Richard Coughlan went into the final round of the US Tour Pre-Qualifying II at the Grenelfe golf and tennis resort in Florida needing to leapfrog over 13 players in order to secure a place in next month's final qualifying school.

Coughlan showed some fortitude in firing a third round 69 for a 54-holes total of one over par 217, which left him in tied-34th position. However, the 24-year-old Irishman, who lost his tour card last month when finishing 151st in the money list, was 18 shots behind pacesetter Mike Grob, a local professional from Orlando.

The top 21 players from pre-qualifying II at Grenelefe will earn a place in the final qualifying school at La Quinta in California in two weeks time. Coughlan was in tied-28th place after the first round but slumped to a second round 76 which dropped him down to tied-51st but his third-round 69 means he can still survive if he finishes with a low score.