MICHAEL STEWART, ZACK SALTMAN ELIMINATED AT ALPS Q SCHOOL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Walker Cup man Michael Stewart's career as a tour pro is still on hold. In fact it has not got off the ground yet and he is still an amateur.
Six Scots are through to Wednesday's final round at the Alps Tour Final Qualifying School - but they did not include Stewart (Troon Welbeck) and Archerfield Links' Zack Saltman, the youngest of the three golfing brothers.
Stewart, pictured, is still No 12 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and has retained his amateur status which was a good move in view of his showing at first the European Tour School and now his latest failure to make the grade as a pro.
The Ayrshire man, former Scottish amateur champion and beaten in the final of the British amateur championship this year, shot 75 and 76 for a total of eight-over-par 151 over the Toscana and Punta Alta courses in Italy and missed the cut to the leading 65 and ties by three shots.
Saltman shot 158 with rounds of 83 and 75.
Only the leading 35 at the end of Wednesday's third round will gain playing rights on next season's Alps Tour and only Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol (joint fourth) and Jordan Findlay (jt 16th) and Clydebank's John Henry (jt 25th) are within that mark after 36 holes.
Northern Open champion David Law (Hazlehead) shot a splendid two-under-par, four-birdie 69 at Toscana - an improvement of nine shots over 24 hours - to haul himself over the first qualifying hurdle but a total of 147 leaves him sharing 50th place with Peterhead's Philip McLean (72-75). Both have to shoot low at the last time of asking and hope that it is enough to improve 15 places on the leaderboard.
Ross Kellett (Colville Park) made the cut with nothing to spare after a 76 for 148. He is five over par and joint 62nd. The forecast is that level par or one over will be the cut-off point for the leading 35 at the end of play today.
Kris Nicol is comfortably placed on four-under-par 139 after a one-under-par 71 at Punta Ala. He is three shots behind the joint leaders, Walker Cup man Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale) (69-67) and compatriot Jack Clarke (69-67). Hodgson's score included a double bogey at the 18th.
Jordan Findlay was thankful he started with a 67 after slipping to a three-over 75 at Punta Ala for 142.
John Henry, who was drafted into the Final Q School field as first reserve after missing the cut in last week's Stage 1, continues to make the most of his reprieve. He is on 144 after rounds of 74 and 70 and needs only a repeat of his second-round bag of five birdies at Toscana (par 71) to gain his pass card for the Alps Tour.

The non-qualifiers included Francisco Pintor Smith, the Spanish lad who won the Scottish youths championship at Mortonhall in 2006. The final round is over the par-71 Toscana course. SECOND-ROUND LEADING TOTALS Par 143 (Punta Ala par 72, Toscana par 71) 136 Stiggy Hodgson (Eng) 69 67, Jack Clarke (Eng) 69 67. 138 Dominique Nouailhac (Fra) 72 66. Selected scores: 139 Kris Nicol (Sco) 68 71 (T4) 140 Andy Smith (Eng) 73 67.(T7) 141  Tom Sherreard (Eng) 71 70 (T11). 142 Jordan Findlay (Sco) 67 75, Andrew Cooley (Eng) (am) 69 73 (T16)). 143 Donald Stirling (Eng) 70 73 (T21). 144 John Henry (Sco) 74 70 Steven Brown (Eng) 74 70 (T25). 145 Darren Wright (Eng) 78 67, Andy Sullivan (Eng) 78 72 (T33). 146 Jack Senior (Eng) 75 71 (T43). 147 David Law (Sco) 78 69, Philip McLean (Sco) 72 75, Warren Harmaston (Eng) 71 76, Eddie Pepperell (Eng) 73 74 (T50). 148 Ross Kellett (Sco) 72 76, Ben Banks (Eng) 77 71, Adam Gray (Eng) 73 75 (T62). +Only the leading 35 at the end of the third round will gain playing rights on the 2012 Alps Tour MISSED THE CUT (148 or better qualified for final round) 149 Mike Kelly (Ire) 78 71, Francisco Pintor Smith (Spa) 75 74, Joseph Feather (Eng) 75 74, Daniel Perrett (Eng) 75 74.. 150 Elliot Forbes (Eng) (am) 79 71, Jack Carter (Eng) 81 69. 151 Michael Stewart (Sco) (am) 75 76, Frederick Jewsbury (Eng) 72 79, Richard Glenn (Eng) 75 76, Alexander Christie (Eng) 78 73.. 155 James Quinlivan (Ire) 74 81. 156 Matthew McAlpin (NIre) (am) 71 85. 158 Zack Saltman (Sco) 83 75. 159 Nicholas Jenkins (Eng) (am) 79 82. TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES AND SCORECARDS ON THE ALPS TOUR WEBSITE CLICK HERE