Team Ireland’s Cormac Sharvin. Picture: Getty Images

Ardglass' Cormac Sharvin and Tramore's Robin Dawson hit the birdie trail to keep their hopes alive at the gruelling Final Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School in Spain.

Mount Juliet's Gavin Moynihan posted a one-under 71 on the Hills Course at Lumine Golf Club in Tarragona in share 19th on 10-under and sit just inside the top 25 and ties that will be award European Tour cards after six rounds.

But Dawson shot a bogey-free, three-under 68 and Sharvin made seven birdies a five-under 66 on the Lakes Course to share 76th on four-under par and lie just one shot outside the top 70 and ties who will make the cut after today's fourth round.

"Another good day at the office,” Dawson said after making three birdies in four holes at the start of his back nine. "I played really nicely. It was up there with one of the best ball-striking rounds I’ve had.

"I just need a few more putts to drop and I think there will be a low one. I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

All those who make the cut are guaranteed Challenge Tour cards before going on to play two more rounds in the six-round battle to finish in the top 25 and ties.

Still battling stiffness after suffering a back injury last Friday, Moynihan (24) made an eagle two, two birdies, one bogey and a double bogey in his 71 to keep his bid on track.

"I'm still a bit stiff, but I'm getting through it," said Moynihan, who started on the 10th and holed a 25-foot putt for an eagle two at the 307-yard 12th.

He immediately double-bogeyed the 13th and bogeyed the 15th to slip to one-over for the day, but steadied the ship in swirling winds and birdied the 16th and 17th before finishing with ten straight pars.

Tramore’s Robin Dawson. Picture by Pat Cashman

"I left a few putts out there on my back nine but I made a few nice up and downs too," said Moynihan. "It was a tougher day on the Hills Course today.”

He's eight strokes behind England's Daniel Gavins, who shot a six-under-par 66 on the Hills Course to lead by two strokes on 18-under par from Germany's Christian Braeunig, overnight leader David Borda of Spain and France's Clément Sordet, who shot a nine-under 63 yesterday.

Germany's Marcel Siem shot an eight under 64 at the Hills to move up to sixth on 13-under while a former Amateur champion, England's Scott Gregory, equalled the low round of the week with a stunning nine under par 62 on the Lakes Course to move up to tied ninth.

During another day of exceptional scoring at Lumine Golf Club it was Gavins who rose highest, carding two eagles and four birdies for his third consecutive round in the 60s and an 18 under par total.

The Englishman, who successfully navigated his way through all three stages of Q-School in 2015, was happy with his three days’ work but admits he can’t get complacent with 54 holes left of an event where the top 25 and ties earn European Tour cards at the end of the week.

“I’m very pleased,” said the 27 year old, who competed on the Hills Course today. “It was a tough day, so it was just a case of staying patient and attack when I need to.

“I’m playing pretty consistently at the minute, have holed some putts and I have just got to keep going and scoring well.

“The two eagles were the highlight from today – especially when I holed a bunker shot on the 11th.

“It’s been pretty good so far. I’ve played on the EuroPro Tour this year and have been pretty consistent on there but didn’t hole a great deal of putts so it was nice to come and hole a few so far this week.

“It’s been a tough few years since playing on the European Tour in 2016, so it would be nice and it would mean a lot to get back there.”

Two shots back from Gavins are a group of three players including Spain’s David Borda, Germany’s Christian Braeunig and France’s Clément Sordet.

Of that trio it was Sordet who made the biggest move in Tarragona after a sublime nine under par score of 63 at the Hills Course – the lowest round on that course so far in this year’s Final Stage.

“I played really well,” said Sordet, who graduated to the European Tour via the Challenge Tour in 2017.

“I started with two lip-outs and then managed to make a lot of birdies and holed a wedge shot on the sixth and was six under through eight. Then on the back nine I missed a short putt for par on 12, but managed to stay focused and then finished really well.

“We’re only halfway through and nothing is done, so I’m just going to take it one shot at a time and then we’ll see at the end.”

Also impressing on Day Three in southern Spain was former Amateur Champion Scott Gregory and European Tour winners Marcel Siem and Alejandro Cañizares.

England’s Gregory equaled the low round of the week with a stunning nine under par 62 on the Lakes Course, while Germany’s Siem and Spain’s Cañizares – who have both triumphed multiple times on Europe’s top tier – both recorded eight under par scores to move into the top ten.

Following the conclusion of tomorrow’s fourth round the 156-player field will be reduced to the top 70 and ties, who will then battle it out for a place in the top 25 which will see them earn a European Tour card.

European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage

Lumine Golf Club, Tarragona (Hills Course Par 72; Lakes Course, Par 71)

197 D Gavins (Eng) 62 69 66;

199 C Sordet (Fra) 70 66 63; C Braeunig (Ger) 67 65 67; D Borda (Esp) 65 62 72;

200 A Cañizares (Esp) 65 71 64;

202 Z Lombard (RSA) 64 68 70; M Siem (Ger) 68 70 64; S Gregory (Eng) 69 71 62; A Karlsson (Swe) 67 64 71;

203 M Schmitt (Ger) 62 71 70; I Cantero Gutierrez (Esp) 65 68 70; N Lemke (Swe) 68 64 71; A Knappe (Ger) 68 66 69; J Winther (Den) 65 70 68;

204 B Ritthammer (Ger) 65 70 69; J Geary (Nzl) 66 69 69; C Hanson (Eng) 64 70 70; K Reitan (am) (Nor) 63 70 71;

205 C Gloet (Den) 66 71 68; Gavin Moynihan (Irl) 68 66 71; F Bergamaschi (Ita) 67 69 69; N Cullen (Aus) 70 64 71; H Leon (Chi) 71 67 67; A Wejshag (Swe) 69 67 69; M Fenasse (Fra) 66 67 72; B Henson (USA) 67 66 72; R Langasque (Fra) 70 65 70; M Kawamura (Jpn) 67 68 70; K Kitayama (USA) 70 65 70;

