Kearney and Dunbar 14th in Catalunya
Antonio Hortal with the Challenge de Catalunya trophy
Niall Kearney slipped back into a share for 14th alongside Alan Dunbar after a closing 74 in the 54-hole Challenge de Catalunya in Tarragona.
A second round 65 propelled the Dubliner into contention, leaving him three shots off the lead and earning him a place in the final threeball at Lumine Golf and Beach Resort.
But he made six bogeys and just three birdies in a three over par final round to end up nine strokes adrift of Spain’s Antonio Hortal who closed with a three under par 68 to win by three shots from England’s Callum Shinkwin on 14 under par.
With the second day’s play effectively wiped out by strong winds, the tournament was cut to three rounds with the 25 year old Hortal laying the foundations for his first victory with a course-record equalling 63 on Saturday.
Hortal has struggled to find his feet on the Challenge Tour, making only two cuts last season with a previous high finish of joint 21st, but this victory in his first event of his 2014 campaign has immediately lifted him to third in the Challenge Tour Rankings with €25,600.
“It's feels great,” he said. “I had no category when I got here and now everything has changed.”
Dunbar shot a one over par 72 to share 14th with Kearney on five under. Both earned €2,320 to share 59th spot in the Challenge Tour Rankings.
The next event on the Challenge Tour is the dual ranking Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI in a fortnight.
Madeira based Dara Ford, Peter Lawrie, Kevin Phelan, David Higgins, Ruaidhri McGee and Gareth Shaw are all certain to start with Dunbar and Kearney well down the reserve list.
On the PGA Europro Tour, Stephen Grant, Richard Kilpatrick, Matt McAlpin, Mark Murphy, David Rawluk, Tim Rice, Brian Sweeney and Richard Weldon have entered the Eagle Orchid Scottish Masters, which begins at Montrose Golf Links on Tuesday.
Challenge de Catalunya — Final scores (Par 71)
199 A Hortal (Esp) 68 63 68,
202 C Shinkwin (Eng) 66 68 68,
204 C Arendell (USA) 65 67 72, A Johnston (Eng) 68 69 67,
205 J Lando Casanova (Fra) 66 68 71, M Ford (Eng) 68 70 67, C Bouniol (Fra) 66 68 71,
206 J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 70 68 68, A Marshall (Eng) 68 69 69, S Wakefield (Eng) 67 70 69, B An (Kor) 67 68 71,
207 L Gagli (Ita) 68 67 72, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 68 69 70,
208 A Dunbar (Nir) 66 70 72, D Brooks (Eng) 69 69 70, N Kearney (Irl) 69 65 74, J Bragulat (Esp) 68 69 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 70 68 70, J Gonnet (Fra) 70 67 71,
209 W Besseling (Ned) 68 73 68, J Sarasti (Esp) 69 69 71, B Evans (Eng) 68 71 70, A Saddier (Fra) 64 70 75, L Jensen (Den) 68 67 74, N Kimsey (Eng) 69 66 74, J Sjöholm (Swe) 67 72 70, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 70 70 69, J Barnes (Eng) 71 70 68,
210 D Kemmer (USA) 70 71 69, N Ravano (Ita) 67 72 71, R Davies (Wal) 70 70 70, L Nemecz (Aut) 68 69 73,
211 C Mivis (Bel) 68 69 74, P Figueiredo (Por) 69 69 73, S Arnold (Aus) 68 71 72, P Archer (Eng) 70 66 75, J Mikkelsen (Nor) 63 76 72, J Doherty (Sco) 70 69 72, D Gaunt (Eng) 69 70 72, R Kind (Ned) 65 72 74,
212 E Johansen (Nor) 67 72 73, D Law (Sco) 71 70 71, E Espana (Fra) 66 71 75, A Tadini (Ita) 68 73 71, M Lafeber (Ned) 66 72 74, T Van Der Walt (RSA) 71 70 71,
213 O Wilson (Eng) 72 67 74, J Dantorp (Swe) 68 71 74, P Edberg (Swe) 68 71 74, B Hebert (Fra) 68 72 73,
214 J Palmer (Eng) 74 67 73, S Henry (Sco) 69 71 74, C Aguilar (Esp) 70 71 73, P Maddy (Eng) 69 71 74, B Åkesson (Swe) 67 73 74, J Pastor (Esp) 66 72 76, S Hutsby (Eng) 72 69 73, J Lagergren (Swe) 69 71 74,
215 C Lloyd (Eng) 68 72 75,
216 P Widegren (Swe) 67 74 75, C Macaulay (Sco) 71 69 76,
217 P Oriol (Esp) 68 72 77, K Benz (Sui) 68 73 76, N Lemke (Swe) 67 73 77,
221 S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 70 71 80.
