EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR FINAL QUALIFYING SCHOOL

ARNOTT AND JAMES IN QUALIFYING

ZONE WITH TWO ROUNDS TO GO

Only two Scots - Bishopbriggs' Robert Arnott (pictured) and David James from Dumfries - are within the qualifying zone with two rounds to go in the European Senior Tour Q School Final Stage at the Pestana Golf Resort's Pinta course, Lagoa on Portugal's Algarve coastline.

Only the top 14 after 72 holes will gain limited access to the over-50s' tournaments in 2014 - the leading six will be able to play in any event on the European Senior Tour.
Arnott is best place in joint fifth place after steady scores of 71 and 70 for a one-under-par halfway stally of 141 - three shots behind the leader, England's Andrew Murray, who has had a pair of 69s for 138.
James, who finished top of the class at last year's Q School but lost his playing rights at the end of the 2013 season, is right on the borderline with scores of 71 and 71 for 143 and a share of 14th place.
Downfield's Kenny Hutton needs to step up a gear from joint 29th place on 146 (74-72).
The three other Scots in the field - Albert Mackenzie (74-75), Stephen McAllister (78-71) and Terry Burgoyne (75-79) - look out of it on joint 45th and joint 65th places respectively.

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Andrew Murray serves up

 a treat at Q-School

 

Former European Tour winner Andrew Murray 

moved into the lead at the European Senior Tour’s Qualifying 

School Final Stage, helped by the presence of his son and current 

Challenge Tour player Tom on the bag.

The Englishman, pictured, who won the 

Panasonic European Open on The 

European Tour in 1989, carded a second 

successive two under par 69 at Pestana 

Golf Resort’s Pinta Course in the 

Algarve region of Portugal to move to 

four under par at the midway point of 

the 72-hole tournament.

Murray’s last Qualifying School experience came at The European 

Tour’s equivalent exactly 35 years ago at the nearby Quinta do 

Lago, where he was successful in earning his card, and he is well on 

the way to repeating that success ahead of the 2014 Senior Tour 

campaign.

Having begun the day one shot off the lead, Murray bogeyed the 

third hole but picked up shots at the par four sixth and the par three 

ninth to reach the turn in one under.

Birdies at the 12^th, thanks to a beautiful six iron approach to six feet, and the 14^th moved him to five under and two shots clear, but he found a tough lie from the tee at the par five 16^th and struggled to a 

bogey.

Murray believes he should have scored better in the opening 

two days, but admits that his son has been a very calming 

influence on the bag.

“He is such a calm character,” said Murray, who in turn caddied 

Tom to his best finish on the Challenge Tour last year. “He doesn’t 

get flustered by anything. He knows what I'm thinking and he’s 

pretty positive about lines and clubs off the tee. He’s very positive 

about our game plan and playing to our strengths.

“I played really nicely but I'm just disappointed with my finish and 

to bogey the par five coming in. The first thing he said afterwards 

was, ‘good round of golf, well played’, and that’s exactly what I 

wanted to hear really.

“I'm hitting proper shots and executing them pretty well most of the 

time so it’s nice to have that confidence but who knows what will 

happen.

“There is no pressure on me particularly. I have a job at home with 

my events company Andrew Murray Golf so it might mean a lot 

more to other people.

“That’s not to say I'm not trying my hardest and I'm not 

annoyed that I haven’t scored better this week. I'm here to win 

it and I'm playing well enough to win it, but it’s only half time.”

Murray’s compatriot Steve Cipa shared second place with American 

Barry Conser, as they both carded rounds of 69 to finish the day on 

three under, while another Englishman John Gould was in fourth 

place on two under.

The first round leaders both struggled to maintain their momentum 

as American Stephen Mondshine fell to a three over par round of 

74 while Jean Pierre Sallat of France fell 28 places after a seven 

over par 78.

SECOND ROUND SCORES

Par 142 (2x71)

138 A Murray (Eng) 69 69

139 S Cipa (Eng) 70 69, B Conser (USA) 70 69

140 J Gould (Eng) 71 69

141 R Arnott (Sco) 71 70, K Smith (Can) 70 71, J Smith (USA) 72 69, P Mayo (Wal) 69 72, G Marks (Eng) 69 72, M Belsham (Eng) 70 71

142 R Roper (Eng) 72 70, M Stokes (Eng) 72 70, S Mondshine (am) (USA) 68 74

143 J McHenry (Irl) 72 71, G Ryall (Eng) 73 70, R Sabarros (Fra) 72 71, D James (Sco) 71 72, D Morito (Esp) 74 69

144 G Banister (Aus) 71 73, M Bianco (Ita) 71 73, G Bell (Eng) 71 73, G Joyner (Aus) 69 75, J Ryström (Swe) 72 72

145 W Grant (Eng) 74 71, E Kocs (USA) 75 70, J Harrison (Eng) 76 69, G Rusnak (USA) 76 69, P Burke (USA) 73 72

146 K Hutton (Sco) 74 72, T Lawrence (Eng) 74 72, J Murphy (Eng) 73 73, J Sallat (Fra) 68 78

147 J Hall (Eng) 73 74, M Wharton (Eng) 70 77, T Elliott (Aus) 73 74, J Lovell (Eng) 74 73, G Norquist (USA) 72 75, C Milne (USA) 76 71, J Laforce (Can) 74 73, T Dodds (Nam) 74 73, S Bennett (Eng) 75 72

148 A Fernandez (Chi) 74 74, B Lincoln (RSA) 75 73, J O'Brien (am) (Irl) 76 72

149 D Wettlaufer (Can) 75 74, K Tarling (Can) 73 76, R Masters (Eng) 75 74, J Buendia (Esp) 76 73, A Mackenzie (Sco) 74 75, P Gresswell (Eng) 76 73, R Tlhabanyane (RSA) 71 78, S McAllister (Sco) 78 71

150 J Nougues (Arg) 77 73, A George (Eng) 76 74, S McNally (Eng) 76 74, Y Nilsson (Swe) 76 74

151 D Ray (Eng) 78 73, K Tenmark (Swe) 76 75

152 M Deboub (Alg) 79 73, P Carman (Eng) 76 76

153 C Grenier (Aut) 80 73, B James (USA) 78 75, J Lindberg  (Swe) 73 80, R Thompson (USA) 76 77

154 B White (Eng) 79 75, G Ralph (Eng) 76 78, T Giles (Eng) 77 77, T Burgoyne (Sco) 75 79

156 L Warder (am) (Aus) 82 74

158 J Saxton (USA) 75 83, G Litschka (Aut) 85 73,

160 A Israelsson (Swe) 82 78

** P Martinez (Par) 70 DQ, M Buchter (Swi) 87 WD,

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS