Higgins and Gribben head Irish challenge

Paddy Gribben and Gary Murphy both shot level par 72s at San Roque and Sotogrande today in the first round of the European Tour qualifying school finals.

Ireland’s Philip Walton and David Higgins shot two-over par 74s and are still very much in the hunt after day one.

The leading 75 players after four rounds this week, two at each course, will progress to a final two rounds at San Roque over the weekend. On Sunday, only the top 35 finishers will earn their cards for next season’s European Tour.

England’s Matthew Cort carded the score of the day, a seven-under par 65 at Sotogrande. Sweden’s Magnus Persson heads the field at San Roque after a six-under par 66

Collated scores after the first round of the European tour qualifying school at San Roque and Sotogrande, Spain (IRL and GBR unless stated, Irishin bold):

66M Persson (Swe)

68A Kankkonen (Fin), A Butterfield, S Webster

69I Hutchings (Rsa), S Luna (Spa), D De Vooght (Bel), P Broadhurst, D Park, S Walker

70A Roestoff (Rsa), V Phillips, C Richardson, B Hafthorsson (Ice), D Edlund (Swe), S Richardson, A Salto (Spa), A Sherborne, N Kalouguine (Fra)

71T Havemann (Den), P Purhonen (Fin), A Kang (Kor), O Edmond (Fra), I Taylor

72M Santi (Ita), N Price, M Knight (Swi), D Higgins, M Nilsson (Swe), B Vaughan (Rsa), G Hutcheon, J Robinson, C Suneson (Spa), M Siem (Ger), SKammann (USA)

73E Boult (Nzl), G Fox, JM Lara (Spa), A Bossert (Swi), G Storm, J Gronhagen (Swe), W Riley (Aus), D Dixon, A Atwal (Ind)

74T Munoz (Spa), F Cea (Spa), G Murphy, A Forsyth, C Pottier (Fra), R Coles, P Walton, P Sherman, G Baruffaldi (Ita)

75N Joakimides (Fra), P Malmgren (Swe), M Reale (Ita), R Beames, A Renard (Den), N Henning (Rsa), M Hazelden, JM Arruti (Spa), N Kraaij (Ned), O Rojahn (Nor)

76M Higley, I Giner (Spa), D Nouailhac (Fra), F Andersson (Swe), B Barham 77 N Marin (Fra), F Widmark (Swe), L James, I Goroneskoul (Fra), H Walters (Rsa), G Muller (Rsa)

78J Lupton, P Streeter, J Annerfelt (Swe)

79C Quevedo (Spa), F Orest (Swe)

80M Norgren (Swe), C Challen, M Jonzon (Swe), M Ruiz (Par)

82D Podlich (Aus)

65M Cort

66A Hogh (Den)

67P Nilbrink (Swe), N Vanhootegem (Bel)

69A Canete (Arg), E Canonica (Ita), M Scarpa (Ita), N Dougherty, G Rojas (Arg), D Drysdale, W Huget (Ger), N Cheetham

70S Wakefield, M Tunnicliff, M Florioli (Ita), A Binaghi (Ita), P Nyman (Swe), R Claydon

71P Fowler (Aus), M Eliasson (Swe), J Skold (Swe), J Rask (Swe), M Smith, I Pyman, L Petersson (Swe), J Hawkes (Rsa), S Drummond, E Simsek (Ger), ACarey, K Ferrie, S Bebb

72D Lucas, Y Nilsson (Swe), U Van den Berg (Rsa), J Van Hauwe (Fra), SKhan, R Winchester, P Magnebrant (Swe), F Delamontagne (Fra), F Guermani (Ita), P Gribben, R McGuirk, M Ilonen (Fin), O Bergman (Swe), J Bevan, M Blackey, R Fenwick, Y Fukuzawa (Jpn)

73M Pendaries (Fra), D Patrick, JM Kula (Fra), J Saari (Fin), T Schuster (Ger), S Farrell, A Mednick (Swe), B Teilleria (Fra), O David (Fra), J Hepworth, J-F Lucquin (Fra)

74G Rankin, J Evans, M Hilton, T Moore (Rsa), R Dinsdale, A Maestroni (Ita), L Thompson

75B Sigurbergsson (Swe), E Fernandez (Spn), M Maritz (Rsa), B Nicolay (Fra), F Bisazza (Ita)

76A Crawford, M Sanders, O Sandys (Rsa), K Baraka (Ger), E Little

77C Nilsson (Swe), D Nunez (Arg), B Mason, A Johl (Ind), D McGuigan, AGeorge

79A Tadini (Ita)

82B Cornut (Fra)