James Sugrue, Michael Young and Simon Bryan are all inside the crucial top 35 and ties after the opening round of the 54-hole Alps Tour Qualifying School near Rome.

All three opened with one-over-par rounds of 73 to share 32nd place, seven strokes behind French amateur Oihan Guillamoundeguy.

Scores

Sugrue made five birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey at Terre dei Consoli where Young made two birdies and three bogeys.

Bryan was in action at Golf Nazionale and while he was three-under through five after following a birdie at the 13th with an eagle three at the 14th, but he then made five bogeys and just one birdie in his last 11 holes.

Kilkenny’s Luke Donnelly made a birdie and three bogeys in a two-over 74 at Terre dei Consoli to share 50th place with amateur Marc Boucher tied 87th after making two birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey in a four-over 76 at Golf Nazionale.

Conor Coyne is tied 119th after a six-over 78 at Terre dei Consoli where Robin Dawson shot 79 to lie joint 127th in the 144-man field.

Dawson made two birdies, including a two at the last, as well as five bogeys and two double-bogeys.

Guillamoundeguy leads by a shot from Italy’s Alessandro Notaro, Spanish amateur Jose Manuel Pardo Benitez and and Martin Couvra from France.

The field will play one round each at Golf Nazionale and Terre dei Consoli Golf Clubs with the leading 65 players and ties after 36 holes playing one further round at Golf Nazionale.

After 54 holes, the leading 35 players and ties will be ranked according to score. 

Players holding these positions will be eligible for membership in Category 6 of the Alps Tour for the 2022 season.

Players making the cut of the Final Qualifying Stage and finishing between the 36th and the 65th position will be eligible for membership in Category 8 of the Alps Tour for the 2022 season.

Players between the 66th and the 144th position will be eligible for membership in Category 9. 

Players in categories 8 and 9 will be subject to the 2022 re-rank policy adopted by the Alps Tour Committee.

See all Alps Tour Q-School regulations.