Ireland’s Paul Dunne had a tidy round of 69 to finish on ten under par and within sight of a maiden season on The Race to Dubai at the European Tour’s Qualifying School Final Stage in Girona.
After today's fifth round, Dunne, who led The Open Championship this year as an amateur heading into the final round, is tied for 12th position.
The Wicklow man is four shots off leaders Ross McGowan and Daniel Im, while Damien McGrane is eight under and tied for 18th place after a 72.
Simon Thornton and Kevin Phelan are both well down the field, tied for 68th place.
The top 25 players and ties after tomorrow's final round get their tour cards.
McGowan shot a bogey-free eight-under-par 64 to share top spot with American Im, who birdied two of his last three holes for a 66 to also move to 17 under, and the pair have a three-shot lead heading into the final round at the PGA Catalunya Resort.
"I think I'm drawing on my past experience from 2007 through 2011 when I had my European Tour card," McGowan told the European Tour's official website.
"The last few years I've had several injuries and that's been frustrating but the last four or five weeks the game's been there and I've been playing nicely.
"It would mean a lot to be back on The European Tour. It's been tough these last few years.
"I've not really thought of giving up but it's just frustrating, not really playing that great, having injuries and lay-offs, trying to come back and just trying to motivate yourself every time you turn up at a tournament. It's pretty tough.
"It would mean a lot to get back out there and start competing with the top guys and try to get myself back up to where I was and hopefully surpass it in the world rankings."
Im has yet to enjoy full playing status on the European Tour but six birdies and an eagle put him in a strong position with 18 holes to play in Spain.
"Passive-aggressive is the word I like to use in a situation like this"
"Passive-aggressive is the word I like to use in a situation like this," said the 30-year-old Californian.
"You really have to be focused and make sure you execute your shots.
"This will be a huge gift to finish the year and start a new year.
"It would mean a lot because one year I played with a conditional status and I didn't get into very big events."
Notable moves on the penultimate day came from Australian Jason Scrivener, whose 67 moved him to 11 under, and Englishman Richard McEvoy, whose bogey-free 68 took him inside the top 25 by one shot.
McEvoy's compatriot Matthew Southgate matched his 68 and is tied seventh on 12 under as he seeks to close out a difficult year, during which he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Italian Edoardo Molinari, the 2010 Ryder Cup player, is currently three shots adrift of the top 25 cut-off point which is at seven under.
