Agony as Oliver Farr misses out by one shot

The 24-year-old from Ludlow failed to come through the first of three Qualifying School stages at Wychwood Park in Cheshire yesteday.

A final-round 73 left Farr on seven-over-par for the four days, but only the top 23 progressed to the second stage of Q-School in Spain in November.

Farr finished in a share of 24th spot – an agonising one shot off the required mark. The former Shropshire & Herefordshire amateur and Welsh international began his final round at the 10th and picked up a shot at the 14th, his fifth.

But he immediately gave it back at the next and put himself under more pressure with a double bogey five two holes later.

Farr was a model of consistnecy on his back nine, combining one birdie at the seventh – his 16th – with eight pars. But it wasn't enough and, despite carding a 69 on Thursday, Farr was left to pay the price for scores of 78 and 75 on the previous two days.

Farr will next be in action at the EuroPro Tour Championship at Woburn in November, where a high finish could see him qualify for the second tier Challenge Tour in 2012.

n Rory McIlroy has a £6m cheque firmly in his sights again with only two rounds of the FedEx Cup play-offs to go.

The 23-year-old world No.1 is seventh at halfway at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, but that would be good enough to scoop the jackpot given who is leading and where his main challengers are.

Jim Furyk, who lifted the prize two years ago on the eve of the last Ryder Cup, moved out in front at East Lake by going to the turn in a spectacular 29 and handing in a 64.

But McIlroy, whose 68 was his 10th successive sub-70 score, would not mind Furyk winning as long as he maintains his position and Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker and Nick Watney do not come storming through.