Max Kennedy broke 70 for the third day running to be one of three Irish players inside the qualifying spots with a round to play at the Second Stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School in Spain.

The Royal Dublin man (24) made eight birdies in a six-under 66 to share fifth place at Isla Canela Links, where the top 24 will progress to next week's gruelling six-round Final Stage in Tarragona.

Kennedy was just two shots behind leader Mats Ege and Ben Warian in Huelva, where Cormac Sharvin's level par 71 left him just two shots outside the top 24 in joint 33rd on six under.

It was also a good day for Whitehead's John Ross Galbraith and Kilkenny's Mark Power at Desert Springs Golf Club in Almería.

Galbraith made an eagle and four birdies in a bogey-free 66 to move up to 11th on nine under in the race to make the top 24 who qualify for the Final Stage, where the top 20 and ties will win cards.

Power made an eagle and three birdies in a 69 to share 14th on eight under, but Dermot McElroy and Hugh Foley look to have too much to do after carding a brace of 75s.

McElroy was tied for 60th on two over, eight shots outside the qualifying places, with Foley two strokes further back in joint 62nd.

As for the rest of the Irish, it was a mixed bag once more.

Paul McBride just two shots outside the all-important top 23 after one-over 72 at Golf Las Pinaillas in Albacete, but Robert Moran's closing triple bogey eight left him seven shots outside the mark after a 74.

Just 24 players qualify at Fontanals Golf Club in Girona, but while David Carey shot a three-under 68 to move up to 46th on two-under, he was four shots outside the qualifying places.

Tom Dowdall was two shots further back after he shot 74 to slip to 57th on level par, while popular Englishman Eddie Pepperell fired a 67 to jump to 15th.

Winning one of 20 cards at the HotelPlanner Tour's Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A in Mallorca is also beyond Liam Nolan, whose one-over 73 left him 43rd in the 45-man field on six over.

Only the top 20 in the final Road to Mallorca Rankings will win promotion and Nolan is projected to fall two spots to 45th.

The Galway man can still win his card at the Final Stage of the Qualifying School next week, but England's James Morrison (40) might only have to wait until Sunday.

A sparkling, bogey-free 65 gave the veteran a three-stroke lead and put him within touching distance of a fairytale return to the DP World Tour.

The two-time DP World Tour winner, who entered the week in 36th position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, leads from Scotland's Euan Walker and South African Daniel van Tonder on 13 under.

The Englishman, who has his 13-year-old son Finley caddying for him, would leap from 36th to eighth in the standings with a win.

"I've still got one day to go," Morrison said. "I've been here before so many times on the DP World Tour.

"I could shoot 105 tomorrow. I could shoot 65, I'm open to any of that and I've been there and done that both ways.

"I'll do the same thing tonight with the family and come to the course tomorrow and see what happens."

He added: "I've got to try and tell myself I'm the experienced man here and that I've done it before. I've got to keep going with that theory."

Englishman Joshua Berry and Italian Stefano Mazzoli share fourth on nine under par, while Frenchman Félix Mory, Swede Albin Bergstrom and South African JC Ritchie are a shot further back in sixth.

Ritchie is projected to finish the season as HotelPlanner Tour Number One and would become the first player from South Africa to win the Rankings.

Daniel Slabbert (left) and Kipp Popert. Picture: Getty Images

Lawlor third in G4D Tour Series Finale

Kipp Popert and Daniel Slabbert both secured dominant victories in the Gross and Net events at the G4D Tour Series Finale @ Rolex Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada.

Englishman Popert made it back-to-back Series Finale wins after easing to a seven-shot triumph at the Alcúdia venue, and the top-ranked disability golfer is now a 16-time winner as both an individual and team member on the G4D Tour since its inception in 2022.

Popert, who held a seven-shot lead going into the final day following rounds of 69-75 over the opening two rounds, maintained that advantage after closing with a one-under-par 71 to end the week on one under par, with New Zealand’s Lachlan Wood in solo second.

Brendan Lawlor finished third on 12 over after a 77, while in the Net, Mark Clougherty was second, ten strokes behind Slabbert after a closing 86.