PHILIP McLEAN LEADS EIGHT SCOTS QUALIFIERS AT DUNDONALD

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Eight Scots - five professionals and two amateurs - today cleared the first hurdle in their bid to make it to the European Tour Final Qualifying at the PGA Catalunya Resort, Spain from December 10 to 15.

Top Scot at the Section A 72-hole eliminator at Dundonald Links, Ayrshire was Peterhead amateur Philip McLean on four-under-par 284, only a shot behind the joint leaders, Darren Wright (England) and Johnnie Caldwell (Northern Ireland).

Braid Hills pro Paul McKechnie, one of the leading money-earners on the Tartan Tour this year, quaified in fourth place on 285. Other Scots to make it through to Stage 2 from this venue were Fife amateur James White (Lundin) on 291, Edinburgh pro Mark Kerr and Fraserburgh amateur Kris Nicol are on 294 and a group on 295 - Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) and Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle).

But, for four Scots, the dream of making it to the European Tour is over for another year, at an  entry cost of well over £1,000. Alyth's former double Scottish match-play and stroke-play amateur champion Kevin McAlpine missed out by eight strokes with a 303 total.

Also on that aggregate were Carnoustie's Eric Ramsay and Montrose Links' Graeme Brown. Ross Dixon failed on 305.

JOHN GALLAGHER'S GREAT EFFORT JUST FAILS IN AUSTRIA

Meanwhile, in the Tour School Section A competition at Austria at Golf Schloss Ebreichsdort, former Scottish amateur champion John Gallagher made a terrific bid over the last two rounds - but failed by a couple of shots to make the 30 qualifiers from a big field.
The Swanston man left himself with a lot of ground to make up after opening rounds of 74 and 72 but Gallagher got it all together over the third and fourth rounds with scores of 69 and 66 for a total of seven-under-par 281.
279 or better was the qualifying mark to go on to Stage 2.
Winner of the tournament was American J Halbig with 69, 68, 64 and 67 for 20-under-par 268.

European Tour Qualifying School – First  Stage (Section A)

Dundonald Links, Ayrshire.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4x72)

Leading 15 qualified for Second Stage.

 QUALIFIERS FOR SECOND STAGE

Par 288 (4x72)

283 D Wright (Eng) 75 71 66 71, J Caldwell  (NIr) 69 73 68 73

284 P McLean (Sco) (am) 69 70 71 74

285 P McKechnie (Sco) 72 77 67 69

289 M Penny (Eng) 71 72 75 71

290 A O'Callaghan (Irl) 74 72 73 71

291 J White (Sco) (am) 69 73 73 76

292 N Fox  (Irl) 76 73 69 74

294 M Kerr  (Sco) 71 78 72 73, K Nicol (Sco) (am) 73 78 74 69

295 N Fenwick (Sco) 74 74 72 75, D Smith (Eng) 77 73 71 74; Shaun McAllister (Sco) 76 73 70 76, G Fox (Sco) 73 77 70 75, M Lowe (Eng) 73 76 66 80

FAILED TO QUALIFY

296 M Collins (Irl) 76 71 72 77

299 L Clarke  (Eng) 74 77 68 80

300 M Hooper  (Eng) 77 72 74 77, S McMonagle (Irl) 71 74 80 75, G Murphy (Irl) 72 75 73 80, T Sherreard  (Eng) 75 75 70 80

302 J Housby (Eng) 80 74 70 78, M Lavelle  (Irl) 76 75 72 79

303 K McAlpine (Sco) 74 76 76 77, G Brown (Sco) 73 76 78 76, J Jeong (Kor) 77 78 72 76; E Ramsay  (Sco) 76 75 76 76, B Struthers (am) (USA) 75 75 76 77

305 R Dixon (Sco) 70 79 77 79, D Clark (Eng) 72 81 74 78

306 M Bush (Eng) 77 77 73 79, D Schultz (USA) 78 75 73 80

307 D Sugrue (Irl) 75 74 74 84

308 M Dowling (Aus) (am) 69 78 76 85;

309 E Gibbs (USA) 78 80 69 82

_ _ _