Irish find French connection at Q-School

Niall Turner, pictures at the 2011 Iskandar Johor Open, made a solid start the European Tour Q-School in France. Photo Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ieMuskerry’s Niall Turner, Limerick’s Tim Rice and Banbridge’s Richard Kilpatrick made positive starts to their bids for European Tour cards at the First Stage of the Qualifying School.

The top 24 and ties at Frilford Heath in England and Golf d’Hardelot in northern France will progress to the Second Stage in Spain next month.

And Asian Tour regular Turner, who has played just four events on the Asian Development Tour in recent weeks after hip surgery put him out of action for most of the spring and summer, opened with a two under 69 to share eighth place in France, where Rice and Kilpatrick are tied 23rd after level par 71s. Scorecards

At Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire, Headfort’s Brian Casey dropped three shots in his last two holes to card a disappointing four over par 76 and end the opening day five shots outside the qualifying places in joint 80th.

The former Mullingar Scratch Trophy winner started on the back nine and went out in 35 with two birdies and a bogey on his card. But he had a tough time on the front nine, limping home in 41.

After making three bogeys in a row from the third he followed a birdie at the sixth with a double bogey six at the eighth and a bogey at the ninth.

Casey still has time to recover at a venue where Englishman Laurie Canter carded a seven under par 65 to take a one stroke lead over Sean Einhaus of Germany, while Canter’s friend and former Walker Cup player Jack Senior was two shots further back in tied fourth place on four under par.

Liam Bond, who led at the midway stage of the ISPS Handa Wales Open at The Celtic Manor Resort in August, was in tied 17th place after an opening round 71 while promising South African Brandon Stone, who claimed a top ten finish in his professional debut at the BMW International Open in June, carded a level par 72.

John-Daniel Guiney is the best of the Irish at Frilford Heath after a one over 73 left him joint 48th, two shots outside the magic number.

Shane Franklin is tied 61st after a 74, Mike Kelly 68th after a 75 and Thomas Conran 101st after an 81. Scorecards

 South African Louis de Jager and American Wes Homan shot six under 65s to lead by a shot at Golf d’Hardelot from François Delamontagne, who has 207 European Tour appearances under his belt.

Turner made an early birdie at the 11th (his second) but racked up a double bogey seven at the 13th before making four birdies and just one bogey in a seven-hole stretch either side of the turn.

Rice had five birdies and five bogeys in his 71 while Kilpatrick had four birdies and a double bogey in his first seven holes before bogeys at the ninth and 18th left him tied for 23rd with the Limerick man on level par, just inside the qualifying spot.

European Tour Qualifying School - First Stage (Section D)

Frilford Heath (Par 72) Top 24 and ties to qualify

65 L Canter (Eng),

66 S Einhaus (Ger),

67 A Rai (Eng),

68 J Senior (Eng), B Khor (Eng), G Cowan (Eng),

69 J Colegate (Eng), C Griffiths (Eng), M Jager (Aus), B Briscoe (Wal),

70 D Skinns (Eng), R Brown (Eng), R Laino (Eng), M Wallace (Eng), D Wood (Eng), R Evans (am) (Eng),

71 L Cornford (Eng), J Bryant (USA), R Kellett (Sco), R Enoch (Wal), L Joy (Eng), J Rutherford (Eng), L Bond (Wal), J Watts (Eng), C Cossins (Eng), N McCarthy (Eng), J Kaske (Fin), S Davis (Eng), N Kimsey (am) (Eng),

<Top 24 and ties, above, will qualify for Second Stage after 72 holes>

72 J Zhao (Chn), J Jeong (Kor), E Wainwright (USA), J Dransfield (Eng), O Tite (Eng), S Matton (Eng), J Sloan (Eng), C Harrison (USA), R Boyns (Eng), G Payne (Eng), D Whitnell (Eng), P Shields (Sco), B Stone (RSA), J Day (Eng), J Wilkinson (Eng), G Fairfax (Aus), N Flynn (Eng), H Casey (am) (Eng),

73 G Hawkins (Eng), C Simpson (Eng), O Farr (Wal), John Daniel Guiney (Irl), T Bertoni (USA), J Banbury (Eng), K Crossland (Eng), R Harrison (Eng), M McCormack (Eng), G Guerin (Nzl), J Clarke (Eng), N Raymond (Eng), R Fieldhouse (Wal),

