Players hoping to ply their trade on Europe’s top tier men’s professional circuit next season are gathering in Spain this week to take part in the six-round marathon that is the DP World Tour’s Qualifying School Final Stage.
Staged over the Lakes and the Hills courses at Infinitum, the Costa Dorada-based resort formerly known as Lumine, a massive field of 156 players will be battling it out for just 20 cards for next season’s DP World Tour – five fewer than were offered at last year’s Q School.
The field will play four alternating rounds – two each on the Hills and Lakes courses – before the cut, after which the surviving players will battle it out across two final rounds on the Lakes course.
The field is stacked with well-known names and past DP World Tour winners whose form hasn’t quite reached the heights of late, including four former Ryder Cup players in Edoardo Molinari, Stephen Gallacher, Oliver Wilson, and Chris Wood.
Multiple DP World Tour winner Eddie Pepperell will also be hoping to earn one of the cherished cards on offer having lost of his full-time playing privileges after finishing just outside of the top 114 on this season’s Race to Dubai rankings.
The 33-year-old from Oxfordshire is hoping to bounce back at the first opportunity and is looking forward to the challenge of the six-round ‘ironman’ week.
“Four rounds is a marathon, six is an ironman of golf,” he said. “I’m not daunted by the prospect at all. I think the more I get to play in a short run of time, the better it is for me and my game.
“My game hasn’t been in a terrible place. It’s not been great but it’s not been terrible, so I’m quite looking forward to the week.”
He added: “I think if you’ve been on Tour a long time, this week is less of a daunting prospect. There are a number of guys playing this week who have never played on the DP World Tour so to get out there is a really big thing.
“For me, having been out there for a while, it’s less of a thought in my mind. I think that can help me stay calm and a bit more relaxed and just let the game flow. I just hope my game is in a good spot.”
“The key is not to get in your own way, and I don’t anticipate that is going to happen to me this week. Don’t panic, just listen to your body and what it’s telling you, and try to sleep well.”
Pepperell will be battling to regain his card alongside a host of the past DPWT winners, including Rafa Cabrera Bello, Marc Warren, James Morrison, Matthew Southgate, Kalle Samooja, David Law, Adri Arnaus, Renato Paratore, George Coetzee, Lee Slattery and Tom Lewis.
At the other end of the experience scale there will be three amateurs in the field – Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen, who won this year’s Amateur Championship; Ireland’s Max Kennedy, who clinched his place with a tied-14th finish at a second stage qualifying event held in Spain last week; and 20-year-old Tiger Christensen from Germany, who also came through second stage qualifying.
The tournament will mark the first time that Infinitum’s newly upgraded Lakes course has welcomed stars for competitive action following an €800,000 renovation earlier this year.
The Greg Norman-designed layout was elevated to new heights with pristine new Zoysia grass and a bunker renovation project that promises to pose new challenges for the players.
The Lakes is the longer of the two tracks, with the par-71 track measuring just over 7,00 yards. The Hills is a par-72 but comes in slightly shorter at 6,944 yards.
Joaquín Mora Bertrán, Deputy General Manager at INFINITUM, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome the DP World Tour back to host Qualifying School Final Stage here for the sixth year in a row and we’re excited to get another thrilling week of golf underway.
“While our courses are designed to be accessible for novices and Major winners alike, make no mistake – under tournament conditions, they are a serious challenge even for seasoned professionals. Players will have to be at their best to earn a DP World Tour card. We can’t wait to see who rises to the challenge.”
To find the latest scores from the DP World Tour Qualifying School Final Stage, which begins on November 8, click here.