Mooney grinds it out

From Brian Keogh at San Roque

Damian Mooney produced a grinding level par 72 to keep his tour card hopes intact in the European Tour Qualifying School Finals at windy San Roque.

But Derry's Michael McGeady needs to find two low rounds just to make the four-round cut after a disappointing second round 78 left him near the back of the field on nine over par.

McGeady was on the back foot after a double bogey on the par three fourth on the New Course and followed that with four bogeys in a dispiriting six over par effort.

He said: "It was a battling score and nothing was going for me. Yesterday I didn't hit the ball brilliantly but putted well. Today my putting wasn't great.

"I am just hoping for a bit of form in the last two rounds so I can move into the top 70. I need a couple of good scores at the weekend now."

Mooney was still upbeat about his chances of not only making the cut but grabbing his card after a birdie at his final hole on the Old Course left him in 94th place at three over par.

"I ground it out in the wind because it was tough clubbing yourself today," Mooney said. "I birdied the last to shoot level and holed a few nice putts coming in. It is a grind at the minute but I will stay patient and keep going."

Spain's Pablo Larrazabal carded a 66 to lead by a stroke on seven under par with Colm Moriarty the only Irishman inside the vital top 30 on one under after a battling 73.

Dubliner Stephen Browne is tied for 120th nine over par after a 74 on the Old Course while Cork's Peter O'Keeffe shot 78 on the New Course to be one shot better than McGeady on eight over.