ONLY THREE SCOTS SURVIVE QUALIFYING SCHOOL ROUND 4 CUT

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Six Scots felt the pain in Spain today - Callum Macaulay, the Saltman brothers Elliot and Lloyd, Scott Drummond, Alastair Forsyth and Alan McLean. Only three - Steven O'Hara (pictured left), Gary Orr and Chris Doak - of the nine competing for their European Tour futures are still in with a chance of gaining pass marks from the Final Qualifying School at PGA Catalunya Golf Resort, near Girona in the north-east of Spain. The fourth round cut to the leading 70 players fell at four-under-par 280 - the lowest in the history of the final eliminator. Macaulay, the 2008 Scottish amateur champion who helped Scotland win the Eisenhower Trophy that year, missed the cut by just one shot with a two-under 68 over the shorter course for a total of three-under-par 281. The Tullallan man birdied the long 10th and 12th and needed just one more birdie to get through to the decisive last two rounds .... but he could only par his last six holes. Elliot Saltman had a four-under 66, his best of the four, but a total of one-under 283 was three too many. Shropshire-born Scott Drummond,. PGA champion at Wentworth in 2004, failed to make the grade on 285 although he packed six birdies into a closing 68. Alastair Forsyth was the surprise non-qualifier on 286. Three rounds of 70 had him on course to match the projected cut mark. A fourth 70 in a row would have done the trick but he slumped to a four-over 76 after going bogey-bogey-double bogey at the seventh, eighth and ninth for 40 to the turn. Glasgow-born Alan McLean, who lives in Canada. finished joint 120th with a 70 for three-over 287. The saddest sight of the fourth day, when the playing conditions were ideal with no wind, was Lloyd Saltman finishing with a nine-over-par 79 for a 10-over par total of 294 which gave him an official placing of joint 144th in a field of 156. The Lothians man, whose amateur brilliance sadly did not make the transfer with him to the pro ranks, had three double bogeys, five bogeys and an eagle 3 at the 10th in halves of 42-37. Of the three Scots still in the hunt for one of the 30 players' European Tour cards up for grabs after two more rounds over the par-72 course, Motherwell's Steven O'Hara looks the best bet to make the grade. After a slow start last Saturday with a 73, he has been "flying" with rounds of 67, 65 and 68 to be joint 11th on 11-under-par 273. He had five birdies in a front-nine 31 and added another after the turn. Gary Orr will gain pass marks if he maintains his steady run of sub-70 scores - 68, 69, 69 and 69 to be joint 20th on nine-under 275. Former Northern Open champion Chris Doak slipped down to a share of 34th place with his worst round so far, a par 72 for 277. Late birdies at the 15th and short 16th kept him in the hunt to improve four places over the last two days. England's Sam Hutsby (71 for 16-under 268) and Andy Sullivan (72 for 270) are still there in the top two positions. LEADING QUALFIERS FOR LAST TWO ROUNDS Par 284 (2x72, 2x70) 268 Sam Hutsby (Eng) 60 69 68 71 270 Andy Sullivan (Eng) 65 66 67 72. 271 Branden Grace (SAf) 68 68 65 70, Victor Riu (Fra) 67 69 66 69, David Dixon (Eng) 74 65 63 69. 272 Richard Bland (Eng) 67 72 65 68, Guillaume Cambis (Fra) 66 69 68 69, David McKenzie (Aus) 69 64 68 71, Adrian Otaegui (Spa) 68 69 69 66, Bernd Ritthammer (Ger) 65 71 68 68 273 Darren Fichardt (SAf) 66 73 66 68, Lloyd Kennedy (Eng) 68 66 70 69, Steven O'Hara (Sco) 73 67 65 68, Jordan Gibb (Eng) 69 68 67 69. 274 Benn Barham (Eng) 65 70 66 73, Jordi Garcia (Spa) 71 64 66 73, Peter Gustafsson (Swe) 70 63 66 75, Thomas Norret (Den) 71 67 62 74, Knut Borsheim (Nor) 66 71 69 68. OTHER SCOTS QUALIFIERS 274 Gary Orr 68 69 69 69 (T20). 277 Chris Doak 71 68 66 72 (T34) SCOTS WHO MISSED THE CUT (280 or better qualified) 281 Callum Macaulay 71 72 70 68 (T71). 283 Elliot Saltman 74 69 74 66 (T83). 285 Scott Drummond 75 66 76 68 (T101). 286 Alastair Forsyth 70 70 70 76 (T113). 287 Alan McLean 78 78 71 70 (T120). 294 Lloyd Saltman 77 67 71 79 (T144). +Those who missed the cut are eligible for Category 12 membership of the Challenge Tour in 2012 +The entry fee for the 2011 European Tour Qualifying School was £1,350. Add in the cost of travelling to and staying at different venues for Stages 1, 2 and 3, and it's a lot of money if not down the drain, spent in vain in pursuit of a place on the European Tour.