Stage Two of The European Tour Qualifying School got off to a low scoring start at all three venues on the east coast of Spain, as 138 out of the 252 players doing battle for the 89 places on offer at next week’s Finals went under par at the Club de Golf Oliva Nova, Oliva, Valencia, El Bosque Golf and Country Club, Chiva, Valencia, and Emporda Golf Club, Girona.
England’s Iain Pyman leads the way at the Club de Golf Oliva Nova, after his stunning opening round of nine under par 63 left him one shot clear of Norway’s Oyvind Rojahn and three ahead of Northern Irishman Raymond Burns, Sweden’s Magnus Persson Atlevi and the Frenchman Thomas Prevot.
Twenty-nine Finals places are available to the 83 competitors at both the Club de Golf Oliva Nova and Emporda Golf Club, where Australia’s Paul Marantz, who is attempting to hold onto the European Tour Card he won at last year’s Qualifying School Finals at the same venue, carded his own round of nine under par 63 to take a one shot lead from Frenchman Sebastien Delagrange and Ireland’s Ciaran McMonagle.
At the third Stage Two venue – El Bosque Golf and Country Club – England’s Denny Lucas went to the top of the leaderboard with an opening round of seven under 65 – giving the 27 year old a one shot lead over the Swedish Amateur Oskar Henningsson and Benoit Teilleria of France.
There will be 31 Qualifying School Finals places available to the 86 players at El Bosque Golf and Country Club.
In the result of a tie at any of the three Stage Two venues at the conclusion of play on Saturday, a play-off will determine who advances to next week’s European Tour Qualifying School Finals at San Roque Club, with the players that miss out filling the Alternate Spots in case of withdrawals.
