BASINGSTOKE golfer Stuart Archibald is in contention for a place at final qualifying for the European Tour.

Playing in the third round of the second qualifying stage at Lumine Golf and Beach Club, in Tarragona, Spain, today, Archibald shot a six-under-par round of 65 to move up to a share of 16th place.

The 29-year-old made seven birdies and just one bogey over the course of the round, moving up 24 places on the leaderboard as a result.

Archibald had got off to a good start in Spain, an opening round of 67 (-4) putting him in the top 10. A second round of 75 (+4) saw him drop down the leaderboard yesterday, but today's score means he is in the thick of the action going into the final round.

However, he still has work to do in tomorrow's fourth round if he is to make it through. With only 17 golfers qualifying from the venue, Archibald will probably need to shoot another sub-70 round to progress.

Should he make it through, Archibald would return to Spain for final qualifying next week, with a European Tour card on offer for the top 25 golfers.