WARRINGTON golfer Tom Murray will emulate his father by taking on the sport’s top talents on the European Tour.

The 24-year-old from Lymm will swing clubs among the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia over the next 12 months after success at Qualifying School earned him a maiden tour card.

Tom’s 58-year-old dad Andrew, now a regular on the Seniors Tour, contested the Order of Merit for 17 years from 1979, and was a winner of the European Open at Surrey’s Walton Heath course in 1989.

They have lived in Lymm for 20 years and can often be seen practicing at Lymm Golf Club, where Tom was junior captain in 2006.

Eight years on, fellow club members are purring at the prospect of Tom’s season ahead.

“Tom has many friends down at Lymm who have and will continue to keenly follow his progress,” said Kevin Bradbury.

For Tom, a student at Lymm High School between 2001 and 2006, securing a place on the European Tour has been his biggest goal since turning professional in 2009.

His ambition became real on Thursday at the final qualifying competition at the PGA Catalunya Resort in Gerona, Spain.

There were 150 golfers chasing the 25 cards on offer and after six gruelling rounds Tom finished on 10 under par to be tied 10th.

He was one of only two golfers to successfully come through all three stages of qualifying.

It was the highlight of a year that saw Tom ranked 110th on the Challenge Tour, earning him a little under 11,000 Euros in prize money.

He had finished 100th the previous year.

Tom, who completed a three-year Professional Golfers Association degree in 2012, will head out to South Africa in December for his debut European Tour appearance.

Qualifying School was not as productive this time round for Birchwood’s Phil Archer, a regular on the European Tour since 2000.

His three under par at PGA Catalunya Resort was only good enough for 47th.

Archer ended the 2014 calendar ranked 147th from 10 events on the European Tour and 94th from 13 outings on the Challenge Tour.

His best performance of the year was third place at the Made in Denmark Tournament at Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort in Aalborg in August, netting him a 93,900 Euros prize.

It contributed to the 42-year-old’s highest return from the Race for Dubai since 2009, while also achieving his best average position per tournament for seven years.

His season was built on success in last year’s Qualifying School.