Gary Hurley well placed heading into the final round at DP World Tour Q-school in Spain

Waterford golfer Gary Hurley is well placed heading into the final round of DP World Tour Q-school at the Lakes Course in Tarragona in Spain, a penultimate round of 70 leaving him, crucially, inside the top-25.

The 30-year-old Hurley followed up his superb 65 on Monday, with a more unspectacular 70 in Round 5, three bogeys - including one at the last - being tossed into the mix alongside four birdies.

It leaves Hurley in tied-17th on 17-under par, three strokes clear of those hovering just underneath the top-25.

Kinsale's John Murphy is also in with a puncher's chance, though a messy finish on Tuesday undermined him, with a double-bogey on 15 and bogey on 17 scarring what had been a fine card. Murphy registered five birdies otherwise, including one at 18 to recover some of the ground lost over the previous holes.

Heading into the final round of the grueling six-day ordeal, Murphy lies on 11-under par, four strokes outside the top-25.

Hurley and Murphy were the only players left standing after Sunday's cut, Cormac Sharvin, Johnny Caldwell and Paul Dunne all falling the wrong side, posting scores of 3-under, 2-under and even par respectively over the first four days.

The pace is currently being set by Sweden's Simon Forsstrom, who sits serenly atop the standings on 26-under par, guaranteed to earn his card for next season.