US Tour school: Three dropped shots in two holes left Ireland's Richie Coughlan with a lot of ground to make-up after the second round of final qualifying at the Orange County National Golf Centre, in Florida, yesterday.

Making a birdie two at his second hole of the day, the 11th, took Couglan to level par, but the honeymoon didn't last long for the man from Birr.

He dropped a shot at the par five 14th, and then disaster in the form of his second double bogey of the tournament struck at the next.

Coughlan's tee-shot at the par three 15th found a watery end, and a resultant five took him to three over par for the tournament after only six holes.

Steady play from there in, with a dropped shot at the first and a solitary birdie at the par-five seventh left Coughlan 11 shots (147) off the pace set by Mathias Gronberg.

"Two doubles in two days, that's disastrous for me," said Coughlan. "I hit it out to the right for the wind to take it back in and it just stayed there. At least there's no cut here, unlike Europe, and there's still four rounds to go. I'm not yet playing well enough this week.

"I drove the ball good and I'm putting it good. I hit the hole six times in the next seven holes and didn't make one of them after that double, so that's frustrating.

"When you play a bad hole you really have to get up on your horse and get going, so missing those putts hurts."

Sweden's Gronberg maintained his lead after adding a 69 to an opening 67, and his eight-under-par 136 leaves him one shot clear of a group of five.