Double Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal is none too confident about winning a place in the Open Championship.

Olazabal resumed the final qualifying event at Kilmarnock Barassie in joint 11th place, but needed a top four spot to go through to Turnberry next week.

"I really need something very special and the way I am playing it's not looking very promising," said the Spanish star after his three-under-par 70.

His round probably felt worse than it actually was because his Austrian playing partner Markus Brier fired a course record 64 to lead by two from Scotland's Lloyd Saltman.

Four years ago in the Open at St Andrews Saltman finished a spectacular 15th and was leading amateur.

He has yet to earn a European Tour card as a professional, but what a day this could be for his family as his brother Elliot, at 27 the older by four years, led by two at Glasgow Gailes after a four-under-par 67.

Jean Van de Velde, runner-up at Carnoustie 10 years ago, managed only a 76 there and looked certain to miss out on Turnberry as, unlike Olazabal, he is not playing this week's Scottish Open, where one final place is on offer.

In all more than 280 players were competing today at three courses for 12 spots and at Western Gailes it was Scottish amateur James Byrne who led following his three-under 68.

Yorkshire's Gordon J Brand, runner-up to Greg Norman at Turnberry way back in 1986 and now 53, matched Olazabal's 70, as did twice British amateur champion Gary Wolstenholme in his first attempt to qualify as a professional.

Former European Open champion Kenneth Ferrie, who missed out on Turnberry by a shot when finishing sixth at the French Open on Sunday, was one worse than that.