Austrian Martin Wiegele won the European Tour's qualifying school final by two shots at San Roque in Southern Spain.
Slattery bounces straight back
Austrian Martin Wiegele won the European Tour's qualifying school final by two shots at San Roque in Southern Spain.
He finished the six-round event two clear of England's Lee Slattery and Pedro Linhart of Spain.
Wiegele - a former Austrian World Cup player - was eight strokes clear at one stage but came home leaking oil, dropping six shots in his last five holes for a 76 and an 11-under six-round total of 421.
His countryman Florian Praegant also grabbed one of the 30 tour cards on offer, to join Wiegele and European Tour winner Markus Brier on the main circuit.
Austrian golf
Wiegele, who pocketed a cheque for £15,000, said: "It is a great day for Austrian golf with Florian finishing in the top five as well.
"We will have three players on the European Tour next year, which has never happened before."
Slattery will make an immediate return to the European Tour after sharing second place.
The 29-year-old from Southport harnessed the menacing gusts which buffeted the New course and posted a closing 72 for a nine-under aggregate of 423 to finish two shots behind number one qualifier, Martin Wiegele of Austria.
Slattery, a former Challenge Tour order of merit winner, lost his tour card at the end of the season by just £50 on the rankings - but responded to the blow in purposeful fashion over the past six days.
After a battling final round which included three bogeys, a double-bogey and a haul of a five birdies, the Englishman was in triumphant mood.
Belong
"I feel I belong on the European Tour and it is good to bounce straight back," said Slattery, who finished second alongside Spaniard, Pedro Linhart.
"I arrived here fresh after a couple of weeks off and I thought that might give me an advantage. It has paid off.
"After missing out by one place on the order of merit, it's good to come here and achieve what I have."
Former Amateur champion Lee James, Welshman Sion Bebb and Alan McLean of Scotland shared sixth place with seven-under 425s while Sweden's Patrick Sjoland conjured one of the most spectacular shots of the day to seal his place in the top 30.
The former Irish Open winner holed his seven-iron from 137 yards at the par-five seventh for an eagle-three on his way to a fine four-under 68 which left him on the three-under 429 limit.
While Sjoland produced final day heroics, Derby's Stuart Davis provided the most heart-breaking tale of the last round.
Sitting well inside the qualifying mark on a five-under total after 15 holes, the 34-year-old endured a calamitous bogey, bogey, triple-bogey finish and tumbled out of the top 30 with a level-par aggregate.
