Peter Lawrie and Kevin Phelan return home Saturday morning with nothing to show for their 20,000 klm round trip to Hong Kong.
The Irish pair will be headed next week to the European Tour Q-School after missing the cut in the co-sanctioned event.
Ireland’s Kevin Phelan returning to Tour School after missing the halfway cut in the UBS Hong Kong Open. (Photo – Thos Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
Lawrie had been afforded a very late invitation in the hope of rescuing his Tour card for 2016 but struggled from the outset with an opening score of 78 and then faired little better on day two in shooting a 74 that like a day earlier included just one birdie.
The Dubliner ends his season having missed the cut in his closing four events and all sponsor invitations.
And what will hurt the affable 40-year old is that he went to Hong Kong just 11 places and Euro 48,810 shy of earning automatic 2016 membership.
The Mt. Juliet attached Phelan began the second round just two strokes from the lead but three bogeys in four holes near the turn of his round along with a closing double bogey in a round of six over par 76 for a two over tally brought an abrupt end to his season.
Phelan was lying 123rd on the Race to Dubai and just one place behind Lawrie and will head to next month’s Q-School for a third straight season.
Ulsterman Graeme McDowell was the only Irish player to make the cut adding a 69 to his opening 66 and at four under par is only five adrift of Ryder Cup winning colleague Justin Rose who, with scores of 66 and 65, leads the way at nine under par..
“I am pretty pleased again with my round and looking forward to the weekend,” said McDowell.
“Looking at the board I am only five behind and a good low one tomorrow should put me right in the frame.
“But then again seeing Justin (Rose), Poults (Ian Poulter) and young Matthew Fitzpatrick up there means that it’s shaping up to a great tournament.
“I’ve managed 10 birdies over the two days but gave back four silly shots today so that is now going to be the key and try and keep those bogeys off the card.”
Also missing cut but remaining in Asia in Padraig Harrington who failed to break par over the two rounds with scores of 70 and 72, and on the same course where he tasted success 11 years ago.
Unlike Lawrie and Phelan Harrington is heading south to Malaysia to tee up in Thursday’s starting PGA Tour CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur.
And with Harrington lying 124th on the Race to Dubai money list it means he fails to qualify for any of the lucrative Final Four Series events commencing next week in Turkey.
