Confident Kearney on track
The 21-year-old Dubliner scorched into the top 10 when he eagled the 15th to get to five under for the day and while he bogeyed the short 16th and par four 18th at the Stadium Course after a pushed tee and a poor drive, he is tied for 24th on seven under par with just two rounds to play.
“I’ve lost touch with Rory over the last couple of years but I’m still in contact with Shane,” said Kearney, who is 18 under par for his last six rounds at the Qualifying School. “Loads of Irish players are coming out of the amateur game and doing well so that gives you more confidence. There is no reason why my game is not good enough to be out there with them.
“I am not surprising myself with the way I am playing. I was confident and relaxed all the way through the second stage and I am still confident.”
The winner of this year’s Brabazon Trophy, Kearney holed confidence boosting par putts of four and eight feet at the first and second before racking up birdies and the third, sixth, 10th and 11th to roar up the leaderboard.
A three putt bogey at the 13th set him back but he jumped straight into the top 10 by rifling a 200 yard four iron to six feet at the 15th to set up a stunning eagle three before slipping back with those late bogeys.
“I could have gone deep the last couple of rounds and it could have been three or four better today,” he said. “Hopefully we can post a couple of low ones in the last two rounds and finish the job.”
England’s Simon Khan shot 66 on the Stadium Course to lead by three shots on 20 under par from Spain’s Alejandro Cañizares. And while two groups must return to finish their rounds this morning after frost delayed the start, three of Ireland’s six hopefuls will tee it up in the last two rounds.
Gary Murphy was disappointed to shoot a 74 on the Spanish Open track – “I played shite and you can quote me on that” – to slip back to tied 49th on four under but Simon Thornton came home in 33 for a 69 to join him on that mark and make the projected three under par cut for the top 70 and ties with a stroke to spare.
Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell, Glasson’s Colm Moriarty and St Margaret’s teaching professional John Kelly all missed out, however, and now have some months of soul searching to do as they head back to the drawing board.
Kelly, 38, was already out of the running but started birdie-birdie and then chipped in for an eagle two at the driveable 12th on the Tour Course to spark hopes of a magical 59 that might be good enough to progress.
But he holed nothing else and played the remaining holes in one over par for a three under par 67 that left him nine shots off the qualifying pace.
Kelly, at least, was prepared for his early trip home but Caldwell’s exit was morale-crushing.
Three under par for the tournament with nine holes of the Tour Course to play, he drove out of bounds for a double bogey seven at the 10th but birdied the 11th and 17th to leave himself needing a par five at the 18th to progress to the last two rounds.
But his drive hit a cart path and ricocheted out of bounds and after finally making the green in five, he charged his 25 foot bogey putt past the hole – in the vain hope that two under might be enough – and missed the return to rack up a triple bogey eight for a two over par 72 that left him three shots outside the mark.
Moriarty putted poorly for a 76 on the Stadium Course to finish five shots outside the mark on two over and resigned himself to another season on the Challenge Tour after his fourth failure at the finals.
“The course was there for the taking but that it is the way it goes,” Moriarty said. “Back to the drawing board.”
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