Naas' Jonathan Yates got off to an excellent start in his last minute bid to secure a Challenge Tour card at the Alps Tour Grand Final in Italy.

The Naas golfer made five birdies in a two-under 70 at Golf Nazionale in Lazio near Rome.

He's just three strokes behind Order to Merit leader Edoardo Lipparelli who shot a five-under 67 to lead by a stroke from Argentina's Martin Contini.

Castleknock's David Carey shares 23rd place on one-over after a 73 in the final event of the season, and like Yates, he's looking for a big payday so he can claim one of five Challenge Tour cards on offer for the leading money winners at the end of the season.

With the winner receiving 11,000 points and the runner-up 7,000, both Irishmen have an opportunity to make a big move.

Lipparelli leads by 3,655 points from his Italian compatriot Enrico di Nitto with France's Frédéric Lacroix, already prompted to the Challenge Tour after winning three times this season, 4,863 points behind in third,

Fourth-ranked Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez from Spain is not in action as he is currently ranked twelfth on the Challenge Tour which means that Timon Baltl from Austria is effectively fifth and France's Xavier Poncelet sixth.

Poncelet has won 16,898 points this season which means he's vulnerable to 11th-ranked Carey, who is just 3,873 points adrift of the final Challenge Tour spot.

Yates is 16th, 5,076 points off fifth place which means that like Carey, he will likely need to contend for the title to have a chance.

Of the top 5 players on the Order of Merit, just two of them are in the top ten after the first round - Lipparelli (1st) and Poncelet (5th). Lacroix (3rd) is tied 11th after a 71 with Di Nitto (2nd) tied 20th after a 72 and Baltl (4th) tied 23rd with Carey after his 73.

Alps Tour Grand Final, Terre dei Consoli GC (Par 72)

Detailed scores

Round 1 :

1, E R Lipparelli (ITA) 67;

2, M Contini (ARG) 68;

T3, D Porsius (NED), A Hidalgo Portillo (ESP), E Catherine (FRA), X Poncelet (FRA) 69;

T7, V Londot Lopes (POR), M Eggenberger (SUI), Jonathan Yates (IRL), T Beaucousin (FRA) 70.

T23, David Carey (IRL) 73.