West Waterford's Gary Hurley was pleased to stay "in the saddle" despite not having his best stuff and card a two-under 70 that leaves him tied sixth at halfway in the race to make the top 25 and ties at the DP World Tour Qualifying School Final Stage in Spain.

Hurley turned in one-under par on the back nine at the Hills Course, and while he was disappointed to follow birdies at the seventh and eighth, his 16th and 17th, with a closing bogey, he was pleased to remain upbeat when things weren't going his way.

"It's a good score," said Hurley, who is just five strokes behind leader Simon Forsstrom on 10-under par at Infinitum in Tarragona.

'To be honest, I really struggled with my game today, but I just stayed in the saddle and I just kept fighting one shot at a time.

"I played quite nicely coming in there for the last few holes but unfortunately bogeyed the last, but that's golf. I'm happy with my application today, given the game I had with me today."

Hurley has worked hard on his mental game with Dr Edward Coughlan for the past three years and admitted that saved him in round three.

"My previous self, you could say would have struggled, and I don't think I would have shot two under," Hurley said. "So it's just staying in it. Making peace with the shots, sticking to the process, being accountable to the process is probably the biggest thing and not accountable to where the ball is going.

"I struggled today with my swing and I didn't really get upset at all. It just is. It was what it was and whatever my best is on any day is enough. The score isn't really a reflection on how I'm operating right now."

It was a tougher day for Kinsale's John Murphy, who struggled on the greens at the tight Hills Course and shot a one-over 73 that leaves him tied 37th on five-under, two strokes outside the magical top 25 and ties who will be awarded cards after six rounds.

"To be honest, I never got the hang of the greens open up on the Hills Course," Murphy said after mixing two birdies with one bogey and a double-bogey six at his fourth hole. "So I'm looking forward to going down and rolling a few at the other place and getting ready for tomorrow. I think they react a bit differently as well, coming into the green. So I'll hit a few chips, hit a few putts and just get ready to go again.

Looking forward to three more rounds on the more open Lakes Course, where he hopes to hit driver as often as possible, he knows he needs to make birdies.

"I'm not chasing, but there's a long way to go now," he said. "I know I need a few low ones if I want to push my way up. I am just going to keep doing what I do. I think we've got a good strategy out there on both courses. So I am going to keep trying to put myself in a position to hopefully the putts drop.

"It would mean everything to get that DP World Tour card. It's hard not to think about. It's hard not to have in the back of your mind, getting that golden 25th position.

"But I suppose at the end of the day, you just have to stick to the present. We have three rounds left, so there's lots of golf left to play down at the Lakes Course, so I'll just get ready to hit that first tee shot tomorrow."

Clandeboye's Jonathan Caldwell made three birdies and four bogeys, including one at the 18th, in a one-over 73 at the Hills that leaves him tied 68th on two-under.

The top 70 and ties after Monday's fourth round will make the cut and Paul Dunne gave himself a chance of making it when he made five birdies in a four-under 67 at the Lakes that leaves him tied 78th on one-under, just one stroke outside the projected cut mark.

Ardglass Cormac Sharvin needs a low round at the Hills to remain in the hunt after a level par 71 at the Lakes left him tied 104th on one-over.

Forsström posted a brilliant seven under par 65 on the Hills to lead by two shots on 15-under par from Englishman Daniel Brown and Denmark's John Axelsen.

"I'm really happy with my game today," he said. "I focussed on hitting one shot at a time, not stressing and luckily, I ended up at the top of the leaderboard. My ball striking was incredible, and I think it is probably the best I have ever hit the ball."

The 33-year-old impressed on the European Challenge Tour this season, finishing 42nd on the Road to Mallorca Rankings having played just 11 events, and he is now targeting a DP World Tour card with the top 25 and ties this week earning top-tier playing privileges.

