Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy kept his hopes of winning a DP World Tour card alive when he closed with an eight-under 62 before being beaten in a three-way playoff for the Challenge de España.

He lost out to Frenchman Martin Couvra, who became only the seventh amateur in history to win on the European Challenge Tour when he beat McElroy (30) with a par at the second extra hole.

Couvra carded a five-under 65 at Club de Golf Playa Serena in Almería to tie on 12-under with McElroy and Italy’s Andrea Pavan, who bowed out with a bogey at the first tie hole.

McElroy and Pavan shared the first prize and pocketed €33,750 each, with the Ballymena man jumping 52 spots to 56th in the Road to Mallorca rankings and into the field for this week’s Open de Portugal.

The top 45 in the rankings qualify for the season-ending Challenge Tour Rolex Grand Final supported by the R&A in Mallorca.

If McElroy qualifies for the Grand Final, he will have a chance to make the top 20 in the Rankings who will be awarded DP World Tour cards for next season.

“You know, it gives me good confidence because obviously all year I've been working hard,” McElroy said.

“I've been practising hard. I've been playing generally okay, just not really getting the scores together. 

“So it’s nice to start to see a result come in. It's great. It's very satisfying.”