The results from the PGA Catalunya Tour Course would suggest it was playing somewhat easier as Andrew Tampion of Scotland and Jean-François Lucquin of France carded five under par rounds of 65 on Sunday to lead day one of the Final Stage of European Tour Qualifying – with up to six players trailing the duo on 4 under - all having also played the same course.
The best score on the Stadium course remains three under par by Ron Kulacz of Australia and Thomas Norret of Denmark.
Northern Ireland’s Damian Mooney started his battle on Sunday on the Tour Course - having not teed off at all on Saturday - and promptly birdied his first hole, the par four tenth, and added another shot at the 13th to move to two under par in a share of 20th place.
However consecutive bogeys on 15 and 16 left Mooney making the turn level but with more birdies to follow on the 1st and 7th to finish with a 70 and leading the Irish challengers on day one.
Simon Thornton of Team Ireland resumed play on Sunday three shots to the good - after 12 holes on Saturday – and dropped a shot on his first hole but managed to recover it on the fifteenth with a birdie. But three consecutive bogeys on 16, 17 and 18 saw the 2010 European Tour Rookie drop back to level par after the first round in 59th spot..
Colm Moriarty of Team Ireland ended Saturday playing only nine holes in 2 over par and on resuming on Sunday the Athlone man birdied holes 6 and 7 - to go level. But then a double bogey on the 8th left him back where he had started the day in 104th place but with five more rounds to make right.
The third Team Ireland player, Niall Kearney, started his day one over par after twelve holes the previous day and returned to action on Sunday only to drop shots on holes 5, 6 and 8 to finish in 135th place on 4 over par.
