Golf: Saltman brothers face a nerve-jangling final day

Lothians brothers Lloyd and Elliot Saltman were set for a tense closing day in the European Tour's qualifying school final at PGA Catalunya in Girona.

As the pressure continued to mount in the north east of Spain yesterday, former Open silver medal winner Lloyd posted a one-over par 73 on the Stadium course for a nine-under par 347 and finished on the card-winning limit of the leading 30.

Saltman's older brother Elliot, sharing the lead after three rounds, continued his slide down the order, however, and a second successive two-over par 74 left him two shots outside of the qualifying zone with a seven-under 349.

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Lloyd's bid for promotion to the top table looked to be veering off course when he leaked shots at five, seven and nine to reach the turn in three over.

But a battling run of three birdies in four holes, kick-started by a five-iron to five-feet for a three on the tenth, dragged him back to level-par although a three-putt bogey at 16 left a bitter taste in Saltman's mouth. "I was almost really pleased with that round," said Lloyd, who nearly made a birdie on the last when his monstrous putt from 60ft lipped out. "The middle part was not looking pretty but I fought back well. It could've easily been a 75 or a 76 so I'm happy although the 16th left me a bit bitter. It's better to be in the top 30 than out of it with a round to play and I now have to make sure I stay in there."

Elliot is now on the outside looking in and a damaging two-over round has left the 28-year-old needing to produce a charge on the final day to gatecrash the European Tour places.

Things were looking good for the eldest Saltman sibling when he covered his opening eight holes in two under but the momentum was halted with a crippling double-bogey on the ninth. That sparked an eventful inward half and, despite a further three birdies, a dropped shot at ten, a double-bogey at 14 and back-to-back bogeys at 17 and 18 saw Saltman limp home. "I tend to make things hard for myself," admitted Elliot.

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