Golf: Five Scots on brink of progress from European Tour Q-School

By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Published on 14/09/2012 00:00

FIVE Scots are in qualifying places going into today’s final round of the European Tour Q-School stage one event at The Roxburghe, near Kelso.

Irishman Mark Staunton, who is 11 under par for 54 holes, holds a six-shot lead as he bids for a wire-to-wire victory, with one of his compatriots, Peter O’Keefe, having moved into second with a four-under 68 on day three.

After going one better, Englishman George Thacker is lying third, two shots ahead of the best-placed Scots, Neil Fenwick and Joel Hendry.

Fenwick slipped from second spot after a 75 to sit level-par for the tournament while Hendry boosted his hopes of progressing thanks to a 68.

Graham Fox, the Scottish PGA champion, is lying a shot further back, one ahead of both Paul Cormack and Scott Henderson.

The top nine and ties qualify for the second stage in Spain in November and just on the other side of that line with a round to go is Paul Shields, the only Scottish amateur in the field in the Borders.

Despite starting with a promising round of 70, Greg Nicolson missed the cut, as did fellow rookie Philip McLean and Ted Innes Ker, the Duke of Roxburghe’s son.