Holywood teenager Tom McKibbin is on track to become the youngest Irish player to win a tour card since Rory McIlroy after he finished runner-up in the Irish Challenge at The K Club.

The Newtownabbey star (19) rattled in six birdies in a row from the second en route to a six-under 66 on the Palmer South Course that left him a career-best solo second on 13-under par behind runaway winner Todd Clements. Results

He secured the Christy O’Connor Jnr Memorial Trophy and an invitation into next year’s Horizon Irish Open at the Co Kildare resort as the leading home player.

But a cheque for €27,500 catapulted him from 30th to 15th in the Road to Mallorca standings, nearly 14,000 points ahead of the 20th ranked player with only the top-20 at the end of the season guaranteed promotion to the main tour next year.

“It was pretty special,” McKibbin said as overnight leader Clements went on to shoot 68 and claim win his maiden Challenge Tour title by six shots on 19-under par.

“It’s an honour to win the trophy and get the invite to next year. It should be really good over on the other course at The K Club, but both courses here are spectacular.”

McIlroy was 18 when he won his card on the strength of invitations in 2007 and McKibbin, who considers his Holywood clubman a mentor, hopes to go on now and secure his card.

“It’s great to be in the top 20 and nice to be able to build on that going into the last half of the season,” he said.

Kinsale’s John Murphy finished solo third on 11-under after a closing 70 as Portmarnock’s Conor Purcell shot 70 and West Waterford’s Gary Hurley a 73 to finish in a seven-way tie for fifth on nine-under.

“I am obviously coming away with any silverware, but I am very happy with my game and my week even though my scores weren’t showing it,” said Murphy, who won €17,500 to jump to 47th in the standings. “There is still room for improvement, but there’s plenty of time left this season.”

Purcell was also pleased to shoot under par without his A-game, while Hurley was thrilled with his week and emotional at the finish as he claws his way back to form after several years in the doldrums.

The Waterford man felt like a winner after his struggle to cope mentally with the game’s demands

“I did win this week,” said an emotional Hurley, who came close to quitting the game three years ago but is now an Alps Tour winner thanks to the work he has done on his mental game with Dr Edward Coughlan.

“I won for myself and my emotions and the way I handled myself. It is becoming normal now at this stage. It doesn’t mean it is easy but this is the way I play and the way I operate. My operating system has gotten a serious upgrade in the last three years. Battery life is up.”

He added: “I am happy. I am a little bit emotional when I think of where I was and how I played today and not just played, but how I controlled my emotions.

“I had great support and I always have. It’s probably why I am still doing it. If I didn’t have that support three or four years ago, I mightn’t still be doing it.”

In the DP World Tour’s Hero Open, American Sean Crocker claimed his maiden win in wire-to-wire fashion from a charging Eddie Pepperell at Fairmont St Andrews.

Two clear starting the day, he played his first 13 holes in three-under to remain two ahead before Pepperell set the target at 21-under with a 65.

“That putt looked like it was 20 feet; the hole looked like it was half an inch wide,” Crocker said after making a closing four-footer to win by one with a 68. “Right off the face, I knew it was a well-struck putt. As I looked up and I saw it drop, I was just telling myself – don’t start crying.”

Niall Kearney closed with a 70 to tie for 22nd on 12-under, moving up just three spots on the Race to Dubai to 162nd as David Carey’s 69 left him tied 61st on five-under.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Ayaka Furue made 10 birdies in a course record 10-under 62 to win the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open and clinch her maiden LPGA Tour win by three shots from France’s Celine Boutier on 21-under par at Dundonald Links.

Stephanie Meadow looked set to challenge for a top 20 finish as she raced to five-under par after 10 holes, but she bogeyed the 14th and double-bogeyed the 16th to tie for 38th on five-under after a 70.

