Solid Nolan keeps card bid on track in Mallorca
Julien Sale. Picture: Getty
Galway’s Liam Nolan insists he just has to keep doing what he’s doing after carding a 69 to keep his DP World Tour card bid on track at the final-counting Grand Final in Mallorca.
The Bearna native (26) lies 10th in the Road to Mallorca standings with the top 15 on Sunday night earning promotion from the HotelPlanner Tour to the main tour next season.
A top-seven finish would mathematically secure Nolan’s card, but after making four birdies in a three-under 69 in the second round at Club de Golf Alcanada, he was tied for 18th in the 45-man field at five-under and projected to fall just two places to 12th.
“Really solid,” Nolan said of a round that left him eight shots behind leader Julien Sale on five-under. “Very happy with the score.
“One better than yesterday and playing solid. Kind of lacking that odd bit of magic. But really happy with the way I’m playing.”
Consistency has been key for Nolan in just his second season as a professional.
He has recorded one win and four top-10 finishes in his 21 starts so far on the second-tier tour and missed just six cuts.
He has refused all season to let himself get obsessed with the rankings, and after overcoming trickier second-round conditions, he’s pleased to have coach Kenny Fahey with him this week as he looks to take his mind off the race for his card.
“I’m not really looking too much at the leaderboard,” he said. “I’m just happy with the way I’m playing. It’s been very solid.
“So I’m happy with that. And then I’m just going to try and keep doing that for the next couple of days.
“It’s the same approach I’ve taken all year. As I said, like really happy with how I’m playing. So I’m just going to keep doing that and see what happens then.”
As for the presence of fellow Galway man Fahey, he said: “Unbelievable. He’s a real calming presence, especially in the evenings.
“You spend the evenings laughing with him, and he’s a character, so it’s great to have him around. You’re more easily entertained when he’s here.”
Sale (29) birdied seven of his last 10 holes, coming home in 30 blows to add a 65 to his opening 66 and lead by a shot from the Netherlands’ Lars van der Vight, who also shot 65, on 13-under.
The Frenchman, who is already assured of promotion, is projected to top the season-long Rankings and become the first Frenchman to achieve the feat since Mike Lorenzo-Vera 19 years ago.
“Today was a great round, and I cannot believe I made ten birdies,” he said. “I’ve been playing really well and managed to make a couple of putts, which was nice. I had a couple of mistakes, but the birdies were there.”
Overnight leader Joseba Torres, who has uncle José María Olazábal mentoring him this week, shot 68 to sit alone in third on 11-under as he chases the sixth-place finish he needs to earn promotion,
American John Catlin holds solo fourth on 10-under par, one stroke clear of England’s Matthew Southgate and South African MJ Daffue.
On the LPGA Tour, defending champion Miyu Yamashita shot a six-under 66 Friday to take a two-stroke lead in the Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
The world number four led on 13-under par from Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez and French rookie Pauline Roussin-Bouchard.
Leona Maguire slipped to 60th on one-over after a 73, while Lauren Walsh shot 71 to move up to 65th on two-over in the no-cut event.
At the Ladies European Tour’s Wistron Ladies Open in Chinese Taipei, local hope Cheng-Hsuan Shih shot a second consecutive six-under 66 to lead by one stroke from Thailand’s PK Kongkraphan at Sunrise Golf and Country Club.
Anna Foster birdied the 16th and 17th to shoot 70 and make the cut with a shot to spare two-under, while Douglas’ Sara Byrne made the weekend on the mark, also after a 70.
