Steady Sullivan joins Goya in lead after four days at European Q-School

GIRONA, Spain -- Estanislao Goya of Argentina remained at the top of the leaderboard after Tuesday’s fourth round of the six-round European Tour Q-School final at 12 under par. But unlike the previous three rounds, he had company in the shape of former Walker Cup player Andy Sullivan of England.

Goya struggled to a 1-over-par 73 on the Stadium Course at a wet and cold PGA Catalunya Resort. That opened the door for Sullivan, who was third here last year, to share the lead thanks to a 3-under 69.

“Of course I want to win any tournament, even if this week is mostly about qualification,” said Goya, who held the lead by himself after each of the first three rounds. Winning is always the ultimate priority and I’m doing everything I can to be on top.”

German amateur Moritz Lampert, Frenchman Anthony Snobeck, Finn Mikko Korhonen and Englishmen Richard McEvoy and John Parry made up the chasing pack at 11 under, with Parry carding the joint-lowest round of the day on the Stadium Course, a sparkling 5-under-par 67.

A 40-foot eagle putt at the par-5 15th was the highlight of Sullivan’s round, which also featured two birdies and one bogey. The 25-year-old is hopeful of returning to the European Tour, having finished 145th on the Race to Dubai money list in his rookie campaign this year.

“I played very steadily today, and it’s always nice to see 40-feet putts roll in,” said Sullivan. “I’m in a good position for the rest of the week and hopefully I can build on it. It’s always nice to come back to a place where you’ve done well before, even if it’s not the ideal situation to be back here.

“I learned a lot last season. I don’t think I did a lot wrong, it was just a big learning curve for me,” he added. “I learned a lot about myself and my golf game, so if I get my card back I’ll be doing pretty much the same things again but this time I’ll have a lot more knowledge and confidence.”