EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR FINAL QUALIFYING SCHOOL

Gordon Manson, Peter

Smith make good start


Scots Gordon Manson, St Andrews-born but based in Austria for many years, and globe-trotting Peter Smith, son of a Highland League footballer, from Udny, Aberdeenshire, made the kind of start they need with so few cards to be won at the end of the 72-hole European Senior Tour Final Qualifying School at the Pestana Golf Resort's Vale do Pinta course on Portugal's Algarve.
Manson, pictured, at one time a European Tour player and later national coach to the Austrian men's and women's amateur teams, is sharing the lead on four-under-par 67 with American Tim Thelen, leader of the Stage 1 qualifiers over the Gramacho course last week, and Sweden's Peter Dahlberg.
Like the 50-year-old Thelen from Texas, Manson eagled the second hole en route to his four under par round, also carding five birdies along the way.
Now 50, Manson has lived in Austria since 1984 and is looking to secure playing rights on the over-50s four for the first time.
Peter Smith, former Northern Open champion and past New Zealand PGA club pros' champion, had a roller-coaster round that added up to two-under-par 69 and a share of sixth place - a position he needs to maintain or, even better, improve upon before the end of the fourth round to gain playing rights for what almost amounts to the "closed shop" of the European Senior Tour.
Players who have been reasonably successful on the full European Tour and have reached their 50th birthday are automatically exempt from having to go to the Senior Q School.
Smith birdied the first, third, fourth, sixth, 13th and 14th before capping his round with an eagle 3 at the 596yd 18th.
On the debit side, Peter, who was also based in the Netherlands for a spell as well as New Zealand, had bogeys at the second, 10th, short 11th before a double-bogey 6 at the 16th and another bogey at the 17th in halves of 32 (-3) and 37 (+1).
Co-leader Dahlberg is making his fourth visit to the Senior Tour Q School, having secured an alternate card 12 months ago by finishing in 18th position.
He made eight starts on the Senior Tour in 2010, finishing 70th on the Order of Merit with two top 20 finishes – in Mauritius and the Czech Republic.
On the same 69 mark as Smith is another Scot, Albert Mackenzie, who came through the Stage 1 eliminator last week with flying colours.

FIRST ROUND SCORES

Par 71

67 P Dahlberg (Sweden), G Manson (Scotland), T Thelen (US) 

68 S Van Vuuren (S Africa), G Banister (Australia)

69 A Mackenzie (Scotland), M Briggs (England), P Smith (Scotland), P Errity (Ireland) (am)

70 M Thomas (US), S Shields (England), M Moreno (Spain), E Rodriguez (Spain), T Burgoyne (Scotland), M Gallagher (England), V Garcia (Spain), H Francis (England)

71 M Kierstenson (England), A Barrera (Argentina), N Clarke (S Africa), J Empey (US), A Johnsson  (Sweden), A Fernandez (Chile), D Blakeman (England), J Stuart (US), D Gavrilovic (England), F Illouz (Fra) (am)

72 J Stansberry (US), T Planchin (France), F Regard (France), S Cipa (England), J Sallat (France), A Romanoff (US), F Mann (Scotland), M Lord (England), J Heggarty (N Ireland) , P Dugeny (France)

73 M Miller (Scotland), M Guzman (Argentina), D Narveson (US) , M Deboub (England) , K Tarling (Canada), R Masters (Eng), I Dougan (Scotland), D Talbot (Canada) , B Evans (England), H Larsen (Denmark)
74 T Feminis (US), P Oakley (US), D Stirling (England), S Bennett (England), J Naya Palleiro (Spain), N Mitchell (England), J Hoskison (England), S East (England) (am), J Murphy (England) (am)

75 P Allan (England), G Krause (England), R Hunter (England) , C Acutis (Italy) , J Carson (US), J Davila (Spain), M Aparicio (Spain), A Macdonald (England)

76 R Williams (Wales), M Howell (England), A Hemsley (Scotland), E Feely  (Ireland)

77 T Giedeon (Germany) 

78 P Puisset (France), L Soto (Venezuela), E Costa (Portugal), A Westwell (England) (am)

79 J Buendia (Esp)

81 G Bothwell (Eng)