With his tour dream in tatters, Chris Devlin blasts a perfect drive down the ninth, his final hole, on the Stadium Course at PGA Catalunya Resort in the fourth round of the European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage.The list of illustrious casualties was of no comfort to Ballymena’s Chris Devlin as he limped away from the European Tour Qualifying School facing an uncertain future following the devastating quadruple bogey eight that wrecked his tour dream.

It mattered little to him that Waterville’s David Higgins shot a two over 74 on the Stadium Course to qualify with ease in 19th place on five under par and is now just two rounds away from securing one of 25 cards after a cold, wet and miserable day at PGA Catalunya Resort near Girona.

The Ulsterman could care less that tour winners such as Welshmen Rhys Davies and Bradley Dredge missed the four-round cut for the top 70 and ties by two strokes or that former Ryder Cup players Paul Broadhurst and Jarmo Sandelin finished miles off the pace, though ahead of Nick Dougherty.

He hadn’t even noticed that former stars such as Pablo Martin and Anton Haig withdrew before the fourth round so hopeless was their position.

Devlin was two under par for his round with six holes to play when he played safely to the centre of the water-protected fourth green, stooped to replace his divot and looked up to see his seven iron hit the front of the water-protected green and spin back into the pond.

“It hit me hard because I hadn’t made any mistakes. I hit the ball well, had chances for birdies and I wasn’t making much. Hit it to three feet on 17 after making a good par on 16, then driver three wood to 18 good par. Birdied the first, four feet. I am going so well. Parred the third. We’ll just play a seven into the middle of the green on four, I said to my caddie after hitting the drive over the hill - I don’t think I missed a fairway today.

“When I hit it, I went to get my divot. Wasn’t even looking at it. It much have caught a gust of wind, hit the front of the green and spun back into the water. It was just sat there and you think, it’s got to come out and I’ll make five at worst. Looking back, I should have gone back. My ball just popped straight up in the air and another ball under it shot forward. Then it was sitting in a similar spot again.

“I had to get in the water this time, but I didn’t have a stance. It just popped up and rolled back in. Then I had a massive swing at it and went on the downslope of the back bunker where it was impossible to get it get it up and down.”

Shellshocked and now five over for the tournament, he bogeyed the next two holes and eventually parred home for a 76 that left him five strokes outside the two over cut and wondering where he will play next year.

“I am gutted,” Devlin said. “I have never had such a bad break in my life. My brain was fried after that. It is just right back to square one again. It hurts right now and it’s going to be tough to take for a while.

“I will try and get over it and find something better to play. My schedule was messed up this year. I got one start on the Challenge Tour after writing letters all year long to Alain de Soultrait.

“An Irish event next year would help a lot. The National Pro Tour? I am still waiting to get paid for the events they cancelled not to mention money they owed me from events I played earlier in the season. It all goes back to seeing if I can get help from Team Ireland again next year too.

“They were a massive help this year and it wouldn’t have been possible to get this far without their help. Making the cut today would have helped a lot because that money helped me play this year. I’ll apply again and see what happens.”

Higgins was the only Irishman to make the final two rounds on the Stadium Course, carding a two over par 74 on a track sodden by overnight rain and slipping eight places to 19th on five under par but still inside the crucial top 25 and ties.

The course played long for Higgins, who hits the ball low and gets no run. But he’s pleased with the way he’s playing.

So too are Argentina’s Estanislao Goya and England’s Andy Sullivan, who are a shot clear on 12 under par. But the 39-year old from Waterville knows he is close to winning back his card.

“I’ve a chance now,” Higgins said after making four bogeys and two birdies. “If I shoot two good rounds, I will get a card. It would be fantastic but you can’t even go there.

“There are two tough rounds ahead and if I make it, fine, if I don’t, I don’t. Life goes on.”

Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney and Royal County Down’s Simon Thornton also missed the cut after poor finishes on the Tour Course.