---Top 25 and ties---

206 R De Sousa (Sui) 68 70 68; B Evans (Eng) 68 67 71; D Cooke (USA) 67 66 73; D Lawson (Aus) 65 70 71; D Boote (Wal) 70 67 69; K Johannessen (Nor) 69 67 70; J Dean (Eng) 71 68 67;

207 M Schneider (Ger) 68 71 68; A Hansen (Den) 73 66 68; G Havret (Fra) 67 68 72; G Migliozzi (Ita) 70 65 72; H Sturehed (Swe) 67 68 72; U Coussaud (Fra) 69 72 66; S Gros (Fra) 68 67 72; M Calderon (Chi) 69 71 67; E Johansen (Nor) 70 74 63; E De La Riva (Esp) 69 71 67;

208 H Joannes (Bel) 73 66 69; D Huizing (Ned) 70 70 68; P Maddy (Eng) 69 68 71; C Syme (Sco) 66 72 70; M Warren (Sco) 68 67 73; S Fernandez (Esp) 70 69 69; L De Jager (RSA) 71 66 71; M Kim (Kor) 66 72 70; J Abbott (Eng) 68 64 76;

209 M Iten (Sui) 71 71 67; E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) 69 70 70; G Bourdy (Fra) 70 73 66; P Angles (Esp) 66 71 72; C Ross (Sco) 67 71 71; B Easton (RSA) 66 73 70; R Enoch (Wal) 66 70 73; D Whitnell (Eng) 68 70 71; J Thomson (Eng) 71 69 69; P Langfors (Swe) 70 72 67; S Forsström (Swe) 69 73 67;

---Top 70 and ties---

210 J Lima (Por) 68 70 72; W Enefer (Eng) 70 69 71; N McCarthy (Eng) 68 68 74; C Blomstrand (Swe) 66 70 74; Cormac Sharvin (Nir) 71 73 66; L Jensen (Den) 67 73 70; M Ford (Eng) 67 71 72; R Bland (Eng) 68 70 72; Robin Dawson (Irl) 72 70 68; T Hunt (Wal) 69 68 73; A Olsen (Nor) 66 69 75; N Tinning (Den) 65 70 75; D Stewart (Sco) 72 69 69; A Rozner (Fra) 68 70 72; S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 66 74 70;

211 S Heisele (Ger) 70 70 71; J Choi (Kor) 65 74 72; C Berardo (Fra) 70 69 72; J Senior (Eng) 68 69 74; P Peterson (USA) 65 74 72; G King (Eng) 68 72 71; O Lengden (Swe) 72 72 67; J Ruth (Eng) 68 74 69; S Webster (Eng) 69 72 70; M Simonsen (Den) 74 65 72; J Ritchie (RSA) 71 71 69; R Evans (Eng) 67 71 73; A John (am) (Ger) 68 68 75;

212 J Brun (Fra) 69 68 75; F Aguilar (Chi) 72 71 69; B Hafthorsson (Isl) 67 69 76; T Tree (Eng) 74 70 68; A Meronk (Pol) 69 72 71; R McGowan (Eng) 68 71 73; E Holmes (Can) 70 68 74; P Edberg (Swe) 70 71 71; C Hill (Sco) 75 68 69; B Hutchinson (am) (Eng) 75 68 69;

213 J Heath (Eng) 70 71 72; O Farr (Wal) 74 68 71; T Fisher Jnr (RSA) 76 70 67; A Connelly (Can) 71 71 71; R Green (Aus) 74 71 68; P Mejow (Ger) 73 70 70; D Perrier (Fra) 71 69 73; C Shinkwin (Eng) 69 68 76; R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 69 68 76; J Zunic (Aus) 71 71 71; J Lando Casanova (Fra) 72 69 72; A Cockerill (Can) 73 70 70; C Robb (Sco) 74 68 71; L Canter (Eng) 69 72 72; A Willey (Eng) 67 75 71; A Wilson (Eng) 69 69 75;

214 J Ross (Sco) 68 72 74; E Ferguson (Sco) 71 72 71; G Stal (Fra) 67 70 77; J McDonald (Sco) 72 69 73; O Wilson (Eng) 71 68 75; M Manassero (Ita) 70 68 76; A Daydou (Fra) 68 71 75;

215 J Parry (Eng) 69 70 76; R Jouven (Fra) 74 71 70; S Dyson (Eng) 68 72 75; O Lindell (Fin) 69 69 77;

216 R Finch (Eng) 73 71 72; A Saddier (Fra) 66 75 75; C Lloyd (Eng) 69 71 76; O Bekker (RSA) 73 68 75;

217 T Cruz (Por) 70 74 73; J Catlin (USA) 69 75 73; J Strydom (RSA) 75 67 75;

218 N Geyger (Chi) 75 72 71; R Saxton (Ned) 72 73 73; S Kim (USA) 73 65 80; M Nixon (Eng) 71 70 77;

219 S Tarrio Ben (Esp) 77 69 73; M Laskey (Wal) 77 70 72;

220 C Pigem (Esp) 72 78 70; D Young (Sco) 71 76 73; J Stalter (Fra) 75 71 74; F Dreier (Den) 76 71 73;

221 B Virto (Esp) 72 74 75; S Henry (Sco) 74 72 75; J Fernandez-Valdes (Arg) 77 69 75; D Im (USA) 71 72 78;

224 J Carlota (Por) 73 76 75;

225 R Cho (Kor) 76 72 77;

WD B Eccles (Aus) 75 81 WD;

DQ T Murray (Eng) 66 DQ 0