Twelve Irish out of 40 make PQ2

Michael McGeady qualified with ease for the second stage of the European Tour Qualifying School. Photo Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ieBig Mick Geady topped a quintet of Irish qualifiers for December’s Second Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School. Of the 40 players who teed it up in the First Stage, 12 (or 30 percent) made it through.

The North West man closed with a three over 75 to qualifying comfortably amongst the top 25 and ties at Ribagolfe in Portugal, sharing fifth place on two under 286.

A total of 26 players qualified on 293 at the Portuguese venue with Florida-based Ballymena man Chris Devlin (290) and Ballyliffin’s Brendan McCarroll (291) also through.

While Fergal Rafferty (297) and St Margaret’s John Kelly (300) failed to make the grade this time, another two Irish players came through at Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire.

Following the shock failure of Walker Cup hero Paul Cutler to make the 54-hole cut, Ballinasloe man Mark Staunton could afford a final round 79 and still qualify with three shots to spare on 293. Waterville’s David Higgins comfortably made the 27 qualifiers on 294 after a closing 74.

Twelve Irish players have made it to Stage Two from the 40 who eventually teed it up in one of eight Stage One Qualifiers held all over Europe for the past four weeks.

McGeady, Devlin, McCarroll, Staunton and Higgins join Niall Turner, Neil O’Briain, Cian McNamara, Stephen Grant, Jonny Caldwell, Aaron O’Callaghan and Noel Fox.

The goal is to make it to the Final Stage from December 10-15 and finish among the top 30 and ties after six rounds who will earn their tour cards for 2012.

Final scores from Ribagolfe in Portugal (26 players qualified)

282 D McGuigan (RSA) 69 72 72 69,

285 B McDonald (Zim) 70 69 73 73, V Blazquez (Esp) 67 74 73 71, B Pettersson (Swe) 72 65 72 76,

286 B Vaughan (RSA) 73 67 74 72, Mick McGeady (Irl) 70 69 72 75, J Van Der Vaart (Ned) 75 68 70 73, R De Sousa (Sui) 68 68 76 74,

287 A Long (USA) 71 73 72 71,

288 R Bastard (Eng) 71 72 71 74, I Van Weerelt (Ned) 72 73 72 71,

289 T Shadbolt (Eng) 70 71 70 78,

290 O Bekker (RSA) 70 75 73 72, R Furrer (Sui) 70 73 72 75, Chris Devlin (Nir) 70 72 71 77, J Billing (Swe) 71 74 72 73,

291 R Quiros  (Esp) 72 72 71 76, D Coughlan (Eng) 72 73 73 73, B Detweiler (USA) 72 69 76 74, Brendan McCarroll  (Irl) 71 71 75 74,

292 X Poncelet  (Fra) 71 74 78 69, J Kelly (USA) 72 72 75 73,

293 J Adarraga Gomez  (Esp) 71 69 78 75, M Azcue (Mex) 71 72 80 70, J Gibb (Eng) 72 72 78 71, H Santos  (Por) 78 71 69 75,

———-all of the above qualified ————

294 M Bey (Fra) 72 72 74 76, A Sagar (Eng) 76 73 72 73, G Vicente Elena (Esp) 76 68 75 75,

295 A Sjöstrand (Swe) 70 74 75 76, T Rodrigues (am) (Por) 64 78 78 75,

296 S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 73 74 73 76, N Ledesma (Arg) 73 69 73 81, N Bermudo (Esp) 76 70 79 71, X Guzman (Esp) 73 72 76 75,

297 J Kennegard  (Swe) 72 78 71 76, L Johansen (Den) 74 78 72 73, 298 J Little  (Eng) 75 74 72 77, J Foret (Fra) 76 74 73 75, Fergal Rafferty (Irl) 73 76 76 73, D Noh (Esp) 75 69 75 79, J Chevallier (Fra) 76 72 72 78, S Wolters (Ger) 74 71 74 79,   Campbell (Eng) 73 77 76 72,

299 F Adarraga (Esp) 76 77 73 73, P Cassagne (Fra) 70 72 79 78, J Byrne  (Sco) 74 76 75 74, A Wilson (USA) 77 79 68 75, P Croonquist (am) (USA) 73 72 75 79,

300 O Fraustro  (Mex) 74 74 75 77, P Menjibar (Esp) 74 72 78 76, John Kelly (Irl) 70 75 81 74, J Gallegos (am) (Esp) 75 74 75 76,

