Irish amateur Claire Coughlan finished top of the European Tour Qualifying School at La Cala in Spain thanks to a final round 69 and secured a full tour card for next season.
Coughlan finished on a four-round total of 281 on seven-under-par, level with England’s Samatha Head who shot 71 for her final round.
Ireland’s Martina Gillen also qualified for a full tour card with a 27th place finish on 293. Gillen squeezed through in the final place available thanks to a final round two-under 70.
Coughlan, 26, claimed her full Tour card at the first attempt.
Curtis Cup player Coughlan, who started the day two shots behind Head, was three adrift of the lead at the turn, despite having eagled the par-five eighth hole in an outward half of 34.
Head, who began the day at six-under-par, carded four birdies and one bogey for a front nine of 33 and she reached the turn at nine-under-par.
However, she bogeyed the 10th hole, double bogeyed the 16th and birdied the 18th to come home in two-over 38.
Coughlan bogeyed the 10th and birdied the 16th and 18th holes for a back nine of 35, one-under-par, which drew her level with the more experienced Englishwoman.
'It just feels tremendous,’ said Coughlan, from Little Island in Cork.
‘I’ve had my fiancé David on the bag and we’ve enjoyed ourselves this week. We didn’t have too many expectations. It’s a new experience so we just thought we’ll see what happens.’
Gillen’s challenging round saw her turn three-under-par through nine, but bogeys on the eleventh, fourteenth and seventeenth were balanced by a birdie on the twelfth and a very welcome birdie on eighteen that effectively secured her card.
After 72 holes, exactly 28 players earned their full cards for the 2007 Ladies European Tour schedule, with five-over-par 293 being the cut off mark.