Kearney was just a shot outside the cut mark with five to play but bogeyed the 14th and 15th  to leave himself needing birdies at the last three holes to get through. He got one at the 16th, left his birdie putt on the lip on the 17th and then saw his approach to the parfive 18th sail right, hit a cart path and go out of biund. A six there meant a level par 70 and he had missed the cut by three shots.

With little prospect of starts on the Challenge Tour, his thoughts now to the Asian Tour Q-School in January. If he doesn’t go there, he believes he’ll find “somewhere”. Anywhere.

“Disappointed,” Kearney said as he loped away from the scorer’s hut. “It was a struggle all week. Poor golf and poor putting.  I have work to do. I will have a worse Challenge Tour category next year than I did this year and I only played six times. I will have a look at going somewhere else, maybe the Asian Tour. The Q-School for that is in January. We’ll sit down and look at things.”

Thornton needed two birdies in his last four but went left into a hazard with his approach to the 15th and double bogeyed there to miss out by four shots after a poor week on the greens.

Unenthusiastic about playing on the Challenge Tour next year, Thornton said: “Nothing was happening at all. I was hitting it lovely from fairway to green but couldn’t get the ball in the hole. We’ll see about next year.

“I might play Challenge Tour, I might not. It’s not that I don’t fancy it but if I am hitting it like this and not getting the ball in the hole, what’s the point. When you have played on the European Tour all you want to do is play on the European Tour. You don’t want to play anywhere else. I have options at home. I am in no rush to make a decision.”

Lurgan’s Gareth Shaw, 137th on 12 over after a closing 68, is certain to play on the second tier circuit after winning the Alps Tour this year. Out in four under 31 on the back nine, he was six under after birdies at the first and second but bogeyed the fourth and fifth and doubled par-three eighth.

Douglas’ Peter O’Keeffe, who finished 140th on 14 over after a 75, many have to combine the PGA Irish Region with a couple of Challenge Tour starts.

“It was a tough week,” said O’Keeffe, who still has two years of his PGA training to complete at Muskerry. “I’m disappointed to be honest. The first day left me with a lot to do. I was just a bit wild this week. I have been quite steady through the first two stages but you can’t be wild out there or you will just drop shots.

“Lost ball on the last and finished with a double. It wasn’t that bad a shot actually but that’s the way it goes. I know what I need to work on after this week - strengthen by wedge game, tighten up my swing.

“Mentally I am fine. I don’t get excited either way. I do the hard things well and I have belief in myself. I will do the hard work over the winter and see what happens. The Irish Region has been great for me so we’ll see what we can play in next year.”

Korea’s Sihwan Kim provided a good news story as he made five birdies and an eagle two in a seven under 63 on the Tour Course that catapulted him from 124th to 56th and into the last two rounds on the Stadium Course.

England’s Andy Sullivan is tied for the lead with two rounds to go at PGA Catalunya Resort. ©Getty ImagesCo-leader Goya struggled to a one over par 73 on the Stadium Course, opening the door for Sullivan, who was third here last year, to share the lead thanks to a three under par 69.

German amateur Moritz Lampert, Frenchman Anthony Snobeck, Finn Mikko Korhonen and Englishmen Richard McEvoy and John Parry made up the chasing pack at 11 under, with Parry carding the joint-lowest round of the day on the Stadium Course, a sparkling five under par 67.

A 40-foot eagle putt at the par five 15th was the highlight of Sullivan’s round, which also featured two birdies and one bogey, and the 25 year old is hopeful of returning to The European Tour, having finished 145th in The Race to Dubai in his rookie campaign this year.

“I played very steadily today, and it’s always nice to see 40-feet putts roll in,” said Sullivan. “I’m in a good position for the rest of the week and hopefully I can build on it. It’s always nice to come back to a place where you’ve done well before, even if it’s not the ideal situation to be back here.

“I learned a lot last season. I don’t think I did a lot wrong, it was just a big learning curve for me. I learned a lot about myself and my golf game, so if I get my card back I’ll be doing pretty much the same things again but this time I’ll have a lot more knowledge and confidence.”

Goya said: “Of course I want to win any tournament, even if this week is mostly about qualification. Winning is always the ultimate priority and I’m doing everything I can to be on top.”

