● Finding form at the right time, Lawrie protege is confident he can retain tour card

Having negotiated the first stage in style with a win in France just under a month ago, Sam Locke is feeling quietly confident as the young Scot prepares to resume his bid to secure a European Tour card for next season.

The second stage of the circuit’s Qualifying School gets under way at four venues in Spain on Thursday, with Locke, the Silver Medal winner in last year’s Open Championship at Carnoustie last year, among 13 Scots hoping to keep their hopes alive in the annual card battle.

By his own admission, Locke’s first full season in the professional ranks has not been what he wouldd have liked in terms of results, having managed only one top-ten finish on the third-tier PGA Europro Tour as he missed out on the end-of-season Tour Championship in Spain last week.

However, his patience and hard work were rewarded as he shot rounds of 69-72-6665 for a 12-under-par total as he recorded a two-shot win at Golf d’hardelot in France in one of nine first-stage events for a record 842 entries in this year’s Qualifying School.

“I don’t actually feel I have played badly this season,” said Locke, who is both managed and mentored by Paul Lawrie. “It’s been very much a nearly season. Things just haven’t happened, so it was nice to play well and get a good result in the first stage.

“I played at Frilford Heath last year and that tends to be a place I struggle. I wanted to go somewhere fresh and different and, thankfully, it worked out for me at Golf d’hardelot. The first three days especially were really tough with showers and wind. It was gusting about 45mph in the third round. I was five under that day, having played well in the tough conditions.”