Ireland’s Keith Nolan got off to a good start in his bid to secure his tour card for the next USPGA season with an opening round of three-under-par at the Qualifying School Finals in Florida.
The 28-year-old, who originally comes from Bray but now resides in Louisville, Tennessee after turning professional in 1997, is lying in tied 35th place, three strokes off the leaders.
The Irishman didn’t have the best of starts when he bogeyed the third but this was canceled out by a birdie on the sixth to leave him level par at the turn.
A birdie on the eleventh got him to one under before birdies at the fifteenth and seventeenth respectively, left the Wicklowman well placed going into tomorrow’s second round.
Nolan needs to remain in the top 35 from a field of 167 players if he is to gain his playing rights to the main Tour next season.