European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage

PGA Catalunya Resort, Girona - Stadium Course Par 72, Tour Course Par 70

After 72 holes (of 108)

Qualifiers

272 E Goya (Arg) 64 71 64 73; A Sullivan (Eng) 71 67 65 69;

273 J Parry (Eng) 71 71 64 67; R McEvoy (Eng) 67 72 64 70; M Korhonen (Fin) 74 62 66 71; A Snobeck (Fra) 69 67 68 69; M Lampert (am) (Ger) 70 67 65 71;

274 M Lundberg (Swe) 68 68 65 73; J Lagergren (Swe) 71 66 67 70;

275 M Southgate (Eng) 72 70 65 68; M Nixon (Eng) 68 72 67 68; B Åkesson (Swe) 70 72 66 67;

278 G Murray (Sco) 66 71 70 71; G Orr (Sco) 67 69 68 74; P Erofejeff (Fin) 72 67 66 73; A Levy (Fra) 68 72 71 67; M Madsen (Den) 78 66 64 70; E De La Riva (Esp) 70 70 65 73;

279 M Jonzon (Swe) 74 69 66 70; S Arnold (Aus) 67 73 67 72; David Higgins (Ireland) 73 64 68 74; D Gaunt (Aus) 74 68 68 69; O Floren (Swe) 71 66 70 72;

280 D Im (USA) 72 66 70 72; M Delpodio (Ita) 67 69 65 79; T Remkes (Ned) 71 72 68 69;

281 J Lima (Por) 76 67 64 74; M Glauert (Ger) 73 70 64 74; C Del Moral (Esp) 70 71 68 72; A Domingo (Esp) 70 70 69 72; P Hedblom (Swe) 70 69 66 76;

282 J Glennemo (Swe) 72 69 68 73; S Little (Eng) 70 68 67 77; S Benson (Eng) 75 70 67 70; M Sell (Eng) 74 67 68 73; C Macaulay (Sco) 71 71 66 74; T Van Der Walt (RSA) 71 69 70 72; B An (Kor) 69 72 66 75;

283 S Dodd (Wal) 77 70 68 68; L Jensen (Den) 70 74 65 74; O Bekker (RSA) 73 72 71 67; A Forsyth (Sco) 75 65 68 75; H Bacher (Aut) 74 68 66 75; T Murray (Eng) 68 72 70 73; A McArthur (Sco) 80 67 71 65; M Brier (Aut) 71 69 73 70;

284 D Vancsik (Arg) 75 68 68 73; D Griffiths (Eng) 67 72 70 75; R McGowan (Eng) 77 71 70 66; J Huldahl (Den) 76 70 72 66; W Besseling (Ned) 69 73 70 72; C Brazillier (Fra) 69 74 66 75; S Norris (RSA) 68 72 71 73; J Hugo (RSA) 71 72 64 77; F Calmels (Fra) 72 72 65 75;

285 C Lloyd (Eng) 73 69 68 75; N Ravano (Ita) 74 70 69 72; D Kemmer (USA) 79 66 74 66; S Kim (Kor) 78 67 77 63; S Hutsby (Eng) 74 68 73 70; J Barnes (Eng) 77 69 74 65; T Haylock (Eng) 74 72 71 68; T Fisher Jnr (RSA) 69 71 71 74; D Dixon (Eng) 72 74 73 66; Å Nilsson (Swe) 74 69 68 74; C Kim (USA) 73 66 69 77; O Wilson (Eng) 75 68 72 70;

286 A Marshall (Eng) 75 67 67 77; T Pilkadaris (Aus) 75 73 71 67; J Timmis (Eng) 74 69 66 77; J Howarth (Eng) 75 67 69 75; G Boyd (Eng) 76 70 73 67; J Ruth (Eng) 70 71 69 76;

NON-QUALIFIERS

287 D Perrier (Fra) 73 71 69 74; C Monasterio (Arg) 72 72 71 72; S Drummond (Sco) 76 68 70 73; B Henson (USA) 76 68 72 71; B Koepka (USA) 73 71 73 70; G Clark (Eng) 78 67 70 72;

