Parry pounces, takes four-shot lead on fifth day of European Tour Q-School

GIRONA, Spain -- John Parry of England carded a 6-under 66 – tied for the best round of the day – on a cold, wet Wednesday to move into a four-shot lead heading into the final day of the European Tour Q-School and end Estanislao Goya’s four-day reign at the summit.

As tensions rise ahead of the exciting finale in one of golf’s most grueling contests, big moves into the all-important top 25 were at a premium, leaving it all to play for in the final round for many of the 73 European Tour hopefuls who made the cut after Tuesday’s fourth round.

Parry is well on course for a return to the European Tour thanks in part to a superb run of three successive birdies from the 15th -- including one of only two birdies all day at the difficult par-4 17th hole on the Stadium Course at the PGA Catalunya Resort. That moved him to 17 under par, well clear of Finland’s Mikko Korhonen, German amateur Moritz Lampert and England’s Matthew Southgate.

“I have played better than that in the last couple of days, to be honest,” said Parry. “I hit it quite poorly off the tee, but I was decent for seven holes and I was just holing putt after putt.

“I feel I have a lot less pressure now because for me to not get a card from this position would be horrific, so I almost feel my card is in the bag,” he added. “I am playing well so I’m pretty relaxed for tomorrow.”