Casey cruises through Q-School but no luck for McElroy, Dillon or Campbell

Brian Casey

Headfort's Brian Casey brilliantly qualified for November's Second Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School but there was bitter disappointment for Ballymena's Dermot McElroy and the rest of the Irish at Collingtreee Park.

With only the top 23 and ties progressing from the First Stage Section B event at the  Northampton venue, Casey closed with a five under par 67 to make it with five shots to spare in joint fourth on 10 under par.

But there was agony for McElroy as he dropped shots at the 13th and 15th to miss out by one stroke on four under after a closing 72 while Headfort's Joe Dillon and Warrenpoint's Colm Campbell Jnr  both shot 75s to miss by eight and nine shots respectively.

Exactly 27 players qualified on five under 283 with Casey making three early birdies and then following bogeys at the eighth and ninth to finish with four birdies in his last five holes.

He ended the week just four shots behind England's Simon Griffiths, who shot 69 to win by two strokes on 14 under from compatriot David Coupland with Alex Belt, another Englishman, third on 11 under.

• First Qualifying Stage Section B Collingtree Park, Northampton
• First Qualifying Stage Section B Ebreichsdorf, Austria

McElroy birdied the third and 12th to be a shot inside the eventual mark coming down the stretch before those costly late bogeys.

Exactly 26 players made it on nine under or better at Ebreichsdorf in Austria with Scotland's Bradley Neil (68 68 68 66) winning by two strokes on 18 under.