Sun Sets on Irish School in Catalunya

As the wintery Spanish sun sets on a most dramatic of fourth days at the Qualifying School Final Stage being held this week at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, there have – as is often the case at this crucial juncture in the six day marathon to claim a much sought-after card for The European Tour – been numerous stories of both triumph but also of heartbreak.

By the close of play on Tuesday, 70 players from across the globe had secured a coveted place in the final two rounds over Catalunya’s spectacular Stadium Course, and with it a shot at the top 30 finish needed on Thursday to either become, or indeed remain, a European Tour Member.

While it was England’s Sam Hutsby - leading the final 70 at 16 under par - it was a back-and-forth tussle between three under par and four under par down at the cut-line, a battle that continued until the conclusion of the very final group on the Stadium Course and made for a nerve-wrecking wait for those already in the clubhouse.

On Tuesday morning, 148 players teed it up in northern Spain meaning 78 in the field suffered a painful exit, and no story was more agonising than that of Englishmen James Ruth and Chris Lloyd.

After both started the day at three over par and tied for 105th place, the fellow countrymen knew they would need an incredible turn of fortunes to have a chance of making the cut. Yet both set about the shorter Tour Course with great gusto and carded superb six under par rounds of 64, meaning a total score for the four days of three under par – a mark that would have seen them safely through to the event’s climax in any other year.

Teenager Lloyd, who finished 28th in the Challenge Tour Rankings this year, covered the back nine in a mere 30 blows, while 26 year old Ruth carded seven birdies on the way to his own 64.

However, their fine efforts eventually fell an excruciating one shot short thanks to Austria’s HP Bacher, who birdied two of his last three holes on the Stadium Course to move to five under par and take the cut-line to a record low of four under par.

Since the Final Stage moved to PGA Catalunya Resort in 2008, three under par would have been enough to proceed to the climactic two rounds at every other event; but despite their valiant efforts it was ultimately not enough on this occasion.

Of the other six men to narrowly drop out of the Final Stage reckoning in the last-gasp cut-change drama there were some notable names, including three-time Challenge Tour winner Philip Archer and Scotland’s Callum Macaulay, who finished 49th in the 2011 Challenge Tour Rankings. Former European Tour player John Morgan, meanwhile, sadly bogeyed three of the last six holes to miss out by three shots at one under par.

But while there were undeniably stories of distress, there were equally also tales of triumph, including Englishman Jamie Elson who began the day at one over par and in dire need of a birdie-strewn fourth round to progress.

Elson, who finished 27th in the Challenge Tour Rankings this year, made a birdie at the first hole on the Tour Course, before making another gain at the fourth hole and adding a further five coming home to sign for a best-of-the-day round of 63 which moved him to six under par.

Elson, a former Walker Cup player, said: “I needed a low one today, and that’s exactly what I got. To be honest I wasn’t really taking much notice of what the cut might be because I’ve got my category 12 card for next year already, so it’s either finish inside the top 30 or bust for me. I got off to a good start and just kept it going really. I missed a few chances but also holed some nice putts, so it was good to post a low one because I’d played poorly for the previous three days.

“I’ve been struggling with my game for a while now, but I had a good chat with my coach last night and we managed to sort a few things out, and it clicked into place today. I had no choice other than to attack from the start, and that probably helped me focus and be aggressive. You’ve got a lot of irons in your hand for your approach shots on the Tour Course, so if you can find the fairways you’ve got a good chance of hitting it close and holing some putts, especially as the greens are so good. 

“The Stadium Course is the harder of the two and I haven’t played it well so far, so I’ll have to do better for the final two days if I’ve got any chance of getting my card. It’s a long week but I’ve been here before and done the business [in 2009], so I know what it takes.”

Denmark’s Mark Haastrap also posted a fine six under par round of 64 on the Tour Course, while Dutchman Taco Remkes made a five under par 65 to make respective surges up the leaderboard and into the top 70 to continue their individual quests for a European Tour card for next season.

For the Irish golf the past four days were not good news with Waterville's David Higgins faltering in the end despite a blistering start start on Saturday by the former Tour card holder  carded a 65. On Tuesday his fourth round 71 disappointingly left on the cut-line in a share of 71st place and one shot off the mark.

Chris Devlin  finished in 101st place after his round of 68 on Tuesday, well out of contention, with Cian McNamara and Jonathan Caldwell in a tie for 139th.

Daniel Gaunt of Australia lost his playing rights also in Catalunya having failed to make an impact in his limited starts this season.

And so, four days gone, and two to go. The race for the top 30 starts here.

R4 Leaderboard

Weary Rory Out of Thai Event

Rory McIlroy has admitted his hectic recent schedule caught up with him at the Dubai World Championship over the weekend.

