on the Challenge Tour and crashed to a first round 79.

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McGeady in NI Open Mix

Michael McGeady is one behind the leaders after firing a six-under 65 on day one in the Northern Ireland Open at Galgorm Castle.

McGeady was one behind German Bernd Ritthammer and England's James Ruth.

Ross McGowan, Norway's Jens Dantorp and Scot Andrew McArthur and Dutchman Daan Huizing joined McGeady on 65.

Nick Dougherty and Oliver Wilson both showed a return to form as they carded rounds of 66 with Gareth Shaw firing a 68 and Michael Hoey on 70.

Nuremberg-born Ritthammer, who finished second in the Challenge de Espana event in June, fired a flawless seven-birdie 64 as he took advantage of the benign conditions at the Ballymena course and was later joined by 28-year-old Plymouth native Ruth.

Donegal-based McGeady is playing in only his second Challenge Tour event of the year.

McGeady, 35, has a Challenge Tour victory to his name after triumphing at the Wales Challenge in 2008 but lost his card for the second-tier European circuit at the end of the 2011 season.

However, McGeady clearly likes the Galgorm course as he achieved top-six finishes in the two most recent EuroPro events staged at the Ballymena venue.

The Derry man's round on Thursday included a remarkable nine birdies as he produced tidy halves of 32 and 33.

Former Madrid Masters champion McGowan, who narrowly missed out on earning a Ryder Cup place in 2010, also carded a 65 which was highlighted by an eagle-three at the last.

Dougherty, who like McGowan is now aged 31, has had three European Tour wins in his career but he has struggled badly for form over the past three seasons.

Liverpool-born Dougherty has earned less than £400 in 10 Challenge Tour events this season and lies 252nd in the rankings.

However, he showed signs of a return to form on Thursday in his seven-birdie 66 while 2008 European Ryder Cup player Wilson dropped only one shot as he matched Dougherty's round.

Also on 66 was another Englishman Andrew Johnston whose round included a hole in one at the seventh.

Ballymena amateur Dermot McElroy was in a large group sharing 15th place on 67

Local hope Shaw found himself at one over par on two occasions in his opening nine but five birdies in nine holes saw him improve to four under before he finished with a disappointing six at the long 18th.

Shaw, who shared fifth place at the Irish Open in June, is currently chasing a European Tour card for 2014 both from the Race to Dubai and Challenge Tour routes.

Shaw's 68 was matched by former Walker Cup player Jonathan Caldwell and Alan Dunbar but favourite and tournament ambassador Hoey carded a rather scrappy 70 which included four bogeys.

Recent Russian Open champion Hoey bogeyed three of his opening six holes to slip to two over and needed birdies at the 15th and last to better par.

Dunbar's 2011 Walker Cup team-mate Paul Cutler faces a battle to make Friday evening's cut after an opening 74.

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Hoey Drives NI Open Challenge

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Michael Hoey will make his first appearance in a regular Challenge Tour event for five years when he competes in this week’s inaugural Northern Ireland Open Challenge Presented by Clannah and XJET, a tournament he has helped to promote in his role as ambassador.

The five-time European Tour champion is one of 24 Irishmen, drawn evenly from the North and Republic of Ireland, who will tee up at Galgorm Castle Golf Club and Estates in Ballymena, Country Antrim.

Hoey’s most recent victory came in the M2M Russian Open at the end of July, and he comes into the event on the back of another solid performance in last week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, where he finished in joint 28th place.

Whilst Hoey would dearly love to his tally of three Challenge Tour titles, much of the Ulsterman’s focus this week will be on his ambassadorial role for the €170,000 event.

He said: “I was more than happy to be the face of the tournament, and it’s a real honour and privilege to be able to help out the government and the Challenge Tour. I played on the Challenge Tour for a few years so I know how tough the competition is, and I’ll have to play very well just to contend.