She joins Leona Maguire in this week’s AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield as Olivia Mehaffey and amateurs Canice Screene and Lauren Walsh chase one of 12 places in Final Qualifying at North Berwick today.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Meanwhile, Paul McGinley finished just two shots behind Alex Cejka in the JCB Championship on the Legends Tour in Uttoxeter.

The German closed with a 70 to McGinley’s 69 to win on 11-under with event host Darren Clarke tied third with Retief Goosen and James Kingston on eight-under after a 69 at JCB Golf and Country Club.

Irish Challenge, Palmer South, The K Club (Par 72)

Scores

269 T Clements (Eng) 66 65 70 68;

275 T McKibbin (NIr) 67 70 72 66;

277 J Murphy (Irl) 66 67 74 70;

278 H Ellis (Eng) 67 67 74 70;

279 D Germishuys (RSA) 66 72 73 68, J Girrbach (Sui) 64 74 73 68, M Manassero (Ita) 69 69 72 69, C Purcell (Irl) 65 68 76 70, J Ko (Fra) 66 73 70 70, A Del Rey (Esp) 71 69 69 70, G Hurley (Irl) 68 69 69 73;

280 V Garcia Broto (Esp) 68 71 75 66, O Farrell (Eng) 68 71 73 68, R Petersson (Swe) 69 71 72 68, A Saddier (Fra) 67 74 70 69, J Rutherford (Eng) 69 67 74 70;

281 R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 71 72 71 67, R Evans (Eng) 69 70 74 68, S Gros (Fra) 70 66 75 70, D Ravetto (Fra) 69 72 68 72;

282 P Pineau (Fra) 73 70 68 71, K Johannessen (Nor) 74 65 71 72, S Mazzoli (Ita) 65 70 73 74, G Stal (Fra) 65 70 73 74;

283 A Knappe (Ger) 70 72 75 66;

284 V Riu (Fra) 73 67 74 70, C Fyfe (Sco) 73 68 73 70, P Mejow (Ger) 68 72 70 74, M Iten (Sui) 69 70 70 75;

285 L Lilliedahl (Swe) 71 72 75 67, W Enefer (Eng) 71 71 75 68, C Ross (Sco) 66 69 75 75, J Sugrue (Irl) 72 66 72 75;

286 M Decottignies-Lafon (Fra) 70 72 74 70, C Mivis (Bel) 69 73 73 71;

287 D Bradbury (Eng) 73 70 77 67, M Simonsen (Den) 73 66 80 68, G Kristjansson (Isl) 74 69 72 72, T Strydom (RSA) 69 72 72 74;

288 J Long (Eng) 68 75 75 70, V Meyer (Ger) 77 66 74 71, M McClean (Am) (Nir) 74 66 76 72, T Bessa (Por) 71 70 74 73, C Griffiths (Eng) 72 71 72 73, N Kimsey (Eng) 67 72 75 74, D McElroy (NIr) 73 67 71 77;

289 C Blomstrand (Swe) 72 70 75 72, M Orrin (Eng) 67 74 75 73;

290 R Moran (Am) (Irl) 68 72 78 72, S Del Val (Esp) 68 72 75 75;

291 J Gumberg (USA) 69 72 77 73, I Cantero Gutierrez (Esp) 70 73 75 73;

292 P McBride (Irl) 68 75 77 72, M Morugan (Esp) 69 74 77 72, E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) 71 68 76 77, L Van Meijel (Ned) 68 73 74 77, P Moolman (RSA) 70 73 71 78;

293 R Kaminski (RSA) 68 73 74 78;

294 C Gugler (Am) (Sui) 73 70 80 71, T Sloman (Eng) 73 70 78 73;

295 D Foos (Ger) 72 71 78 74;

296 J Quesne (Fra) 71 72 79 74, S Broadhurst (Eng) 73 70 78 75;

298 P Langfors (Swe) 73 70 80 75;

299 J De Bruyn (Ger) 69 72 82 76;

300 L Robinson (Eng) 70 73 78 79;

303 E Di Nitto (Ita) 73 69 81 80.