Day two of the Apls Tour Q-School provided plenty of action on Friday over three venues across Italy. Two of the three venues managed to get everyone home and dry, but a fog delay meant that players were still on course at Golf del Ducato-La Rocca when play was suspended for the evening for poor light. Those remaining players will return at 8am on Saturday to tidy up their final rounds. The Irish duo of Paul Eivers and Liam Power both managed to bank their rounds before the suspension of play.
Power will have more than a passing interest in the morning session on Saturday, having gone around with a three-over [75]. He currently sits two shots outside the projected qualification line for next week’s Q-School Final Stage. Three dropped shots and 15 pars saw Power tied for 33rd at the suspension of play with the top 26 progressing. He will have a nervy watching brief in the morning and will be hoping for slip-ups from those returning players.
Eivers had a more difficult day in Parma with a bruising round of 80 [+8]. Despite taming a par three on either nine with twos on the ninth and 16th, it was runs of three bogeys on each leg added to a double on the eighth did most of the damage on a disappointing second round.
GOLF DEL DUCATO-LA ROCCA LEADERBOARD:
Meanwhile on Conero GC there were much better fortunes for the Irish contingent. A round of par [71] was more than enough to see Brandon St. John comfortably qualify for next weeks action. The 21-year-old traded one birdie and bogey on each leg today, recovering both dropped shots within a couple of holes to finish impressively on a tie for third spot. He will be in the mix in the qualification shake up coming up.
Joining him next week will be Tom Dowdall who, despite a three-over-par [74] on Friday, found himself with a shot to spare in the qualification places with +5 enough to make the grade at Conero GC. The 26-year-old had a battle on his hands on day two with three birdies on his way around helping to cancel out some of his six dropped shots. He finished up his week with a share of 19th position.
Golf Club Le Fonti was no friend to the Irish players this week. Karl Goodwin was a retiree on Friday and his compatriot Alan Browne had a repeat of Thursday’s struggles. Four doubles holed Browne below the waterline and his 81 saw him finish off a chastening week on +25.
GOLF CLUB LE FONTI LEADERBOARD:
So far 55 men have secured their ticket to join those with exemptions for the Final Stages next week with 26 more to be added with the remaining groups in Parma to tidy up their rounds on Saturday morning. The final event of Q-School, which will take place at Golf Nazionale and Terre dei Consoli Golf Club in Northern Rome from November 13th-15th. After next week’s event, the best-ranked players can earn playing status for the 2025 season.