301 C Perez Barberan (Esp) 73 73 80 75, N Floren (Swe) 75 74 77 75, J Mommo  (Fin) 75 70 76 80, F De Haas (Ned) 73 74 79 75, J San Felix (Esp) 77 75 73 76,

302 G Jackson (Eng) 78 69 77 78, T Murphy (USA) 75 74 75 78, C Balmaseda  (Esp) 74 72 77 79, A Hedlund (Swe) 73 77 73 79,

304 K Sullivan (Wal) 75 75 76 78, C Orozco (Esp) 74 74 78 78,

306 B Houle (Can) 76 74 75 81, P Rasmussen (am) (Den) 74 71 81 80,

Final Scores from Frilford Heath (27 Players Qualified on 296 +8)

279 D Whitnell  (Eng) 67 69 74 69,

281 M Lemesurier (Eng) 68 69 71 73,

283 T Hatton (Eng) 71 69 72 71,

284 E Pepperell (Eng) 73 69 77 65, T Adcock (am) (Eng) 75 72 73 64,

285 M Sell  (Eng) 70 74 71 70, R Karlberg  (Swe) 68 71 73 73,

287 S Hodgson (Eng) 73 69 72 73,

288 S Lilly (Eng) 71 71 74 72,

289 J Watts (Eng) 71 75 71 72, C Hinton (am) (Eng) 71 75 71 72,

291 L Burns (Eng) 75 77 72 67,

292 N Cheetham (Eng) 75 74 74 69, M Allen (Eng) 75 73 74 70,

293 G Woodman (Eng) 74 74 71 74, Mark Staunton (Irl) 72 68 74 79,

294 D Seymour (Eng) 76 72 72 74, David Higgins (Irl) 74 69 77 74, M Jager (Aus) 72 72 72 78,

295 J Evans (Eng) 76 72 76 71, N Jones (Ber) 73 74 75 73, L O’Neill (Eng) 72 74 76 73, B Stow(am) (Eng) 73 78 72 72,

296 S Matton (Eng) 71 75 73 77, R Harrison (Eng) 76 71 76 73, T Burden (Eng) 74 73 76 73, T King (am) (Eng) 71 79 74 72,

———the above players all qualified ———-

297 J Webber (Eng) 74 77 74 72, J Poulton (Eng) 75 72 74 76, M Smith (Eng) 76 72 76 73, R Kellett (am) (Sco) 75 73 74 75,

298 L Canter (Eng) 78 75 72 73, K Pratt (Aus) 72 79 74 73, K Crossland (Eng) 76 76 71 75, E Porter (Aus) 74 77 74 73,

299 T Denton (USA) 74 74 78 73, B Vongvanij (USA) 78 75 74 72, J Cunliffe (RSA) 70 76 79 74, P Woodbury (USA) 74 77 75 73, J Kavanagh (Eng) 72 74 76 77, L Noott (am) (Eng) 71 75 81 72,

300 T Vickers (Eng) 75 74 73 78, W Johnson (Eng) 72 77 76 75, R Tipping  (RSA) 74 77 77 72, M Mackman (Eng) 76 73 81 70, G Paterson (am) (Sco) 74 74 81 71,

301 S Fallon (Eng) 74 74 79 74, T Boys (Eng) 76 75 77 73, J Westwood (Eng) 72 78 74 77,

302 L Robinson (Eng) 70 80 77 75, N Howell (Eng) 76 74 73 79, J Feather (Eng) 78 74 74 76, I Brown (Eng) 73 78 79 72,

303 S McAnally (Eng) 74 78 75 76, J Horn  (Eng) 78 77 74 74, G Gancedo Onieva (Esp) 80 74 73 76, M Allen (am) (Eng) 75 72 78 78,

304 S McDonagh  (Eng) 74 76 77 77, D Thomas (Eng) 75 77 77 75, B O’Dell (Eng) 79 75 76 74, R Laino (Eng) 73 75 81 75, Dara Lernihan (Irl) 75 79 75 75,

305 J Banbury (Eng) 72 75 78 80, W Bennett (Eng) 73 75 76 81, D Griffiths  (Eng) 70 80 80 75, W Roebuck (Eng) 80 74 70 81,

306 F Jewsbury (Eng) 78 77 75 76, S Mitchell (Eng) 73 81 69 83, A Carson (Eng) 76 77 77 76, D Law (Sco) 77 72 79 78, A Mawji (Eng) 78 75 77 76, A Wootton  (Eng) 74 76 79 77,

307 M McCormack (Eng) 81 76 73 77,

309 D Thomas (Wal) 75 80 74 80,

** H Sayin (am) (Tur) 75 80 74 WD,