After positive opening rounds at the DP World Tour Q-School Stage One Qualifiers at Arlandastad in Sweden and at England’s Donnington Grove, only two of the nine Irish players competing are in the qualification places at the halfway mark in each.
John Murphy is the lone Irishman in the field in Sweden, but after an opening 71 that had him lying 24th on +1, a second-round 74 saw him drop down the field and he’s now in 50th place, five strokes off the provisional target of level-par where eight players share 14th and the leading 17 and ties advancing to Stage Two after 72 holes.
At Donnington Grove, David Carey has come through to be best of the eight Irish on four-under, having opened with a one-under 71 and followed with a three-under 69 that leaves him in a tie for 10th place with the same number of qualification places on offer as at Arlandastad.
Tom Dowdall is a shot behind Carey after rounds of 70 and 71 respectively, and shares 15th place, while Cormac Sharvin, Paul McBride and Ignatius McGuinness are all within striking distance at one-under in ties for 22nd. McBride’s 69 was the best of the trio on the day, with Sharvin shooting level-par and McGuinness shooting one-under.
Marc Boucher and Niall Kearney started the day tied with Dowdall for leading Irishman on -2, but rounds of 75 and 76 respectively see them slip down to 32nd and 42nd, while Michael Young is going to need something special in his third round if he’s to get back into the running from +5.
Arlandastad Leaderboard
Donnington Grove Leaderboard
