Paul Dunne ready to face gruelling final tour school test

British Open Championship hero Paul Dunne refuses to dream of what might be as he joins another six Irishmen for the first round of the gruelling European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage at PGA Catalunya Resort today.

The 22-year-old Dubliner is focusing firmly in the present and he could only smile when asked if the experience of leading The Open through 54 holes helped him come through a six-man playoff for two places at his Second Stage qualifier in Tarragona last Monday afternoon.

“I don’t know,” he said with a chuckle. “It was completely different. There were about 10 people watching. I think every pressure situation you are in can help you, if you learn from it. I am sure it did. But I am sure that other pressure situations helped as well.”

Like tour winners Damien McGrane, Peter Lawrie and Simon Thornton, young professionals Kevin Phelan and Ruaidhri McGee or fellow Final Stage rookie Brian Casey from Headfort (a brilliant joint winner of his First Stage qualifier on 24 under par), Dunne’s goal is simply to finish among the Top 25 and ties who are awarded full European Tour cards after six rounds.

High profile

He’s got such a high profile after The Open and three impressive European Tour performances since turning professional following the Walker Cup, that he’s likely to get some starts next year no matter what happens in Girona.

But he prefers to focus on the chance to win his card outright next Thursday afternoon. “I don’t know if I will have any invites next year, not for definite, so I am just going to see how Q-School goes,” said Dunne, whose must first make the 72-hole cut for top 70 and ties.

The Greystones favourite is joined in the field by his Walker Cup team-mates Ashley Chesters and Jimmy Mullen, and former Ryder Cup players Edoardo Molinari of Italy, Swede Jarmo Sandelin and Dane Soren Hansen.