John Murphy made his first cut on any tour since the Irish Challenge last July after a blistering back nine saw him qualify for the final round at the Alps Tour season opening Ein Bay Open.
It’s just the sixth time Murphy has made a cut since 2023 and after an opening 74 it was looking like a similar story at Sokhna GC. But a sensational finish saw the Kinsale man play his last ten holes in five-under-par for a 66 on four-under-par.
With the cut landing at three-under, Murphy started well with birdies on the 12th and 14th but was still four shots off the mark after a bogey on 16.
However, birdies on 18, 1, 2 and 3 propelled him onto the cut mark and he ensured he made it comfortably with birdies on the 5th and 7th and a bogey on the 8th.
It leaves the 26-year-old in a share of 27th place, eight shots off the lead held by Giovanni Manzoni.
The leading Irishman is 2023 Alps Tour Order of Merit winner Ronan Mullarney who carded a second round of 69 to climb to seven-under.
Mullarney dropped his first shots of the week on the 4th and 8th but birdies on the 2nd, 6th, 10th, 17th and 18th have him in a share of 11th place.
Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley will also go the distance on his first start as a professional after a mixed bag in his round of 70.
Foley opened with a birdie but looked under the cosh after a double bogey on the par-4 2nd. A birdieon 5, bogey on 6 and an eagle on the par-5 7th saw him turn in 35.
His back nine was much smoother with a birdie on the eleventh and eight pars to share 18th place on six-under, one shot clear of Castle’s Robert Moran.
Marc Boucher missed the cut.
Scoring HERE