The US Open champion headed into the European Tour's season-ending event knowing he had to emerge victorious to deny Luke Donald the Race to Dubai money-list title.

Although he started in encouraging fashion with a 66, McIlroy faded as the week progressed and eventually finished in 11th place.

The 22-year-old acknowledged before the event began that he was suffering from a virus and has been informed he could have contracted Dengue fever.

As a result, McIlroy has pulled out of this week's Thailand Golf Championship and will now put his clubs away and rest up before getting his 2012 season underway in Abu Dhabi at the end of January.

Hectic schedule

"I think this week was one too many," he said, referring to a recent schedule that has seen him play eight tournaments in the last ten weeks, making three separate trips to Asia and one to Bermuda.

"Luke deserves it. Basically every time he's teed it up he's had a chance or he's finished in the top five or top 10. Mentally you have to be so good just to keep grinding out the scores when you need to.

"But I've made great progress this year - with my game, with my results, with everything. I feel like I'm swinging the club as good as I ever have and I feel like my body is as strong as it's ever been.

"I've won my first major and my goals are just to win tournaments and try to become a multiple-major champion."

Higgins Hindered on Tour Course

David Higgins carded a third round of 74 to drop 48 places the wrong direction on the leader board into a share of 74th place - four spots outside the projected cut for Tuesday's final round. The Waterville man faces some tough work on Tuesday to reverse matters and stay in contention for a place in the final qualifying phase on Wednesday and Thursday.  

Chris Devlin and Cian McNamara both finished Monday with rounds of 73 but are well out of contention.

Jonathan Caldwell also dropped a number of places after his third round 76.

But the former Walker Cup players Sam Hutsby and Andy Sullivan built on their fine starts at the Qualifying School Final Stage, ending the day with just one shot separating the two Englishmen at the midway stage of the six-round marathon.

On another sunny day at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, northern Spain, Hutsby shot a round of 68 on the Tour Course to move to 15 under par, with Sullivan signing for a 67 to close the gap to a single stroke. 

Hutsby opened with a birdie on the tenth hole, before a bogey at the 13th temporarily halted his momentum. But he rallied with a birdie at the 18th hole, and a further gain after the turn saw the 23 year old maintain his place at the head of affairs.

Were it not for a cold putter Hutsby’s advantage would have been greater, but he is still on course to complete a second successful visit to the Qualifying School, having finished runner-up behind his compatriot Simon Khan in 2009.

He said: “I only missed two greens but I just couldn’t buy a putt. So I’m a little disappointed, because I felt I played well enough to break away a bit. But I’m still leading, so I would have taken that at the start of the day. My target is six rounds in the 60s, so that goal is still on. There are still three rounds to go, but I’m in a nice position.

“I didn’t force it too much today, I just hit the greens without hitting it very close. It was always going to be a fairly tidy round because I’m playing well, but I could have been three or four shots better.

“It’s hard, because you get to holes that I birdied in the first round [when he shot 60], and if you par them you feel you’re not playing as well. So two under wasn’t really the score I was looking for but it was just one of those days on the greens, and sometimes you just have to accept it.

“It’s strange that we’re only half way. Most of us played two or three practice rounds, so it already feels like a long week but there are three rounds to go. I feel fresh though, and I’ve been sleeping well. I’ve been playing nicely, so I’m looking forward to the next three days.”

Sullivan, who played alongside Tom Lewis in Great Britain and Ireland’s triumphant 2011 Walker Cup team, mixed six birdies with three bogeys to move to 14 under par and within sight of a European Tour card just three months after joining the professional ranks.

The 25 year old, who boasted a 100 per cent record in the Foursomes at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, is determined to win his private duel with Hutsby. 

He said: “I think there is a nice little battle going on between myself and Sam. I don’t think we’d like to comment on it too much, but there’s definitely a bit of to and fro so it’s really good. We’ve played a couple of times together and been in squads together, so we know each other well enough.

“I’ve put myself in a good position now, so I’m definitely thinking about winning it. It would mean a lot to me and would probably the biggest achievement of my life, so I just have to go out there and keep doing what I’m doing.

“I’ve been a professional for three months, and I love it. I’ve probably learned more in three months than I did in my whole amateur career, so it’s been fantastic. This has definitely been my most enjoyable week as a pro, scoring wise. I’ve been playing well prior to this but just haven’t seemed to put the numbers together, so it’s nice to be able to do that finally.” 

The English duo will be joined in the final group by Peter Gustafsson, who made a fine start to his round of 66 with an eagle at the tenth hole.

The Swede won the Qualifying School in 2004 but is yet to finish inside the top 30 in two previous visits to PGA Catalunya Resort, so is hoping to rectify that record this week.

