Stephen Gallacher top Scot after Day 1 of

European Tour Final Qualifying School

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Julien Guerrier stormed into a four-shot lead at European Tour Qualifying School – Final Stage, carding a record ten under par 60 on the Tour Course, the shorter of the two courses being used at PGA Catalunya Resort in Spain.
The Frenchman has already earned his playing rights for the 2010 Race to Dubai after finishing 16th in the Challenge Tour Rankings this season, but is playing this week for the chance of gaining a better category and has every chance after shooting the lowest round in European Tour Qualifying School history.
The absence of the intense pressure some of the other 155 players are under this week allowed Guerrier to shoot 11 birdies, and he has a significant lead over a group of five players at six under – Australian Tony Carolan, South African Keith Horne, Englishman James Ruth, Dane Lasse Jensen and Swede Jarmo Sandelin.
Thirty cards plus ties are up for grabs, with 156 hopefuls playing four rounds – two each over the Tour Course and the Stadium Course - before the field is whittled down to 70 players plus ties to play two more rounds over the Stadium Course on Wednesday and Thursday.
Guerrier was delighted to have made such a strong start, but was mindful that there is still a lot of golf to be played before he can start celebrating.
He had halves of 30 for his 10-under-par 60, birdieing the third, fourth, sixth, seventh, ninth, 10th, 12th, 13th, short 14th, short 16th and 17th. He bogeyed the short 11th.
“It was a fantastic round,” he said. “I just made one mistake on the 11th, which was my second hole, where I had three putts for a bogey. At the beginning I didn’t play very well but I putted well, and then it all started to come together. My long game was very good and my putting was good.
“But it’s very, very long, like a marathon so it’s a good start but the tournament doesn’t really begin until the third round so we’ll see.”
He added: “The condition of the course was very good. The greens were excellent and the front nine was in very good condition even after a lot of players had played it in the morning. I really enjoyed it.”
Asked if he is feeling any pressure, knowing whatever his performance at Qualifying School – Final Stage, he is still guaranteed to play on The European Tour next season, Guerrier replied: “It’s just a bonus this week. I have some pressure – pressure to win or make the top ten, which would be good for me because it would mean I could play maybe two or three more tournaments next season which may be important.”
The par 72 Stadium Course proved a tougher task in round one, with only three of the top 13 players on the combined leaderboard playing it in the first round - Jarmdo Sandelin carding a six under par 66 and Charlie Ford and James Kamte shooting rounds of 67.
Carolan, who tied for 36th at the UBS Hong Kong Open two weeks ago, opened his account on the Tour Course with an eagle at the par five tenth on his way to a six under par 64.
“I’m struggling a bit as I’ve got flu,” he admitted. “But I had one of those rounds where every putt could’ve gone in. Some did and the ones that didn’t just lipped out, so every putt I hit I felt it was going in. I was five under at the turn so I had a great first nine – the back nine on the Tour Course – so my score could have been even better.”
Ruth also finished six under, defying a niggling injury which has bothered him for months. “I’ve been suffering from tendinitis which has come and gone throughout the season and it’s affected me mentally as much as physically,” he said. “I felt it earlier in the week but the physios here did a great job with me this morning and I felt a lot more confident today.”
Alexandre Kaleka of France, who won the Challenge Tour’s ALLIANZ EurOpen de Lyon six days after turning professional, started with a four under par 66 on the Tour Course, which was blighted by two bogeys in his last three holes.
SCOTSWATCH: Stephen Gallacher's situation is a bit like that of Julien Guerrier in that he is guaranteed a certain amount of outings on the 2010 European Tour because of a medical exemption - he missed the last few months of the season due to illness. He shot a 68 over the tougher, par-72 Stadium course, where Scott Drummond had a 69 but Andrew Oldcorn, Jamie McLeary and Eric Ramsay had to settle for matching par.
George Murray had a 73 here and Glasgow-born Alan McLean a 76 which leaves him with the proverbial mountain to climb, even to make the first cut to 70 players and ties after four rounds.
Steven O'Hara did best of the Scots on the par-70 Tour course, shooting a 68, two ahead of Callum Macaulay who also played on the European Tour in the season just ended. Andrew Coltart had a 71 at this venue were Greig Hutcheon had a disappointing 73. Three over par after one round of the Final School does not augur well for the Banchory club's tour pro's prospects of advancing.

LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
STADIUM COURSE
Par 72 (7172yd)
66 Jarmo Sandelin (Swe).
67 Charlie Ford (Eng), James Kamte (SAf).
68 Jamie Elson (Eng), Stephen Gallacher (Sco), Simon Khan (Eng), Alessandra Tadini (Ita), Philip Archer (Eng), George Coetzee (SAf), Alex Kaleka (Fra).
69 Hans Peter Bacher (Aut), Mark F Haastrup (Den), Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Scott Drummond (Sco), Benjamin Hebert (Fra), Gary Murphy (Ire).
Selected scores:
72 Andrew Oldcorn (Sco), Jamie McLeary (Sco), Eric Ramsay (Sco).
73 George Murray (Sco).
76 Alan McLean (Sco).

TOUR COURSE
Par 70 (6577yd)
60 Julien Guerrier (Fra).
64 Keith Horne (SAf), James Ruth (Eng), Tony Carolan (Aus), Lasse Jensen (Den).
65 Colm Moriarty (Ire), Miles Tunnicliffe (Eng), Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Lee Slattery (Eng), Martin Wiegele (Aut).
66 Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe), Roope Kaakko (Fin), Stuart Manley (Wal), Nicolas Meitinger (Ger), Edouard Dubois (Fra), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Andrea Maestroni (Ita).
67 Jonathan Caldwell (NIr), Darren Fichardt (SAf), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Wes Hefferman (Can), Pedro Linhart (Spa), Andrew Marshall (Eng), Thorbjorn Olesen (Den), Iain Pyman (Eng), Anthony Snobeck (Fra), Simon Thornton (Ire).
Selected scores:
68 Steven O'Hara (Sco).
70 Callum Macaulay (Sco).
71 Andrew Coltart (Sco).
73 Greig Hutcheon (Sco).