“Some of the winning scores on the Challenge Tour this year and last have been unbelievable, so I’m under no illusions as to how difficult it’s going to be to get in contention, let alone win. There’s a huge difference in the standard from when I was playing five years ago to now.

“But my main aim this week isn’t necessarily to win the tournament – the main goal is to be an ambassador for the tournament. Hopefully everyone likes the venue, and we can have a great week. I’ve played the course three times on sponsors’ days this year, so I know it well. It’s a good parkland course and it’s in a beautiful location, so I’m sure the guys will enjoy playing there.

“The success of the Irish Open in Portrush showed what an appetite there is amongst the public for professional golf tournaments in Northern Ireland, so hopefully we can get some good crowds and keep the feel-good factor high.”

Calgorm Castle Golf Club’s touring professional Gareth Shaw will hope to build on some noteworthy results this season, with the highlight a top five finish in The Irish Open in June.

Shaw will be joined in County Antrim by his compatriots Paul Cutler and Alan Dunbar, the latter of whom won the 2012 Amateur Championship at Royal Troon. 

The duo formed a dynamic pairing in the 2011 Walker Cup, winning both their foursome matches as Great Britain & Ireland defeated their American counterparts 14-12 at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club.

Other notable names in the field include in-form Portuguese José-Filipe Lima, currently second in the Challenge Tour Rankings thanks to a series of eye-catching performances which includes a tied third place finish at last week’s Rolex Trophy; and Frenchman François Calmels, bidding to gain instant promotion to The European Tour with a third victory of the season. 

This week’s tournament will mark the first Irish Challenge Tour event since the 2009 Challenge of Ireland while the last time Northern Ireland hosted a Challenge Tour event was in 2003, when Darren Clarke won the Benmore Developments Northern Ireland Masters.

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Higgins and Company in Russia

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David Higgins to action days after the Open Championship, an event he failed to qualify for the after he discovered he was carrying fifteen clubs in  his bag at the qualifier in North Berwick at the start of July.

Higgins is joined by Michael Hoey, Alan Dunbar, Damien McGrane, and Gareth Shaw in an event that sees  the European Tour this week return to Russia for the first time in five years with the M2M Russian Open at the stunning Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club.

After three successful years hosting the Challenge Tour, this Jack Nicklaus designed course hosts European Tour competition for the first time with all three previous winners in the field looking to rekindle that winning feeling.

Spain’s Carlos Del Moral (2010), England’s Sam Little (2011) and Frenchman Alex Kaleka (2012) have also tasted success here and looking for repeat performances, as is the current course record holder, Tommy Fleetwood, who shot a six under par 66 in the 2010 M2M Russian Challenge Cup.

Michael Campbell, the 2005 US Open Champion, is joined by a host of European Tour champions including India’s most successful golfer, Jeev Milkha Singh, former Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year and Portugal Masters Champion Tom Lewis and six-time Tour winner Simon Dyson.

It is also an opportunity for some of the lesser lights to shine and secure their place among the game’s elite for next season, much as Peter Uihlien did in Madeira and Simon Thornton in St Omer, and for Russia’s golfers to showcase their emerging talent.

The three Russian professionals in the field are former tennis grand slam champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Andrey Pavlov and Konstantin Lifanov and they are joined by five Russian amateurs.

Russia has provided the launchpad for a number of players over the years, including Jamie Donaldson, winner of the 2012 Irish Open and this year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Champions, whose first professional victory came in the Challenge Tour in Russia in 2002.

The last time the M2M Russian Open was played on The European Tour, Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg claimed the title in 2008. This was three years after he won the event for the first time in 2005 and he will hoping to become the first player to win the title three times. Indeed, Lundberg was the last player to win the same European Tour event for their first two Tour titles.

Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club, a classic Jack Nicklaus Design, has been carved out of mature forestland which adds character to the shape of all the holes combined with natural looking water features which compliment this majestic course. It has received rave reviews from those players who have faced the challenge over the last three years as one of the finest courses on the schedule.

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