He said: “It’s only half way, so there’s still a long way to go. The guys coming straight here from the Second Stage must feel like they’ve been playing for ages! I’m feeling good and I’ve been working a lot with my fitness coach in Marbella, so everything feels good.

“My game is very solid so far, so the target is just to keep it going. You don’t want to go overboard on how well you’re playing at this stage, because it can come back and bite you over the next three rounds. But I’m very happy with where I am at the moment.”

A sublime round of 62 set Thomas Norret on course to reclaim the European Tour card he earned at the Qualifying School Final Stage 12 months ago.

The Dane, who took the 17th card last year, covered the Tour Course in just 62 strokes, firing eight birdies in an immaculate display.

Norret reached the turn in just 29 thanks chiefly to a five birdie burst from the fourth hole, before making three more gains to finish on 12 under par. 

With the top 30 and ties securing a place in The 2012 Race to Dubai, Norret is in position to secure a swift return to The European Tour, having relinquished his playing privileges after finishing in 155th place in the Money List this year.

Norret said: “It was an awesome day. I got off to a nice start, and just kept calm all day. I made five birdies in a row on the front nine, and that really got me going. We had a slow spell in the middle and got held up, but then I got back into it and played well at the end.

“It’s nice to be up there after a round like today. I felt confident coming here. I had a bad first half of the season, but over the last four or five months my game has been pretty good. I played well last week at Second Stage, and in South Africa before that at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. So I was confident coming to Final Stage, and it’s nice that it has paid off today.”

Three-time European Tour champion Nick Dougherty, meanwhile, endured a difficult day as a round of 75 left him on four over par and facing an uphill task to make Thursday’s cut.

He said: “I played really well on the front nine, and then I had a tough break. I’ve got a little bit of an ailment at the moment with my hip, where it clicks and goes, and when it does I’m lucky if I make contact with the ball. It happened on the first tee, which was my tenth hole, and made a bogey then I never really made a shot after that.

“But I hold out hope that I can get it back to how it used to be, and how it used to feel. There are some times when I do play good golf, and it feels great. For nine holes today I played phenomenal, I should have been nine under but still nothing went my way. I had two three putts to go one under through nine, and I missed two putts from inside eight feet for birdie. I should never have shot that score today, but that’s just the way it’s going for me at the moment.”

Higgins Strong in School Run

David Higgins maintained his hopes alive of progressing to European Tour action after a second round 72 kept in a share of 26th place on -5 after the first two days of a most intense weekend.

The remaining Irish challengers are further adrift with Chris Devlin +2 at the end of Sunday

second round.

Jonathan Caldwell is  two shots further back and battling hard to recover from the opening day 78 with some more work left to do on Monday and Tuesday.

Cian McNamara of Limerick Golf Club finished day two with a 73 and at 9 over is currently in 153rd place. 

Sam Hutsby maintained his lead in the Qualifying School Final Stage as he followed up his stunning opening round of 60 with a three under par 69 on the Stadium Course at PGA Catalunya Resort, leaving him two shots clear of English compatriot Andy Sullivan.

The 23 year old had three birdies, two bogeys and an eagle on the longer of the two courses to reach 13 under par for the tournament, while Sullivan was hot on his heels after carding a six under par 66 on the Stadium Course to move to 11 under.

Hutsby admitted he was surprised to card such a good score on what he felt was an average day on the course.

”I’m absolutely chuffed to bits with a 69 because I didn’t feel like I played that well,” said the Lee-on-Solent player, who finished second at the 2009 Qualifying School Final Stage. “But I've been trying to improve my B-game so when I'm not quite at the races, I’m just trying to eliminate the double-bogeys, so it’s really pleasing. My short game was really tidy today which kept me in it.”

Having started on the tenth tee, Hutsby stormed into a commanding lead with an eagle at the 15th, but dropped shots at the 16th and 18th. He recovered with two birdies on the way home, however, and was delighted with his position.

“It was a bit of a tough day but I am happy,” said the former Walker Cup player, who finished 48th in the Challenge Tour Rankings this year. “After yesterday it was always going to be hard to match that on a tougher course so I’m in a good position.

“It’s a long week, though. Obviously we only do this once a year - play six rounds in a row and two practice rounds - so it’s mentally tough as well as the fitness aspect. I've worked hard on that so coming down the last few holes I hit some good shots, so it’s nice to get myself in a comfortable position with four rounds to go.”

Sullivan impressed with the joint-lowest round on the Stadium Course so far this week, having opened with a 65 on the Tour course in round one.

The 25 year old was part of Great Britain and Ireland’s victorious Walker Cup team earlier this year, turning professional soon after and making it through last week’s Qualifying School Second Stage.

