Q-School joy for Guiney

Ballybunion’s JD Guiney is through to November’s Second Stage of the European Tour’s Qualifying School.Ballybunion’s JD Guiney cruised through the First Stage of the European Tour’s Qualifying School in England but there was heartbreak for Muskerry’s Niall Turner and Limerick’s Tim Rice in France.

Guiney closed with a three under 69 at Frilford Heath ( scores), finishing tied for sixth on seven under par at the Oxfordshire venue where 29 players qualified on two under par or better.

The Listowel man now joins the exempt Stephen Grant and Brendan McCarroll as well as fellow First Stage qualifiers Alan Dubar , Niall earney , Dermot McElroy, Ruaidhri McGee, Colm Moriarty, Damian Mooney, Kevin Phelan and David awluk at the Second Stage, which will be played at four venues in Spain from November 2-5.

But while uiney was on a high after a round featuring an eagle and three birdies, Turner and Rice both failed to finish among the 27 qualifiers at Golf d’Hardelot in northern France, where level par as the qualifying mark ( scores).

Turner will almost certainly feel more disappointment having gone into the final round tied for eighth place, three strokes inside the crucial top 24 and ties.

His final round proved to be a bitter disappointment, however, as he made a triple bogey seven at the second and a double bogey seven at the sixth en route to a six over 77 that left him on two over 286, two strokes outside the qualifying places in joint 30th

Rice was just two shots outside the projected magic number on one over par with a round to play but finished poorly, playing his last six holes in five over for a 76 that left him six shots off the qualifying places on six over.

American Wes Homan Jnr coasted to victory at Golf d’Hardelot , carding a closing round of 66 to finish five shots clear of the field on 12 under par.

Meanwhile, lightning struck twice over at Frilford Heath as last year’s winner Liam Bond again found his name at the top of the leaderboard on the fourth and final day.

The Welshman closed with a round of 71 to finish top of the pile on 12 under par alongside the overnight leader Laurie Canter (75) and his fellow Englishman Jack Senior, who signed off with a 70.

Guiney’s success means that nine of the 28 Irish players who went to the First Stage are still in with a chance of winning one of 25 tour cards should they make it to the Final Stage at PGA Catalunya Resort from November 10-14.

Irish at the European Tour Qualifying School 2013

(did not qualify )

• Brian CASEY Headfort GC
• Thomas CONRAN
• Paul CUTLER Portstewart GC
• Alan DUNBAR Team Qualified for Second Stage
• Shane FRANKLIN
• Nicholas GRANT Knock GC
• Stephen GRANT The Heritage Exempt for Second Stage
• John-Daniel GUINEY Ballybunion GC Qualified for Second Stage
• Andrew HOGAN (AM) Newlands GC
• David P JONES Bushfoot GC
• Niall KEARNEY Royal Dublin/ Team Ireland Qualified for Second Stage
• Mike KELLY
• Richard KILPATRICK Banbridge GC
• Matt MCALPIN (AM) Royal Portrush
• Brendan MCCARROLL Ballyliffin Exempt for Second Stage
• Dermot MCELROY (AM) Ballymena GC Qualified for Second Stage
• Ruaidhri MCGEE Rosapenna Qualified for Second Stage
• Cian MCNAMARA Monkstown GC
• Colm MORIARTY Glasson Golf Hotel & CC Qualified for Second Stage
• Damian MOONEY Ballyliffin GC Qualified for Second Stage
• Gary MURPHY
• Mark MURPHY Waterville GC
• Peter O’Keeffe
• Kevin PHELAN Waterford Castle Qualified for Second Stage
• David RAWLUK The Island GC Qualified for Second Stage
• Tim RICE Limerick GC
• Mark STAUNTON Ballinasloe GC
• Niall TURNER Team Ireland
• Simon WARD (AM) Belvoir Park
• Reeve WHITSON (AM) Mourne GC

Final scores from Golf d’Hardelot (qualifying mark was 284)

Qualifiers

272 W Homan (USA) 65 72 69 66,

277 L De Jager ; (RSA ) 65 71 71 70, B Evans ; (Eng) 71 67 68 71,

278 F De Vries ; (Ned) 69 70 69 70, H Porteous (RSA ) 70 62 73 73, Y Benson (Can) 71 74 64 69, D Perrier (Fra ) 73 72 64 69, M Pastor (Esp ) 69 68 70 71,

279 T Sherreard ; (Eng) 73 68 69 69,

281 C Batut (Fra ) 74 65 73 69, F Eriksson (Swe ) 70 68 69 74, F Delamontagne ; (Fra ) 67 70 74 70, D Markle (Can) 71 67 72 71, S Campbell (Eng) 69 68 73 71, P Doherty (Sco ) 67 76 68 70,

282 R Busher (am) (Eng) 68 72 72 70,

283 W Harmston (Eng) 69 75 72 67, G Houston (Wal ) 68 69 76 70,

284 D Antonelli (Fra ) 69 70 71 74, P Couvert (Fra ) 72 67 74 71, S Finley Ewing Iv (USA) 73 70 72 69, J Webber (Eng) 74 71 70 69, R Neil-Jones (Eng) 69 75 74 66, D Callaway (Eng) 73 74 68 69, D Hupfer (Can) 72 67 73 72, H Joannes ; (Bel ) 73 70 72 69, J Mommo ; (Fin) 73 67 71 73,

