Kearney to battle on as bogey blues end card hopes

NIALL KEARNEY’S hopes of winning his European Tour card evaporated when he fired a disappointing 76 to slip to joint last place entering the final round of the Qualifying School Finals in Spain.

The 22-year old Dubliner went into the fifth round on the Stadium Course at PGA Golf de Catalunya three shots outside the top 30 who will win promotion to main tour next year.

But he carded three birdies, three bogeys and two costly bogeys in a four-over-par effort to slip back to tied 69th on level par, nine strokes outside the card positions and 16 strokes behind England’s Simon Wakefield (67) and Spain’s Carlos del Moral (65), who lead the field by a stroke.