Chip-in eagle keeps Kearney dream alive

Niall Kearney brilliantly chipped in for a late eagle three to keep his European Tour dream alive at the Qualifying School finals at PGA Golf de Catalunya.

The Dubliner (22) made the four-round cut with a shot to spare on four-under par when he picked up four shots in his last seven holes to post a rollercoaster, level par 72 on the Stadium Course.

But while Kearney was “relieved” to survive thanks to his gutsy finish, there was bitter disappointment for the other three Irish hopefuls who had travelled to Girona hoping to finish among the top-30 and ties after six rounds.

As Athlone’s Colm Moriarty and Belfast’s Damian Mooney missed the cut comfortably, former Royal County Down assistant Simon Thornton was one of 19 unlucky souls eliminated on two-under par following a late birdie by the Swede Joakim Lagergren in the last match of the day.

Thornton came to the par-four ninth at the Stadium Course level par for the day and teetering on the edge at three under par. 

But he hooked his tee shot into trouble, bunkered his second and missed an eight footer for par to card a 73 and finish on two under par.

A late bogey by veteran Santiago Luna appeared to hand the Co Down resident a reprieve as the projected cut fell to two under.

But Lagergren birdied his 16th hole to see exactly 70 players finish on three under par and leave Thornton to reflect on what might have been.

While Kearney is now tied for 55th place, he is just three shots outside the top 30 and ties who will earn cards following tomorrow’s sixth and final round.

But he knows that he cannot afford to repeat yesterday’s erratic performance if he is to join his former Irish amateur team mate Rory McIlroy on the main tour in 2011.

“Relief? Absolutely,” said Kearney, who had an eagle, five birdies, one bogey and three double bogey sixes in his 72. “I drove poorly and the swing felt all over the place but I am still there and a good round tomorrow will put me back in it.”

The former Walker Cup player found himself three shots outside the cut mark when he went to the turn in two over par and promptly racked up his third double bogey of the day following a pulled drive at his 10th hole.

But after holing a 12 footer for birdie at the par-five third, he hit a six iron to four feet at the fourth and holed the putt before chipping in for an eagle three at the par-five seventh to get to four under.

“I just need to get back in the groove,” added Kearney. “I seem to be in the groove one day and out of it the next. It’s all about rhythm.”

While Kearney is still alive, Moriarty and Mooney know they have work to do on their short games if they are to make it to the tour some day.

“My long game definitely improved working with Bob Torrance,” said Moriarty, who missed the cut by five shots after closing with a one over 71 on the Tour Course. “But there is no doubt that my putting needs to improve.

“I just didn’t putt well enough all year. I putted with the belly for the first half of the year and putted nicely and then started to putt badly and went back to the short one.

“I haven’t putted well enough all year. That’s the bottom line. It’s frustrating and rots though your game and you are subconsciously trying to hit your second shots closer.”

Contemplating using his European Tour Categroy 13 categroy to play nine or ten main tour events next season and complete his schedule with Challenge Tour events, Moriarty said: “It is very frustrating to be at it seven years and not playing as well as you’d like, though everyone who plays golf thinks they should do better. I will think about things over the winter and see where I need to improve.”

Mooney closed with a three under 67 on the same track to miss out by six strokes and after making 15 birdies in four rounds, he knows his short game must improve if he is to make the grade on his next visit to the ‘school’.

“I enjoyed the school this year for the first time,” Mooney said. “I’ve come here before feeling like the four handicap amateur I was. This time I felt like it wasn’t far way.

“I missed six greens yesterday and didn’t get it up and down six times. I have to tightened up some stuff of the winter but I am coming away more encouraged about my game.”

Spain’s Alfredo Garcia Heredia leads by a stroke on 14 under par from Finland’s Mikko Korhonen and England’s Steve Lewton while big names to miss the cut include former Ryder Cup players Andrew Coltart, Jarmo Sandelin and Paul Broadhurst.