74 M Smith (Eng), T Wilde (Eng), R McGhee (Eng), A Kirakossian (USA), J Scade (Eng), Z Ouyang (Chn), Shane Franklin (Irl),

75 D James (Eng), Mike Kelly (Irl), J Campbell (Eng), C Lidyard (Eng), J Abbott (Eng), B Storey (Eng), D Jin (Chn), P Newman (Eng), M Mezei (Can), C Ford (Eng), D Salisbury (Eng), T Burden (Eng),

76 M Okon (Pol), P Woodbury (USA), W Wray (Eng), J Doherty (Sco), Brian Casey (Irl), P Spraggs (Eng),

77 D Rickwood (Eng), A Forster (Eng), A Mansell (Eng), J Winer (Eng), J Mumford (Eng), L O’Neill (Eng), J Harrison (Eng), S Garcia (Esp), Campbell (Eng), N Roche (Fra),

78 R Mestre (Esp), D Timms (Eng),

79 R Gurney (Eng),

80 J Findlay (Sco), B O’Dell (Eng),

81 Thomas Conran (Nir), G Gancedo Onieva (Esp).

Golf d’Hardelot (Par 71) Top 24 and ties to qualify

65 L De Jager (RSA), W Homan (USA),

67 F Delamontagne (Fra), P Doherty (Sco),

68 S Gros (Fra), G Houston (Wal), R Busher (am) (Eng),

69 S Campbell (Eng), D Antonelli (Fra), M Pastor (Esp), R Marguery (Fra), R Furrer (Sui), R Neil-Jones (Eng), Niall Turner (Irl), W Harmston (Eng), K Staunton (Eng), F De Vries (Ned),

70 C Gutierrez (Esp), F Eriksson (Swe), R Quintana (Fra), S Surry (Eng), H Porteous (RSA),

71 N Tacher (Fra), J Kureluk (Can), J Van Hauwe (Fra), R Bechu (Fra), D Markle (Can), Y Benson (Can), Tim Rice (Irl), T Adcock (Eng), D Nouailhac (Fra), J Clément (Sui), Richard Kilpatrick (Nir), B Evans (Eng), J Hiluta (Eng), A Sagar (Eng), A Bihan (Fra), R Roussel (am) (Fra),

<Top 24 and ties, above, will qualify for Second Stage after 72 holes>

72 S Yoon (USA), O Turnill (Eng), D Hupfer (Can), P Vejgaard (Den), L Bangerter (Eng), M Rocchi (Fra), P Couvert (Fra), J Gressier (Fra), F Serghini (Mar), C Tortuyaux (Fra), K Marques (am) (Aus),

73 J Mommo (Fin), L Robinson (Eng), J Little (Eng), G Watremez (Bel), T Sherreard (Eng), H Joannes (Bel), D Callaway (Eng), S Finley Ewing Iv (USA), O Loftsson (Isl), S Grewal (Eng), G Gilligan (Eng), R Schneider (Fra), D Perrier (Fra), T Tree (am) (Eng),

74 B Houle (Can), C Batut (Fra), M Bush (Eng), E Isasi (Par), S Grant (Eng), P Figueiredo (Por), R Saxton (Ned), K Matou (Fra), J Webber (Eng), M Davenport (Eng), G King (Eng), T Elissalde (am) (Fra),

75 T Le Flohic (Fra), K Nielsen (Den), A Savolainen (Fin), R Newman (Eng), M Flores (am) (Arg),

76 J Grillon (Fra), L Allen (Eng), J Ruebotham (Eng), M Dechambre (Ger), O Withofs (Bel), T Pfister (am) (Sui), S Daoust (am) (Bel),

77 F Abadie (Fra), B Van Deijl (Ned), M Johnston (Can), T Merkx (Ned), J Maw (Eng), O Rozner (Fra),

78 B Parker (Eng), N Floren (Swe), P Connell (Eng),

79 T Briset (Fra), D Thomas (Eng),

81 E West (Ber),

82 J Bordonado (am) (Fra),

84 S Chauffour (Fra),

** J Fuentes (Esp).