Irishman Jonathan Caldwell's bid to join his close friend Rory McIlroy on the European Tour got off to a purposeful start in the opening round of the qualifying school's final stage on Thursday.
The 24-year-old former Walker Cup player, who joined the professional ranks last week, reeled off four birdies on a fine inward half over the Red course at PGA Golf de Catalunya and carded a four-under 67 to tuck himself in among the early leaders.
Rising star McIlroy has established himself on the main circuit having earned his tour card by finishing third in last year's Dunhill Links Championship but his former amateur team-mate is having to earn his playing rights the hard way in the six-round qualifier.
"Rory and myself are good pals and we still sometimes practise together back home when we get a chance," said Caldwell, who sits behind pace-setter Oskar Henningsson of Sweden, who had a six-under 66 on the Green course to set the early pace.
"He called me on Saturday after I'd qualified for the final and wished me luck. He didn't have to go through this but I know what I have to do and it would be nice to join him on the tour. I'm certainly going to give it my best shot."
Front-runner Henningsson surged to the top with three birdies and an eagle on his back-nine over the Green course as he fired a six-under 66.
Scotsman David Drysdale, making his seventh tour school final appearance, was heading for a share of the lead after a hole-in-one at the short ninth but a brace of late bogeys at 16 and 18 left him with a four-under 68.
Danny Willett, the former world amateur number one, made a steady start with a two-under 70 while former Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart fought back from three-over after 11 to post a battling one-under 71.
Bristol rookie Chris Wood, the winner of the silver medal in July's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, began his campaign for one of the 30 tour cards on offer with a level-par 72 but a host of past tour champions all found the return to school a dispiriting experience.
Andrew Oldcorn, the 2001 PGA champion, had a five-over 77 while Philip Golding struggled to a 79. Frenchman Jean Francois Remesy could only muster a five-over 76 on the Red course.
Collated scores & totals in the European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage - PGA Golf de Catalunya, PGA Golf de Catalunya, Girona, Spain
Green Course (Par 72)
66 Oskar Henningsson (Swe)
68 Federico Colombo (Ita), David Drysdale (Sco), Henrik Nystrom (Swe)
69 Dominique Nouailhac (Fra), Simon Thornton (Irl), Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Dennis Kupper (Ger), Johan Wahlqvist (Swe)
70 Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Iain Pyman (Eng), Jesus Maria Arruti (Spa), Danny Willett (Eng), Jochen Lupprian (Ger), Garry Houston (Wal), Gary Clark (Eng), Julio Zapata (Arg)
71 Rory Hie (Ina), Richard Mcevoy (Eng), Andrew Coltart (Sco), Nathan Smith (USA)
John Parry (Eng), Callum Macaulay (Sco), Matthew Mills (Eng), Francois Calmels (Fra), James Morrison (Eng), Sam Walker (Eng), Ake Nilsson (Swe), Greig Hutcheon (Sco), Anthony Summers (Aus), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Fabrizio Zanotti (Par)
72 Lee S James (Eng), Anders Kristiansen (Nor), Peter Richardson (Eng), Chris Wood (Eng), Julien Guerrier (Fra), Peter Baker (Eng), Gary Boyd (Eng), Adilson Da Silva (Bra)
73 Anthony Grenier (Fra), Lorenzo Gagli (Ita), Jan-Are Larsen (Nor), Gary Emerson (Eng), Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Leif Westerberg (Swe), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe), Benjamin Miarka (Ger)
74 Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Cesar Monasterio (Arg), Andreas Hogberg (Swe), Ally Mellor (Eng), Jamie Little (Eng), Matthew Millar (Aus), Florian Fritsch (Ger)
75 Matthew Cryer (Eng), Stuart Davis (Eng), Scott Henry (Sco), Tobias Dier (Ger), Mark F Haastrup (Den), Liam Bond (Wal), Jamie Moul (Eng)
76 Malcolm Mackenzie (Eng), Thomas Feyrsinger (Aut), Robin Swane (Ned), Andrew Crux (Eng), Craig Lee (Sco)
77 Marcel Haremza (Ger), Graham Gordon (Sco), Andrew Oldcorn (Sco), James Ruth (Eng), Guy Woodman (Eng), Sven Struver (Ger), Matthew Morris (Eng)
78 Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha), Andrew Tampion (Aus)
79 Philip Golding (Eng), Darren Fichardt (Rsa)
Red Course (Par 71)
66 Wade Ormsby (Aus), Inder Van Weerelt (Ned), Branden Grace (Rsa), Marco Ruiz (Par)
67 Peter Whiteford (Sco), Julien Quesne (Fra), Simon Griffiths (Eng), Jonathan Caldwell (NIrl), Carlos Aguilar (Spa), Stuart Manley (Wal), James Kamte (Rsa), Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Tony Carolan (Aus), Michael Curtain (Aus)
68 Marc Cayeux (Zim), Roland Steiner (Aut), Jean-Nicolas Billot (Fra), Gerald Gresse (Bel), Michael Hoey (NIrl), Roope Kakko (Fin), Nicola Maestroni (Ita), John Mellor (Eng), Manuel Quiros (Spa)
69 Rolf Muntz (Ned), Julien Grillon (Fra), Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa), Jens Dantorp (Swe), Brett A Taylor (Eng), Alex Haindl (Rsa), Chris Gane (Eng), Adrien Bernadet (Fra), Juan Abbate (Arg), Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Michael Mcgeady (Irl), Robert Coles (Eng), Michele Reale (Ita), Antti Ahokas (Fin), Lloyd Saltman (Sco), Nicolas Meitinger (Ger), Joakim Backstrom (Swe)
70 Ben Evans (Eng), Santiago Luna (Spa), Andrew Mcarthur (Sco), Ben Mason (Eng), Sion E Bebb (Wal), Gareth Paddison (Nzl), Mikko Korhonen (Fin), David Carter (Eng), Carl Suneson (Spa)
71 Scott Hend (Aus), Ian Garbutt (Eng), Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Dale Whitnell (Eng), Warren Bennett (Eng), Petter Bocian (Swe), Sebastian L Saavedra (Arg), Gary Marks (Eng), Anthony Snobeck (Fra)
72 Van Phillips (Eng), Steven Jeffress (Aus), Martin Wiegele (Aut), Gareth Davies (Eng), Emanuele Canonica (Ita), Carlos Del Moral (Spa)
73 Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Oscar Floren (Swe), Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Andrew Butterfield (Eng), Benjamin Alvarado Chi
75 Pedro Linhart (Spa), Jarrod Moseley (Aus), Javier Colomo (Spa), Christopher Hanell (Swe), Jordi Garcia Pinto (Spa), Chris Doak (Sco)
76 Raphael De Sousa (Swi), Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra), Jaakko Makitalo (Fin)
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