European Tour Qualifying School Finals, PGA Golf de Catalunya, Girona:

After round 4:

270 A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) 70 67 64 69;

271 S Lewton (Eng) 63 72 66 70; M Korhonen (Fin) 73 67 65 66;

272 M Nixon (am) (Eng) 74 69 65 64;
 
273 S Wakefield (Eng) 70 68 65 70; J Van Zyl (RSA) 72 67 65 69; L Bond (Wal) 66 69 67 71;

274 J Campillo (Esp) 66 71 68 69; R Kakko  (Fin) 71 68 64 71; L Saltman (Sco) 68 69 65 72; E Canonica (Ita) 69 69 65 71;
 
275 B Etchart  (Esp) 71 69 64 71; A Harto (Den) 68 76 66 65; W Ormsby (Aus) 66 71 66 72; S Norris  (RSA) 68 71 68 68; F Fritsch  (Ger) 69 65 68 73; E Saltman  (Sco) 66 71 64 74; E Dubois (Fra) 70 72 62 71; P Oriol (Esp) 71 69 67 68; J Elson  (Eng) 76 69 67 63; C Del Moral (Esp) 68 72 64 71; A Gee  (Eng) 66 71 65 73; E Johansen  (Nor) 67 73 65 70;
 
276 T Norret (Den) 69 69 66 72; M Kieffer (Ger) 70 71 63 72; J Knutzon (USA) 69 68 66 73; R Wattel  (Fra) 71 68 65 72; S Manley (Wal) 74 65 64 73;
 
277 A Tampion  (Aus) 64 72 69 72; V Dubuisson  (Fra) 69 74 69 65; A Tadini (Ita) 68 73 64 72; S Tiley (Eng) 73 71 68 65; J Arruti (Esp) 74 66 69 68; C Doak (Sco) 67 73 64 73; C Lloyd (am) (Eng) 69 71 67 70;
 
278 G Coetzee (RSA) 72 63 70 73; S Little (Eng) 71 71 65 71; M Tunnicliff (Eng) 70 74 68 66; B Evans  (Eng) 70 72 65 71; T Whitehouse  (Eng) 73 67 66 72; T Sluiter  (Ned) 72 70 68 68;
 
279 F Delamontagne  (Fra) 75 66 66 72; C Monasterio (Arg) 66 73 68 72; P Dwyer (Eng) 72 72 71 64; F Ohlsson (Swe) 67 69 68 75; B Ritthammer (Ger) 70 70 67 72; J Doherty  (Sco) 66 73 63 77; M Brier (Aut) 71 68 65 75; M Ruiz (Par) 68 73 67 71; A Kaleka  (Fra) 69 73 67 70; F Calmels  (Fra) 72 70 64 73; E Kofstad (Nor) 71 64 69 75; J Haeggman (Swe) 70 73 68 68; M Southgate (am) (Eng) 74 69 69 67;
 
280 A Ahokas (Fin) 75 69 70 66; M Lundberg (Swe) 73 71 69 67; Niall Kearney (Irl) 76 65 67 72; P Gustafsson (Swe) 75 70 70 65; L Westerberg (Swe) 72 70 68 70; D Brooks (Eng) 77 67 70 66; A Grenier  (Fra) 71 72 72 65; S Hend (Aus) 74 69 66 71;
 
281 M Quiros (Esp) 74 67 68 72; F Valera (Esp) 69 73 66 73; S Garcia (Esp) 70 68 66 77; D Denison  (Eng) 70 71 66 74; J Robinson (Eng) 69 73 66 73; T Feyrsinger  (Aut) 70 71 65 75; F Henge (Swe) 69 75 70 67; J Lagergren (Swe) 78 64 67 72;

