Former Ryder Cup pair Philip Walton and Paul Broadhurst have given themselves a mountain to climb in the final round of the European Tour qualifying school at San Roque in Spain today.
Three bogeys in his last four holes mean that the Dubliner, Europe's match-winning hero at Oak Hill six years ago, could well need to close with a course record 64 to make it third time lucky back at the school.
Broadhurst, forced to go through the 108-hole marathon ordeal for the first time since he turned professional in 1988, probably requires a 68 after a run of four successive bogeys late in his fifth round.
"Are there any ladies present?" asked the midlander, clearly in the mood to give vent to his anger as he, like Walton, handed in a 75.
They lie 50th and 70th respectively, and only the top 35 and ties are awarded cards for next season's circuit.
Waterville's David Higgins, who had started the week well, will also require something special after a 75 on Saturday and a 71 yesterday left him in 64th position.
Steve Richardson, Steve Richardson, the other Ryder Cup player in the field and a team-mate of Broadhurst's in 1991, faces a tense last day as well.
Runner-up to Seve Ballesteros on the Order of Merit 10 years ago, Richardson stands joint 27th with 11 others after a level par 72 kept him on five under par.
Following a 69, Welshman David Park leads on 17 under by one from South African Ian Hutchings, while Liverpool 19-year-old Nick Dougherty, a star of the Walker Cup win in America in August, moved up to joint eighth with a bogey-free 67.
Walton, who shot a 65 on Saturday at Sotogrande to survive the 72-hole cut by two, said: "It has to be a good one now."
He does not have happy memories of the last day of the school, though. In each of the last two years he has finished with a 77.
The first three of Broadhurst's four bogeys all came as a result of three-putting and the 36-year-old, unable to rediscover his game since suffering a wrist injury in Dubai last year, said:
"The one thing I didn't think would let me down was my putting, but I'm just so negative on the greens."
Park has also had to fight for his future again because of injuries, but is sailing through the test so far.
"It's nice to play well," he said. "There's been some good stuff during the year, but some rubbish as well."
For Dougherty, it is a case of 13 rounds down, one to go. He had to play two stages of pre-qualifying, but did so in 18 under and so is now 29 under for the whole process.
"The aim today was to give myself a bit of room and safety for the final round," he said. "I did that well."
