Cut is Made at Qualifying School

IF YOU are going to produce the round of your life then the ideal time and place to do so is at the Final Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School. And that is precisely what Nathan Kimsey did in round four of six at PGA Catalunya Resort when he shot a nine-under-par 61 that leaves his three shots clear after 72 holes.

The 23-year-old Englishman had an astonishing finish - having already enjoyed one eagle on the back nine, he birdied the 16th and 17th and found another eagle at the 18th.

“I can’t quite put it into words really,” he said. “I was playing quite well and had it at five under going into the last three holes and I knew they were three decent chances, so I just tried to give myself putts for birdie every hole.

“I hit a couple of good wedge shots into 16 and 17 and then found the middle of the green in two down the last and I just tried to lag it up close and it happened to drop in for the eagle three, and turned a good score into a great score.

“That’s the lowest I’ve ever shot – I’ve had a 63 before, but nothing like that kind of score in a week as big as this, so it was definitely the right time to do it with all this at stake.

“There’s still a lot of golf to be played, 36 holes around a pretty tough golf course, so heading out today I was really just trying to consolidate my position inside the cut – playing on the Tour Course I knew there would be some opportunities for me but I was just looking to get anything under par.

“I had it going well and then that finish has shot me right up there, so it’s changed my situation a little but I’m just going to try to keep doing what I have done over these last few days in the next couple of rounds.

“I was feeling OK coming here. I played quite nicely for the most part at Second Stage last week, and I’d been playing better towards the end of this season, so I knew my game was coming around the right way, but I never could have guessed I’d have gone out and shot something like this, it’s just a great feeling.

“I’m going to approach the final two rounds just the same as I have this whole week. I’ve played nicely round the Stadium Course all week, under par for both rounds there so far – the main thing is to keep it in play off the tee, so I’ll try to do that and then just stick to the same things I’ve been doing.”

Behind Kimsey on nine under par are Robert Coles, Richard McEvoy, Edoardo Molinari and Jeff Winther but the real gut-wrenching action concerned the cut line, with the top 70 and ties making it through to a 36-hole shootout on the Stadium Course, after which the top 25 and ties will earn European Tour cards.

Ultimately the cut fell at level par - 284- with 72 players set for the final two days including Ireland’s Gary Hurley and Northern Irishman Michael Hoey, who both squeezed through on the mark with impressive birdies on the last..

With the group in second place on 275, it means that 71 players are separated by just nine shots - anybody who can put together two decent closing rounds can still make the promised land.

Among those who failed to make the cut are Craig Lee, Roope Kakko, Richard Finch, Brett Rumford, Michael Jonzon and Alvaro Quiros, all of whom have some difficult decisions to make about their futures now. Quiros is a former winner of the Dubai Desert Classic and can expect to receive plenty of tournament invitations next year. The others will have to ask themselves if they really want to spend a year grinding it out on the Challenge Tour.