GWENT duo Phillip Price and Bradley Dredge believe they are heading towards the silver lining to some pretty huge clouds that have given them a fraught couple of years, writes Michael Pearlman.

The duo both shot level par rounds of 70 yesterday, Price’s round an up and down one containing seven birdies, five bogeys and a double as he tried to come to grips with what he describes as a tough course.

And Dredge holed a nice putt to birdie 18, his round containing four birdies, two bogeys and a double.

That’s some effort considering neither player is currently a member of the European Tour, Blackwood’s Dredge losing his card in 2012 and Newport’s Price last year.

Price is here this week on a sponsors invite and is now targeting success at Q School, while Dredge has secured a card for 2015 by finishing with back-to-back second place efforts in Denmark and the Czech Republic in the last month, playing for seven weeks on Tour with a medical exemption.

“It was nice to finish with a birdie, I was up and down today so to finish level and five off the lead is very pleasing,” Dredge told Argus Sport.

“It has been a great few weeks for me, I knew when I did get the chance to play on Tour I’d have to play really well, probably need a top three to get my card back, so to finish second twice was lovely and you hope the run keeps going.

“It would’ve been nice to win one of them, but it is nice to be up there again and the pressure is off now, I can relax and look forward to next season, this could be my last event of the year though I’ll keep ticking over during the winter.

“This is always a great week for us Welsh guys with friends and family here and I’d love it if one of us are in contention over the weekend.”

Price was also happy to have given himself a chance to make the cut, at the very least.

“I am pleased with level par, it was tough out there and I’ve not had many good rounds recently,” he said.

“I made a few putts, there aren’t any expectations on me or from me and my first goal of course is to make the weekend,

“It’s nice to get an invite and to be playing a little better.

“My plans are to go to Q School and see what I can do. I’ve got two months to get my game in better shape, the last two months have been slightly improved, but I just want to play.

“It has been a difficult 18 months, I haven’t played well, but hopefully the last two months are a good sign of better things to come.

Langstone's Liam Bond, the leader after 36 holes here last year, shot a three over 74.