"I know we are only at the halfway point, so anything can happen, which means I need to focus on the rest of the week," he said. "I played really well on the Challenge Tour this year, and I think I have taken that confidence into this week.

"It would mean everything for me to achieve a DP World Tour card because I have never played there before, so it would be life-changing for me."

Sweden's Niklas Lemke sits in fourth position on 12 under par, while Englishman Sam Hutsby is a shot further back in fifth.

Spanish duo Alejandro Del Rey and Manuel Elvira share sixth place with Hurley and Frenchman Joël Stalter on ten under par.

The fourth round will get underway at 9:00 am local time, with Forsström teeing it up alongside Axelsen and Hurley on the Lakes Course at 9:37 am.

DP World Tour Qualifying School, Final Stage, Infinitum (Lakes Course, Par 71; Hills Course, Par 72)

Detailed scores

200 S Forsstrom (Swe) 66 69 65,

202 J Axelsen (Den) 72 63 67, D Brown (Eng) 67 67 68,

203 N Lemke (Swe) 72 66 65,

204 S Hutsby (Eng) 71 67 66,

205 A Del Rey (Esp) 69 68 68, Gary Hurley (Irl) 70 65 70, M Elvira (Esp) 68 71 66, J Stalter (Fra) 68 68 69, T Edén (Swe) 76 68 61,

206 R Paratore (Ita) 70 69 67, M Penge (Eng) 69 68 69, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 69 64 73, N Bachem (Ger) 76 61 69, E Bertheussen (Nor) 71 69 66, P Figueiredo (Por) 69 67 70,

207 R Santos (Por) 73 67 67, G Kristjansson (Isl) 70 64 73, N Kristensen (Den) 67 71 69, D O'Loughlin (Eng) 66 72 69, J Prinsloo (RSA) 70 69 68, R Hisatsune (Jpn) 66 69 72, G Porteous (Eng) 71 66 70,

208 G Wiebe (USA) 73 64 71, M Siem (Ger) 69 72 67, G Stal (Fra) 72 69 67, L Scalise (Ita) 72 67 69, C Barrow (Am) (Eng) 68 67 73, U Coussaud (Fra) 69 67 72, D Ravetto (Fra) 67 69 72, L Johnston (Sco) 68 70 70, G Boyd (Eng) 74 69 65, O Farrell (Eng) 75 68 65,

209 R McGowan (Eng) 68 66 75, D Horsey (Eng) 70 70 69, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 66 73 70, G Havret (Fra) 75 68 66,

210 C Howie (Sco) 73 69 68, M Antcliff (Aus) 74 68 68, S Bairstow (Eng) 72 68 70, B Poke (Den) 71 65 74, B Rusch (Sui) 68 73 69, H Goddard (Eng) 73 66 71, J Fahrbring (Swe) 71 68 71, John Murphy (Irl) 68 69 73, C Berardo (Fra) 70 70 70, A Wilson (Eng) 70 69 71, S Dyson (Eng) 66 72 72, J Lee (USA) 71 69 70, V Meyer (Ger) 66 71 73, A Saddier (Fra) 71 69 70, S Gallacher (Sco) 73 73 64, D Ackerman (USA) 71 72 67,

211 D Papadatos (Aus) 74 68 69, P Oriol (Esp) 71 71 69, C Bring (Den) 71 68 72, C Wood (Eng) 72 69 70, J Sainz (Esp) 73 70 68, P Katich (Ger) 70 74 67, K Davidse (RSA) 71 74 66,

212 T Lewis (Eng) 73 66 73, F Aguilar (Chi) 69 71 72, J Felton (Aus) 72 68 72, P Sagoo (Eng) 74 67 71, M Lundberg (Swe) 72 70 70, J Senior (Eng) 68 70 74, A Cañizares (Esp) 68 71 73, C Mivis (Bel) 76 67 69, R Roussel (Fra) 74 68 70, D Naidoo (RSA) 74 69 69, A Chesters (Eng) 70 77 65, T Kanaya (Jpn) 70 75 67, O Farr (Wal) 73 72 67,

