Scots remain in contention as Tour school nears climax

TWO Scots – Steven O’Hara and Gary Orr – are sitting in card positions heading into the sixth and final round of the European Tour Qualifying School in Girona.

As the tough examination got down to the nitty-gritty at PGA Catalunya, O’Hara cemented his position just outside the top ten with a two-under 70 for a 13-under total of 343. It left the Motherwell man five shots behind new leader David Dixon but, more importantly, sitting comfortably in his bid to secure one of the 30 cards up for grabs.

O’Hara had a mixed bag of five birdies and three bogeys but, over five rounds, the 31-year-old has achieved the important target of keeping his mistakes to a minimum.

The same applies to the experienced Orr, though the two-time Tour winner slipped eight spots after a 73 – his worst score of the week. The 44-year-old, who signed for two birdies and three bogeys, is sitting in a share of 28th on 348, leaving him little room for error in the last-round shoot-out.

Chris Doak, the only other Scot to qualify for the final two rounds, is still in with a chance of making amends for his disappointment in the same event last year, when he missed out by a single shot. The former Tartan Tour No 1 is lying in a tie for 39th on 348, leaving him two shots outside the qualifying mark with 18 holes to go.

Doak also signed for a 73 in the fifth round, a bogey at the fifth having been cancelled out by a birdie-4 at the long 12th until he dropped a shot at the last. Dixon, winner of the St Omer Open on the Tour in 2008, took over from fellow Englishman Sam Hutsby at the head of affairs after a five-under-par 67. He leads by one from Germany’s Bernd Ritthammer, with former Walker Cup player Hutsby a further shot adrift following his 67.