Special K for Q-School

Niall Kearney and John Kelly can produce a special K performance as they kick off a marathon bid for their European Tour cards on Tuesday.

Kelly has helped Robbie Cannon. Now it's his turn to shine.The Dubliners are part of a 25-strong Irish army bidding to join superstars Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy in next year's Race to Dubai.

And they’ve shown that they have the right stuff to make the grade after rubbing shoulders with the best.

Fresh from a top show in the Walker Cup, amateur Kearney said: “I’m going to the Qualifying School feeling good.

“We lost the Walker Cup but it was nothing but positive for me. We lost a few tight games but I was joint top points scorer on the team and that is a huge boost going forward.”

Kearney will tee it up at Fleesensee near Berlin but Kelly will start his journey at the Oxfordshire hoping that he can build on the work he has down with Harrington’s coaching team and make it all the way to the tour.

The St Margarets club pro, who turns 38 on Tuesday, had a special coaching session with triple major winner Harrington at the weekend.

But he’s also been working with the boffins at the Titleist Performance Institute for several years, winning the Irish Order of Merit and the Irish Club Professional Championship last season.