Liam Nolan makes solid start to Grand Final as he seeks DP World Tour card

Liam Nolan remains on track for one of the 15 DP World Tour cards available from the HotelPlanner Tour after two-under-par 70 in the Grand Final left him in tied 23rd at the conclusion of round one.

The Galway man started well at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca with birdies in his opening two holes before becoming unstuck on the seventh and eighth with a bogey-double bogey run for an opening nine of 37.

Nolan hit form on the back nine with birdies on 12, 13, 15 and 17 before dropping a shot on the final hole to finish the day five shots behind the leader Spain’s Joseba Torres, who shot a seven-under-par 65.

USA’s John Catlin and France’s Julien Sale are a shot behind on six under.

The Grand Final is a 45-man field where all players have a chance to get a DP World Tour card, with significant points on offer. Nolan is projected to drop three positions to 13th should he finish where he is, which would be enough for a card in his second full season as a professional. A top-seven finish would guarantee him his card no matter what happens elsewhere.

Meanwhile, after the first round on the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire is the best of the Irish on level par, eight shots behind leader Pauline Roussin-Bouchard in Malaysia. Lauren Walsh struggled to a three-over-par 75.