Liam Nolan stays on course for DP World Tour promotion

Nolan sits 12th in the projected order of merit with the top 15 earning a DP World Tour card

Liam Nolan is in just his second year as a professional. Pic: Octavio Passos/Getty Images

Liam Nolan is still on course to earn a DP World Tour card after a solid opening two rounds at the HotelPlanner Tour Grand Final in Mallorca.

Nolan added a three-under 69 on Friday to Thursday's opening two-under 70. It leaves him tied for 18th on the leaderboard and 12th in the projected order of merit with the top 15 players winning promotion. The Galway native arrived at the season finale 10th in the rankings after a consistent year, just his second in the professional ranks. 

"Very happy with the score," Nolan said about Friday's round. "One better than yesterday and playing solid, kind of lacking that odd bit of magic, but really happy with the way I'm playing.

"The wind was a bit more up and the pins were maybe a little bit more tucked, but I think everyone's kind of adjusted to the pace of the greens today a bit better."

The 26-year-old had carded six birdies on Thursday but also two bogeys and a double bogey. Friday was far more consistent with just one black mark on his card.

"I'm not really looking too much at the leaderboard," he said. 

"I'm just kind of happy with the way I'm playing. I'm just going to try and keep doing that for the next couple of days. It's kind of the same approach I've taken all year."

Though he has slipped two places in the order of merit from where he began on Thursday, Nolan still has a 96-point cushion over 16th-placed Frenchman Maxence Giboudot. He also has the added benefit of his coach Kenny Fahey being at the tournament. 

"He's a real calming presence, especially in the evenings," said Nolan. "Spend the evenings laughing with him and he's a character. I'm more easily entertained when he's here."