288 M Crespi (Ita) 72 68 71 77; N Floren (Swe) 80 67 71 70; R Davies (Wal) 68 74 68 78; J Watts (Eng) 77 68 75 68; R Kakko (Fin) 74 70 76 68; D Frittelli (RSA) 76 70 74 68; P Edberg (Swe) 72 75 71 70; S Tiley (Eng) 77 67 69 75; M Zions (Aus) 74 73 74 67; D Huizing (Ned) 70 81 69 68; B Ritthammer (Ger) 69 71 70 78; B Dredge (Wal) 70 75 72 71;

289 S Whiffin (Eng) 75 70 69 75; K Pratt (Aus) 72 75 73 69; Niall Kearney (Ireland) 73 72 74 70; D Brooks (Eng) 71 74 71 73; G Cambis (Fra) 73 78 68 70; J McLeary (Sco) 69 72 69 79; M Haastrup (Den) 72 75 72 70;

290 W Bennett (Eng) 77 67 70 76; Simon Thornton (Ireland) 71 75 72 72; S Jeppesen (Swe) 78 71 71 70; R Russell (Sco) 73 72 75 70; A Hansen (Den) 71 74 75 70; M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 74 74 75 67; L Bond (Wal) 76 69 74 71; W Booth (Sco) 77 71 73 69; F Bergamaschi (Ita) 76 68 70 76;

291 P Broadhurst (Eng) 74 74 73 70; S Strange (Aus) 75 67 66 83; R Hjelm (Den) 77 71 72 71; G Stal (Fra) 81 70 73 67; R Karlberg (Swe) 75 73 72 71; Chris Devlin (N Ireland) 71 73 71 76; A Otaegui (Esp) 77 70 73 71; A Johnansson (Swe) 76 67 68 80; L Goddard (Eng) 72 71 70 78; M Siddikur (Ban) 75 73 73 70; J Jeong (Kor) 80 66 80 65; K Borsheim (Nor) 78 71 73 69;

292 P Uihlein (USA) 75 77 70 70; P Maddy (Eng) 78 72 72 70; J Sandelin (Swe) 75 72 76 69;

293 K Ferrie (Eng) 80 71 72 70; S Walker (Eng) 74 73 78 68; C Aguilar (Esp) 77 71 77 68; T Sluiter (Ned) 81 68 74 70; Z Scotland (Eng) 76 72 72 73; C Suneson (Esp) 74 75 72 72; J Harding (RSA) 74 74 74 71; L Kennedy (Eng) 73 71 74 75; A Saddier (am) (Fra) 80 65 77 71;

294 J Bäckström (Swe) 77 72 73 72; A Rota (Ita) 74 69 73 78; I Pyman (Eng) 76 71 79 68;

295 N Schietekat (RSA) 70 75 78 72; S Hong (Kor) 71 74 73 77;

296 Gareth Shaw (N Ireland) 81 73 74 68; M Grönberg (Swe) 75 75 78 68;

297 M Tunnicliff (Eng) 74 72 77 74;

298 S Fallon (Eng) 73 72 78 75; Peter O’Keeffe (Ireland) 81 65 77 75; O Lieser (Cze) 74 70 72 82; R Blizard (Aus) 75 69 76 78;

299 J Lerchedahl (Den) 76 75 75 73; J Grillon (Fra) 72 77 77 73;

300 P Archer (Eng) 80 72 75 73;

301 J Scrivener (Aus) 77 69 75 80; O Rozner (am) (Fra) 74 76 81 70;

302 S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 73 70 75 84;

303 O Henningsson (Swe) 79 74 74 76;

304 C Aronsen (Nor) 74 80 76 74; D Wuensche (Ger) 86 76 74 68; N Dougherty (Eng) 80 73 77 74;

307 J Gallegos (am) (Esp) 80 76 73 78;

Withdrew: A Haig (RSA) 76 72 82 WD; P Martin (Esp) 81 69 77 WD.