213 O Fisher (Eng) 73 69 71, A Pouguet (Fra) 68 71 74, Jonathan Caldwell (NIr) 71 69 73, T Murray (Eng) 72 70 71, Paul Dunne (Irl) 74 72 67, M Ford (Eng) 80 68 65, P Mattsson (Swe) 76 67 70, H Sturehed (Swe) 73 72 68, G Bourdy (Fra) 72 73 68, H Hopewell (Am) (Aus) 70 78 65, Y Liu (Chn) 74 72 67, J Sjoholm (Swe) 71 74 68,

214 C Paisley (Eng) 72 69 73, a Plant (Eng) 74 65 75, J Zunic (Aus) 69 70 75, L Brown (RSA) 71 70 73, G Fdez-Castaño (Esp) 72 66 76, M Schmitt (Ger) 70 72 72, N Infanti (USA) 75 75 64, M Iten (Sui) 75 69 70, M Eriksson (Swe) 74 70 70, J Allan (Eng) 75 70 69, L Van Meijel (Ned) 76 69 69, F Lacroix (Fra) 76 70 68, S Brown (Eng) 70 73 71, A Quiros (Esp) 70 75 69,

215 R Gouveia (Por) 75 67 73, A Buendia (Esp) 73 69 73, T Gandy (Imn) 69 73 73, B Baumgarten (USA) 68 71 76, S Mazzoli (Ita) 73 72 70, J Sandelin (Swe) 74 71 70, A Zemmer (Ita) 74 72 69, C Ross (Sco) 76 69 70, A Host (Den) 72 75 68, M Stewart (Sco) 70 73 72, A Karlsson (Swe) 77 71 67, T Thurloway (Eng) 70 73 72, D Antonisse (Ned) 65 79 71, A Pavan (Ita) 71 76 68, A De Bondt (Bel) 73 70 72, P Pineau (Fra) 76 70 69, Cormac Sharvin (NIr) 72 72 71,

216 M Gradecki (Pol) 75 66 75, B Thornberry (USA) 73 69 74, R Mcevoy (Eng) 72 71 73, F Laporta (Ita) 77 72 67, K Broberg (Swe) 76 69 71, D Hebenstreit (Aut) 72 74 70, T Sluman (USA) 76 73 67, J Hansen (Den) 74 76 66,

217 I Cantero Gutierrez (Esp) 71 71 75, V Riu (Fra) 72 69 76, D Hague (Eng) 74 71 72, A Flanagan (Eng) 79 72 66, P Launer Baek (Den) 78 71 68, J Kennegard (Swe) 75 72 70,

218 F Mory (Fra) 72 68 78, C Banke (USA) 85 64 69, E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) 68 79 71, J Sandborg (Swe) 76 69 73, D Perrier (Fra) 75 72 71, Z Caldwell (USA) 75 72 71, L Harries (Am) (Wal) 71 77 70,

219 D Howell (Eng) 76 74 69, L Bjerregaard (Den) 76 72 71, K Michel (Aus) 78 71 70, P Mejow (Ger) 71 75 73, P Moolman (RSA) 74 74 71, B Virto (Esp) 75 74 70,

220 L Dobbelaar (Aus) 74 70 76, E Flores (USA) 69 75 76,

221 J Lando-Casanova (Fra) 69 78 74,

222 E Katz (USA) 72 78 72,

224 H Brown (Den) 78 74 72, N Platret (Fra) 69 75 80,

225 F Clerici (Sui) 77 75 73, J Wikstrom (Swe) 76 78 71,

226 B Stow (Eng) 76 68 82,

229 M Hammer (Ger) 78 68 83,

231 B Petursson (Isl) 77 82 72,

**

Out L Masaveu (Am) (Esp) 74 66 WD, A Pike (Aus) 84 WD.