Browne confident of graduating

Europro Tour: QualifiersSix Irish players will attempt to earn cards for the PGA Europro tour at the final qualifying school tournament that begins at the Saunton courses in Devon today. Stephen Browne, Gary Cullen, Eamon Brady, Conor Mallon and Cork duo, John Dolan and Jason Law, made it through the pre-qualifying tournaments last week.

They will tee it up in a field of 240 professionals with the cut coming after 36 holes for the 120 plus ties. The tournament is a 72-hole strokeplay event played over the East and West Courses at Saunton Golf Club with a total prize fund of £20,000.

Browne played a practice round yesterday with Cullen, Brady and Mallon and is optimistic about his chances. "The course is in excellent condition and the weather has been and is expected to be excellent for the week. I like the set-up of the course and the greens are very good."

Meanwhile, Dubliner Peter Lawrie finished second in the Panalpina Banque Commerciale du Maroc Classic, a Challenge Tour event in Morocco at the weekend.

The former Irish amateur international finished five shots behind the winner Jean-Francois Lucquin after matching the winner's final round, 69. It was Lawrie's best Challenge Tour finish and he picked up a cheque for €14,400, which hoists him to seventh on the Challenge Tour rankings.

Lawrie only dropped one shot, at the first hole for a five. "I hit an awful nine iron. I hooked it and it plugged in the trap. But it woke me up."