Gavins and Payne flourish at Frilford

Daniel Gavins and Greg Payne finished top of the pile at Frilford Heath on 13 under par. The English duo closed with respective rounds of 68 and 67 to relegate the overnight leader Nick McCarthy to third place.

The cut at the Oxfordshire venue fell, like its German counterpart, on six under par. However, with a larger player attendance and after accounting for ties, 28 players will progress to Spain, the host nation of the Second Stage, with the prospect of a European Tour card still firmly in their hands.

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Meanwhile, over in Germay, Czech Filip Mruzek and Frenchman Damien Perrier finished joint victors in the First Stage of Qualifying Section B at Fleesensee Golf and Country Club.

The pair both posted three under par rounds of 69 to finish on 13 under par at the European Tour Properties venue, in Germany.

The cut off for progression to stage two of Qualifying School fell on six under par, meaning that 21 of the 90-man field advanced to the Second Stage, with Dutchman Ferdinand Osther and Swede Johan Wahlquist claiming the last spots.

However, the top two stole the show, with Mruzek carding an eagle, two birdies and just the one bogey, whilst Perrier’s card remained flawless with three birdies decorating it.