Challenge Tour, European TourBrian KeoghOctober 16, 2012Brendan McCarroll, European Tour Qualifying School, Gareth Shaw, Noel FoxComment

15 Irish set for PQ-2 tests

Challenge Tour, European TourBrian KeoghOctober 16, 2012Brendan McCarroll, European Tour Qualifying School, Gareth Shaw, Noel FoxComment

Alan Dunbar is one of 15 Irish players heading for the second stage of the European Tour Qualifying School next month. Picture by Pat CashmanAlps Tour graduates Brendan McCarroll and Gareth Shaw and former Walker Cup player Noel Fox - medical exemption - will join Ireland’s 12 stage one survivors in next month’s European Tour Qualifying School Stage Two qualifiers in Spain.

Fox and Shaw will tee it up at El Saler in Valencia alongside recently-crowned Irish PGA champion David Higgins and Murcia-based Derryman Ruaidhri McGee.

McCarroll will be in action at Las Colinas Golf and Country Club in Alicante with Florida-based Chris Devlin, Waterville native Mark Murphy and Warrenpoint’s Barrie Trainor, who finished third in the PGA Irish Region Order of Merit.

Newlands’ Cian Curley will be hooking up with Douglas’ Peter O’Keeffe, now a PGA apprentice at Muskerry, and Limerickman Tim Rice at El Valle Golf Resort in Murcia.

The remaining four Irishmen - Mark Staunton, Jonny Caldwell, Niall Kearney and reigning British Amateur champion Alan Dunbar, will play on the northeast coast at Tarragona’s Lumine Golf and Beach Club.

Approximately 310 players will line up at those four venues from November 7-10 with about 80 progressing through to the Final Stage at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona from November 24-29 where the top 25 and ties after six rounds (108 holes) will earn Category 11 (b) membership of the European Tour and and Category 4 (a) of the Challenge Tour for 2013.

Players who fail to make the 72-hole cut at PGA Catalunya get Category 12 membership of the Challenge Tour.