“It’s just nice to be playing well and seeing the ball go in the hole,” said Sullivan. “It’s a bit different from last week, when I left it until the last minute to get through.

“I just seemed to steadily make a few birdies. I felt confident coming here after the way I played last week in the Second Stage. I just didn’t hole enough putts, but in the last round last week I started to hole a few putts and I came into this week with a bit more confidence.”

Peter Gustafsson and David McKenzie were two shots further back on nine under as the Swede equalled the best round of the day on the Tour course with a seven under par 63.

He said: “After changing my coach about a month and a half ago it’s been improving my game. It has been quite a big change in the swing, but it’s been better in terms of ball-striking so every time I trust it, it goes perfectly. The putter is very hot too so it’s been a great day for me.”

Seven players were in a share of fifth place, including Lloyd Kennedy, who holed out from 216 yards for an eagle at the par four fourth hole on the way to a four under par 66 on the Tour course.

Three-time European Tour champion Nick Dougherty finished the day on one over par after a 73 on the Stadium course, while last year’s winner, Simon Wakefield, was three over par for the tournament after a two over par 74 on the Stadium Course.

Quiros and Donald Settle Dubai Titles

Spain's Alvaro Quiros produced a dramatic eagle on the final green to clinch a two-stroke victory over Paul Lawrie at the Dubai World Championship, while Luke Donald sealed his historic money-list double as he fired a final round of 66 to finish in third.

Quiros headed into the final day with a two-shot lead but, despite starting his round with three successive birdies, was overhauled by Lawrie after nine holes as the Scot breezed to the turn in just 31 blows.

But Quiros got his nose back in front with a birdie at the 14th and, after Lawrie had missed a good chance to draw level at the short 17th, closed out the win in stunning style on the final green with a snaking 40-foot putt.

But while the Spaniard bagged first prize, it was Donald who sealed the season-long Race to Dubai crown as he posted his second consecutive 66.

It means the Englishman now adds the European Tour title to the PGA Tour equivalent he won at the end of October - in so doing becoming the first man to win the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic.

Donald - who could only have lost the Race to Dubai crown if Rory McIlroy had won this week and he'd have finished outside the top nine - was a model of consistency again on Sunday, as he has been all year.

The 34-year-old did not drop a shot over his final 46 holes over the Earth Course as he ended on 16-under-par, three back of the winner and one behind Lawrie who made an important birdie putt of his own at the last to claim solo second.

"Congrats to Alvaro, what a three to finish and what an exciting way for the tournament to end," Donald told Sky Sports afterwards.

"I didn't really look at a leader board until 13 knew I was a few back, but I didn't see Rory's name on it and at that point I knew the double was mine and I was going to finish number one in Europe as well.

Mixed emotions

"It was good, it was hard to concentrate in a way, I had so many mixed emotions, but I tried to finish strong and three birdies was a nice way to finish the year off.

"It's something I really didn't think was that possible. I played extremely solid, consistent golf all year - winning four times and playing right at the right moments. It's testament to my hard work and it's nice to see it paying off."

Quiros was also in celebratory mood as he secured his second win of the season - and his second in Dubai - and his sixth career title on the European Tour.

Having fallen behind at the turn, the Spaniard found himself back on terms as Lawrie made bogey at 12 and never trailed again after taking advantage of his length to birdie the par-five 14th.

"It was unbelievable, obviously we weren't checking the leaderboards because Lawrie was playing good enough to put me under pressure today," he said.

"But after that I heard Luke's birdie on 17 and 18 and I said on the tee, 'this is unbelievable, this guy is impossible to leave behind!'

"But obviously it (the eagle at 18) was very special, I hit three wood from the tee and a great three-wood from a downhill lie and the putt, the putt is going to sleep with me tonight!

"He (Lawrie) was unbelievable, he was almost one putt per green. But at the same time I was playing good and that was the only thing I was thinking about.

"I was thinking if I'm good enough to stay in the same rhythm I'll be in contention - I don't know if I'm going to be the leader at the end of the 18 holes but I'm going to be in contention.

"I'm very pleased to finish 2011 winning twice, for many reasons but the main one is that the Ryder Cup team is next season and it's a good push for me winning this tournament."

Sweden's Peter Hanson shot a 67 to finish in fourth on 14-under-par, while Masters champion Charl Schwartzel posted the same to score to take fifth a shot behind.

Francesco Molinari and Louis Oosthuizen shared sixth, Robert Rock and Shane Lowry eighth, while another Spaniard, Pablo Larrazabal, rounded out the top ten.

Final leaderboard (GB & Ire unless stated)

-19 A Quiros (Spa)

-17 P Lawrie

-16 L Donald

-14 P Hanson (Swe)

-13 C Schwartzel (SA)