Former Walker Cup player Jonny Caldwell leads the Irish challenge into the final round of the First Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School in Scotland with rookie pro Gary Hurley a shot outside the mark.

The Top 18 and ties at the Roxburghe will progress to the Second Stage in Spain and 2007 Walker Cup man Caldwell is one of six Irish players inside that mark, tied for fifth on eight under 208 after third round 68.

Alan Dunbar, a Walker Cup winner in 2011, is tied eighth on five under after a 73 with Banbridge's Richard Kilpatrick (68), Headfort's Rory McNamara (70) tied 11th on four under.

Warrenpoint amateur Colm Campbell (70) is also inside the mark on three under with another Headfort man in Brian Casey, right on the mark at two under after a 69.

West Waterford star Hurley, who turned professional after last weekend's Walker Cup, shot a second successive 72 to share 21st on one under.

The rest of the Irish missed the 54-hole cut with amateur Dermot McElroy (223), Richard Bridges (223), Richard O'Donovan (224) and Simon Ward (230).

At Fleesensee in Germany, Mount Juliet's Stephen Grant shot a one under 71 and at two over he's five shots outside the Top 23 and ties who will progress on Friday.

SEP 15-18  FIRST QUALIFYING STAGE SECTION A THE ROXBURGHE HOTEL & GOLF COURSE, KELSO, UK

T5 CALDWELL, Jonathan  71 69 68 208
T8 DUNBAR, Alan  69 69 73 211
T11 KILPATRICK, Richard  73 71 68 212
T11 MCNAMARA, Rory 70 72 70 212
T14 CAMPBELL JNR (AM), Colm  71 72 70 213
T16 CASEY, Brian 75 70 69 214

----Card cut off Top 18 and ties (214)

T21 HURLEY, Gary 71 72 72 215

CUT

T50 MCELROY (AM), Dermot 74 78 71 223
T50 BRIDGES, Richard 74 75 74 223
T55 O’DONOVAN, Richard 72 75 77 224
T69 WARD, Simon 77 79 74 230

Web.com Tour — West Waterford's Seamus Power is inching closer to winning his PGA Tour card. 

In the Small Business Connection Championship at River Run in North Carolina, the second of four play off events to decide who wins the last 25 of 50 PGA Tour cards awarded via the second tier circuit, Power opened with a three under 69 at River Run Country Club in Davidson.

He's tied for 18th, six shots behind leader Brett Stegmaier, who shot 63 to lead by two from Zack Fischer. Scores

After round one, Power was projected to rise from 36th to 30th place in the rankings with the top 25 earning PGA Tour cards for the 2015-16 season.