Power makes strong move at Qualifying School in Spain
Mark Power gets in some putting practice at Mount Juliet Estate.
Kilkenny’s Mark Power made a big move in his quest for a DP World Tour card when he made six birdies in a five-under 67 at the Final Stage of the Qualifying School in Spain.
While none of the five Irish hopefuls are inside the top 20 and ties who will receive the strongest cards available after six rounds at Infinitum Golf in Tarragona, two-time Walker Cup player Power (25) is just two shots outside the magic number on five under par after two rounds.
He started brilliantly on the tricky Hills Course, which is one of two venues the 156-man field must play twice before the 72-hole cut decides the top 60 and ties who will continue the battle for two more days.
Three birdies in a row from the 11th, followed by further birdies at the 15th, fourth and seventh got him to six under before he dropped his lone shot of the day at the par-three eighth.
“I’m very happy with today,” Power said. “It was a really solid round, and I played great. Hopefully, I can keep that up for the next few days.”
Power’s excellent score moved up 60 places to 26th on five under, leaving him six strokes behind the leaders, American Alex Goff and Sweden’s Oliver Gillberg.
Alex Goff of the United States in action on day two of the DP World Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Goff shot a four-under 67 and Gillberg a 66 on the Lakes Course to lead on 11 under from Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith, South Africa’s Zander Lombard, Italy’s Gregorio de Leo and England’s Matthew Baldwin.
Exactly 20 players are on seven-under par or better, which leaves a host of DP World Tour winners on the outside looking in.
They include former US Open runner-up Gregory Bourdy, India’s Shubhankar Sharma and five-time DP World Tour winner Marc Warren of Scotland, who are tied for 35th on four-under with Portmarnock’s Conor Purcell.
The Dubliner (28) made an eagle and four birdies on the Hills Course but signed for a 69 that leaves him with work to do to regain the card he won via the HotelPlanner Tour standings last year.
Making the top 60 and ties who make the 72-hole cut is crucial for players who have limited or no status on the second-tier tour.
Even if they miss out on the top 20 and ties, they can earn one of three categories of HotelPlanner Tour membership depending on where they finish after six rounds.
While Max Kennedy (24) is exempt on the HotelPlanner Tour after a strong rookie season, he finds himself tied for 79th on one under with John-Ross Galbraith (31) and Cormac Sharvin (33), who have no HotelPlanner Tour status.
Kennedy started with three birdies in his first three holes on the Hills Course, but three bogeys in his next seven holes saw him sign for a costly 72.
Galbraith shot a one-over 72 on the Hills, where former DP World Tour player Sharvin, now a PGA trainee at Elm Park, made five birdies in a 69 to move up 29 places on the leaderboard.
The top 60 and ties are on three-under, which means that tour winners such as Oliver Wilson, Eddie Pepperell and former Ryder Cup player Chris Wood are a shot outside that projected mark with work to do before Monday evening’s cut-off.