CUT
282 S Luna (Esp) 72 67 66 77; A Bruschi  (Ita) 68 73 65 76; A Coltart (Sco) 75 70 71 66; J McLeary  (Sco) 71 75 70 66; R Kind (Ned) 72 73 71 66; J Etulain  (Arg) 78 68 70 66; C Gane (Eng) 71 72 69 70; N Bollini  (USA) 70 72 64 76; J Lima  (Por) 72 71 67 72; L Dodd  (Eng) 67 76 71 68; V Riu  (Fra) 68 75 73 66; Simon Thornton (Irl) 72 69 68 73; B Hebert  (Fra) 72 67 71 72; J Lucquin (Fra) 64 77 71 70; B Grace  (RSA) 66 77 72 67; C Brazillier  (Fra) 70 76 69 67; S Arnold  (Aus) 72 68 69 73; J Colomo  (Esp) 73 72 72 65; J Guerrier  (Fra) 72 68 68 74;
 
283 J Legarrea (Esp) 70 71 66 76; A Snobeck  (Fra) 71 73 66 73; L Gagli  (Ita) 70 74 67 72; S Davis (Eng) 71 70 69 73; M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 75 69 70 69; J Dantorp (Swe) 69 69 68 77; M Kramer  (Ger) 69 78 70 66; J Ruth  (Eng) 70 72 67 74; S Walker (Eng) 77 67 70 69; D Lokke (Den) 70 70 70 73; T Sherreard (am) (Eng) 69 75 71 68;
 
284 A Canete (Arg) 69 72 70 73; B Chapellan (Fra) 69 74 72 69; D Vancsik (Arg) 72 73 69 70;
 
285 M Soffietti (Ita) 71 75 72 67; C Ford (Eng) 72 71 73 69; B Pieters (RSA) 71 75 70 69; M Bliss (Can) 72 71 70 72; A Perrino  (Ita) 76 72 69 68; S Chowrasia (Ind) 73 69 70 73; T Mordt  (RSA) 67 75 68 75; J Backckstrom (Swe) 74 71 73 67;
 
286 T Leon (USA) 73 70 78 65; S Harrington (USA) 75 69 75 67; R Russell (Sco) 69 75 69 73; G Adell (Swe) 74 69 72 71; L Claverie (Esp) 72 70 71 73; C Suneson (Esp) 71 75 73 67; B Miarka (Ger) 74 71 74 67; A Forsyth (Sco) 73 69 67 77; J Larsen  (Nor) 71 70 71 74; Colm Moriarty (Irl) 74 69 72 71; N Johansson (Swe) 74 69 74 69;
 
287 Damian Mooney (Nir) 68 75 77 67; O Fraustro  (Mex) 76 73 68 70; A Hall (Aus) 77 71 72 67; S Bebb (Wal) 77 69 74 67;
 
288 O David  (Fra) 77 72 71 68; A Jacobsson (Swe) 77 69 74 68; M Warren (Sco) 72 72 76 68; J Grillon  (Fra) 74 70 76 68; R De Sousa (Sui) 69 74 71 74; J Barnes (Eng) 73 76 72 67;
 
289 J Clement  (Sui) 73 79 69 68; R Kulacz (Aus) 69 68 76 76; S Drummond (Sco) 72 74 75 68; P Broadhurst (Eng) 73 69 68 79; R Steiner (Aut) 69 74 74 72; N Meitinger  (Ger) 70 73 78 68;
 
290 D Beck (Aus) 73 76 74 67; J Sandelin (Swe) 75 71 68 76; F Colombo (Ita) 75 75 70 70;
 
291 B Hafthorsson (Isl) 80 73 71 67; G Bhullar (Ind) 73 77 72 69;
 
292 S Hutsby  (Eng) 78 70 75 69; M Rosenfeld (USA) 74 75 73 70;
 
293 M Cryer (Eng) 77 72 73 71;
 
294 J Pettersson (Swe) 75 75 78 66; R Bescansa (Esp) 77 77 68 72;
 
295 V Almstrom (Swe) 77 71 74 73;
 
298 C Carranza  (Arg) 72 77 75 74;
 
299 G Emerson (Eng) 71 73 80 75;

Withdrew/Retired: P Edberg (Swe) 70 72 77 WD; C Russo (Fra) 77 72 74 RT; M Erlandsson (Swe) 74 71 76 RT; A Haig (RSA) 75 74 77 RT; M Vibe-Hastrup  (Den) 74 77 82 RT; M Dam (Den) 83 74 WD.