Ryan Swann, from the Pacific Golf Club in Brisbane, topped Section A, played on the Legends Course, by two shots after a closing with a 5-under-par 67 to be 9-under for the 54 holes, two clear of fellow amateur Harry Goakes (Victoria), West Australian professional Adam Brady and Victorian pro Caleb Bovalina.

Brady surged home with the day’s low round, a 6-under 66.

In Section B on the Open Course, amateur Jordan Doull, from the Mt Lawley Golf Club in Perth, posted a 4-under-par 68 to catch the overnight leader, Queensland professional Zac Maxwell (72). The duo finished on 8-under, three ahead of Victoria’s Lachlan Aylen, who had the section’s low round of Friday – a 5-under 67.

With his place in next week’s Final Stage in jeopardy, Victorian amateur Connor McDade produced a bogey-free 4-under 68 on the Open Course to move on despite starting with a 77 which left him in a share of 35th on Wednesday.

He finished a tie for eighth at 1-under and was one of three members of the Australian team at last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne to be among the 18 players from their section to qualify for final stage.

Jye Pickin (NSW) shared fifth at 3-under, while Victoria’s Max Charles, who turned pro after a T4 finish at the Asia-Pacific, claimed a share of 15th at +1.

In Section A, the 18 qualifiers included the first-round leader Konrad Ciupek (T9 at 2-under) and recent Riversdale Cup champion Blaike Perkins who birdied his final hole to finish one shot inside the cut line in a tie for 16th at even-par.

The 72-hole Final Stage of Qualifying School, which has a confirmed field of 66 starters, gets underway on Tuesday with the top 30 finishers to earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.

Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.

Photo: WA amateur Jordan Doull