Tour card agony for Lawrie and Thornton

It was a day of agony and missed chances for the four Irish golfers in the final Qualifying stage for next year’s European Tour at the PGA Catalunya resort in Girona yesterday.

Peter Lawrie (pictured), with a European Tour win to his name from 2008, was the biggest casualty after he missed out on full playing rights for 2015 by a single shot.

The Dubliner fired a one-under round of 71 for a total of six-under for the marathon six-day contest, but he needed to go one lower to sneak inside the top 25 and ties to guarantee himself a Tour card, which he has held for over a decade.