GOLF:NIALL KEARNEY is looking to next year's Challenge Tour campaign with optimism despite finishing nine strokes outside the magic number following a final round 72 at the European Tour Qualifying School Finals in Spain.

The 22-year-old Royal Dublin player hit an eagle, three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in his final round as England’s Simon Wakefield fired a five-under par 67 to claim the top card by two shots from Spain’s Carlos del Moral on 21-under par.

Kearney finish 67th on level par as 34 players grabbed their cards on nine under or better. But he hopes to graduate to the main tour through the Challenge Tour rankings next term. “I had loads of birdies and eagles but there were too many bogeys and double bogeys,” Kearney said. “Next year the plan is to go out and get my card through the top 20 in the Challenge Tour. Hopefully I won’t be back here again.”

“I struggled off the tee but that should be easy to fix and I have a full category on the Challenge Tour and the chance to play in four or five main tour events, so it’s perfect.”

The nine-under finishers included Scotland’s Elliot Saltman (28th card), who created history at PGA Golf de Catalunya when he and his younger brother Lloyd (12th card) became the first siblings to graduate from the same qualifying school class.