Nick Jones put his World Cup Qualifying disappointment behind him as he took a leap towards earning his European Tour card by advancing to the second round of Q-school.Jones shot seven-over par to finish tied for 20th place at the first round section D in Frilford Heath, England a score that was good enough to keep him above the cut of the top 25, including ties.Englishman Dale Whitnell carded a final round 69 to lead the 27 players into the second round of qualifying.Over the four rounds, Jones shot scores of 73, 74, 75, 73 to keep himself on course for gaining a card at his first attempt.Now, with his confidence the highest it has ever been, the youngster is looking to make further inroads as he prepares for the next round in Spain in December.“It was great to be out there and make the cut,” said Jones. “My dad was my caddy and it was great because he was helping me read the greens and I was inside the cut every day so I didn’t have to go the extra mile to dig myself out of a hole.“I was consistent for the most part and it feels good to advance to the next round.”The conditions in the UK were different from what Jones is used to in Florida, with swirling winds and a strong breeze making it all the more challenging to play his game.Although he resides in the US, Jones, along with those close to him, made the decision of trying to conquer the task of getting a European Tour card rather than a PGA card as it was felt to be a friendlier environment to new professionals.“The conditions were a lot different than what I’m used to in the US but I was able to make adjustments and now I have even more confidence in my game and that I can now push on and make inroads into the Tour.“This was our plan from a few months ago, and due to my sister and having family in the UK we figured this was the best route to go before to the US and getting on the PGA qualifying tour.“Right now the European Tour we feel is a little bit more friendlier to first time professionals.”It wasn’t too long ago that Jones and fellow pro Daniel Augustus were representing Bermuda at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup South American qualifiers in Venezuela and were in contention to advance to the next round of qualifiers.However, food poisoning put paid to their chances of making a run after being in the mix after the first day, with Augustus falling ill on the golf course and could barely stand up.The pair started the second day tied for fourth but after nine holes were well of the pace of the leaders.Although it was disappointing for the pair, Jones was pleased with the competition amid the circumstances that caused them their chance of advancing.“We performed fairly well and I’m proud of how we got on. We were leaders heading into the clubhouse ont he first day and were in a good position for the most part heading into the second day.“Brazil won it and we teed off with them on the second day and had it not been for Daniel getting sick I feel we were right in the hunt to advance, but it was a great learning experience for both of us.“The first six holes on the second day was make or break for us, the second day was alternate shot and Daniel was really up against it with him being sick so it wasn’t to be for us.”