Sean Quinlivan hauled himself back from the brink of early expulsion from the PGA European Tour School with a fighting second round 71 yesterday. The rookie professional from Ballybunion clipped seven shots off his mediocre opening effort with five birdies at Guadalmina, which remained playable although torrential overnight rain put the headquarters course at San Roque out of action.

Waterlogged fairways meant that half the field of 180 were idle, and the School will now be extended by an extra day to allow the sixth and final round to be played next Wednesday. Those who were unable to play their second round yesterday, and that included six of Ireland's eight contenders, will do so today, weather permitting. The third round will be played tomorrow, and the cut to the leading 75 and ties will now be made after the fourth round on Monday.

Milltown's Francis Howley had a regulation 72 for a 36-hole total of one-under-par 143, five shots behind leader Adam Tillman, whose 68 sent him to six under. Quinlivan, whose uncertainty on the greens at San Roque had cost him so dearly on Thursday, looked as though he was heading for further embarrassment when he began with two bogeys, the result of poor tee shots. But a first birdie at the long seventh, where he was home with a four-wood, started a recovery, and he holed from 25 feet at the ninth to get out in 36.

The 22-year-old then chipped in from 30 feet at the 10th for a third birdie to improve to five over par, and got back in 35 for a halfway total of 149, although not without some adventures.

He dropped two more strokes at the 13th and 14th, first from a pushed drive, then from a visit to the bunker, but he showed his determination to give a good account of himself by holing from 15 feet to birdie the 15th, and wedging within 18 inches of the next flag.

"I did not strike the ball as well as in my first round, but I putted very much better," he commented. "As I have a day off before my third round I have the chance to work hard on the practice ground to get myself into better shape."

Howley will also take the unexpected opportunity of a mid-tournament rest to work on his game, after complaining about his erratic iron play. "I played terrible golf," he said, "especially over the first six holes of the inward half, which is the easiest part of the course."

Birdies at the fifth, from 10 feet, and the long seventh, where he holed from six feet, put him three under overall, but he three-putted the eighth, and then missed the first four inward greens.

Howley was fortunate to drop only one shot in that uncertain spell, and was thankful to be round in nothing worse than par. A birdie four from 30 feet at the 17th was cancelled by a wayward drive at the last which struck a tree, and led to a bogey.