Power surge at Q-School

West Waterford’s Seamus Power shot up the leaderboard when he fired a three under 69 in the second round of the US PGA Tour Q-School first stage qualifier at Lantana in Texas.

The former East Tennessee State and Irish amateur star went to the turn in one-over par but stormed home in 32 with the highlight an eagle three at the par-five 14th, his second eagle of the week so far.

As a result, Power moved up to tied 19th on three-under par, leaving him 11 shots off the lead but just inside the top 23 and ties who will progress to next month’s second stage.

Waterville’s Mark Murphy (72) and Dungannon’s Fergal Rafferty (71) are tied for 37th and two shots outside the qualifying places on one-under par with two rounds to play.

Ballyliffin’s Thomas Kearney, a San Antonio resident, was on course for a sub-70 round when he picked up three shots on his outward journey over Lantana’s back nine. But while he handed two shots back on the homeward journey at the Dallas-Forth Worth venue, he’s thinking positively after a one-under 71 got him back to level par for the tournament.

“Looking forward to tomorrow. Going to stay aggressive, commit to my game plan and watch the putts drop,” he said on Twitter @tkearneygolf.

Muskerry’s Niall Turner produced a spirited fightback to shoot a level par 72 after three bogeys in his first six holes left him reeling on six-over.

The former Irish Close runner-up birdied the seventh and 10th before following a bogey at the par-three 11th with birdies at the 15th and 16th.

Tied 62nd on three-over par, Turner urgently needs a low round to get his Q-School campaign back on track as he lies six shots outside the qualifying places with just two rounds to go.