Non-quaifiers

285 S Gros (Fra ) 68 71 73 73, R Bechu (Fra ) 71 69 73 72,

286 O Loftsson (Isl ) 73 67 72 74, Niall Turner (Irl ) 69 67 73 77 , D Nouailhac (Fra ) 71 72 72 71, S Surry (Eng) 70 69 72 75, R Furrer (Sui ) 69 69 76 72, T Elissalde (am) (Fra ) 74 69 67 76, K Marques (am) (Aus ) 72 70 73 71,

287 G King (Eng) 74 69 71 73, T Briset (Fra ) 79 72 67 69, T Tree (am) (Eng) 73 71 71 72, R Roussel (am) (Fra ) 71 74 72 70,

288 C Tortuyaux (Fra ) 72 72 75 69, K Staunton ; (Eng) 69 74 75 70, A Sagar (Eng) 71 75 72 70, O Turnill ; (Eng) 72 70 74 72, B Parker ; (Eng) 78 71 69 70, R Schneider (Fra ) 73 71 70 74, R Saxton (Ned) 74 73 71 70, R Marguery (Fra ) 69 71 72 76, J Ruebotham (Eng) 76 71 71 70,

289 S Grewal ; (Eng) 73 70 73 73, P Figueiredo ; (Por ) 74 73 72 70, K Nielsen (Den) 75 69 72 73, C Garrido (Esp ) 70 72 71 76, M occhi (Fra ) 72 73 73 71,

290 Tim Rice (Irl ) 71 71 72 76 , A Savolainen ; (Fin) 75 71 68 76,

291 M Johnston (Can) 77 69 70 75, S Yoon (USA) 72 72 71 76, T Adcock (Eng) 71 76 72 72,

292 J Little ; (Eng) 73 75 69 75,

293 E Isasi (Par) 74 71 72 76,

296 R Quintana (Fra ) 70 72 77 77,

** J Grillon (Fra ) 76 67 72 RT , J Van Hauwe (Fra ) 71 72 75 RT, G Watremez (Bel ) 73 68 72 RT

Final scores from Frilford Heath (qualifying mark was 286)

Qualifiers

276 L Bond (Wal ) 71 67 67 71, J Senior (Eng) 68 68 70 70, L Canter (Eng) 65 70 66 75,

277 N Kimsey (am) (Eng) 71 71 70 65,

280 J Jeong (Kor ) 72 70 70 68,

281 B Stone (RSA ) 72 69 71 69, J Banbury (Eng) 73 67 69 72, J Rutherford (Eng) 71 70 66 74, JD Guiney (Irl ) 73 72 67 69, J Watts (Eng) 71 72 67 71, D Skinns ; (Eng) 70 70 71 70, D Wood (Eng) 70 69 72 70,

283 K Crossland (Eng) 73 70 70 70, J Doherty ; (Sco ) 76 71 66 70, J Wilkinson (Eng) 72 70 71 70, C Griffiths (Eng) 69 67 71 76, L Cornford (Eng) 71 68 76 68,

284 S Einhaus (Ger ) 66 74 73 71, J Dransfield ; (Eng) 72 70 70 72, J Abbott (Eng) 75 66 67 76,

285 S Matton (Eng) 72 70 74 69, M Jager (Aus ) 69 72 72 72, J Kaske (Fin) 71 74 73 67,

286 J Sloan (Eng) 72 73 71 70, T Bertoni (USA) 73 74 68 71, M Wallace (Eng) 70 73 70 73, R Brown (Eng) 70 69 73 74, A Rai (Eng) 67 72 75 72, R Evans (am) (Eng) 70 71 70 75

Non-qualifiers

287 R Boyns (Eng) 72 71 70 74, O Farr (Wal ) 73 67 72 75, C Harrison (USA) 72 72 74 69,

288 N McCarthy ; (Eng) 71 75 72 70, M Mezei (Can) 75 73 69 71, Z Ouyang (Chn ) 74 70 73 71, R Kellett (Sco ) 71 70 71 76, S Garcia (Esp ) 77 70 68 73, J Day (Eng) 72 71 69 76, R Enoch (Wal ) 71 73 69 75,

289 J Bryant (USA) 71 73 72 73, G Cowan (Eng) 68 74 74 73, P Newman (Eng) 75 69 75 70, G Hawkins (Eng) 73 68 73 75, H Casey (am) (Eng) 72 73 68 76,

290 L Joy (Eng) 71 75 74 70, J Colegate (Eng) 69 70 75 76, G Fairfax (Aus ) 72 72 74 72, S Davis (Eng) 71 76 68 75, C Cossins (Eng) 71 70 71 78,

291 T Burden (Eng) 75 69 73 74,

292 A Kirakossian (USA) 74 71 72 75, D Whitnell (Eng) 72 68 72 80,

293 B Briscoe (Wal ) 69 71 80 73, J Campbell (Eng) 75 70 72 76, R Laino (Eng) 70 75 73 75, R Harrison (Eng) 73 73 70 77,

294 N Raymond (Eng) 73 73 74 74,

295 N Flynn (Eng) 72 73 74 76, D Salisbury (Eng) 75 73 72 75, J Clarke (Eng) 73 72 73 77,

296 J Zhao (Chn ) 72 72 76 76, M McCormack (Eng) 73 74 73 76, C Ford (Eng) 75 72 73 76,

297 T Wilde (Eng) 74 76 70 77, J Scade (Eng) 74 71 72 80,

298 C Lidyard (Eng) 75 69 76 78, 299 E Wainwright (USA) 72 75 73 79.