Qualifying School 2024 preview: 156 players to battle for 20 DP World Tour Cards in Spain

The DP World Tour Qualifying School reaches its conclusion in Spain.

It’s make-or-break time as the DP World Tour Qualifying School enters its final stages in Spain. Here’s everything you need to know about one of golf’s most competitive tests.

Since 1976, Q School has provided a pathway for professional and amateur golfers from across the globe to secure a Tour Card for Europe’s premier circuit – the DP World Tour.

With future livelihoods on the line and just 20 cards up for grabs – 5 less than 2023 – the Q School of 2024 is set to be the most pressurized and competitive yet.

Just to be in with a chance of playing for the privilege, players must come through two 72-hole stages to earn themselves a place in the 156-man field for the final stage at the INFINITUM Golf Resort in Tarragona, Spain – where a grueling six-round marathon decides who has what it takes.

And for those who prove worthy, a springboard to a potentially decorated and lucrative career awaits. Just ask previous alumni. Sandy Lyle, Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie, Jesper Parnevik, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Justin Rose are just a few of the star names to graduate from Q School.

What is the format of Q School?

Q School’s first stage sees nine European venues host 72-hole strokeplay events, each sending roughly 15 players (depending on ties) through to the second stage in Spain. Here another series of four 72-hole tournaments dictate the 156 players that progress to the final stage of Q School.

To some extent – that was the easy part. Now the pressure ramps up again with the Tarragona field all tackling the Lakes Course and the Hills Course at INFINITUM twice before a cut is made and the top 65 players battle it out for 20 Tour Cards on the Lakes Course.

Q School 2024: Schedule and Venues

Final Stage

• INFINITUM Golf Resort (Lakes & Hills Courses), Tarragona, Spain – November 8-13 November 3

Second Stage

• Desert Springs Resort, Almeria, Spain – October 31 – November 3
• Isla Canela Links, Huelva, Spain – October 31 – November 3
• Golf Las Pinaillas, Albacete, Spain – October 31 – November 3
• Fontanals Golf Club, Girona, Spain – October 31 – November 3

First Stage (complete)

• The Players Club, Bristol, England – August 27-30
• Golf Nazionale, Sutri, Italy – August 27-30
• Millennium Golf, Paal, Beringen, Belgium – September 3-6
• Huddersfield Golf Club, Huddersfield, England – September 3-6
• Arlandastad Golf (Masters Course), Rosersberg, Sweden September 10-13
• Golfclub Schloss Ebreichsdorf, Ebreichsdorf, Austria September 11-14
• Donnington Grove Golf Club, Newbury, England – September 17-20
• Horsens Golfklub, Horsens, Denmark – September 24-27
• Golf de Léry Poses, Poses, France – September 24-27

Which tour pros lost their Tour Cards?

The DP World Tour reached its regular season conclusion at the Genesis championship on Sunday 27 October with Byeong Hun An coming through a playoff with Tom Kim to win on home soil in South Korea. The day also marked the last opportunity for players to cement their position in the top 114 places of the Race to Dubai Rankings. The reward for doing so…a shiny new 2025 Tour Card.

And sneaking in at No.114, despite missing the cut, was five-time DPWT winner Ross Fisher. But while the Englishman was letting out Asia’s biggest sigh of relief, others were coming to terms that their professional careers were hanging on a knife edge.

Some of the more established names falling agonizingly short included:

No.115 – Ashun Wu

The 2022 Kenya Open Champion started the week in 113th position, but after finishing bottom of the leaderboard from those who made the cut, fell two places, resigning him to the unluckiest ranking possible.

No.119 – David Law

A strong T22 showing in Korea was still insufficient to lift the Scotsman into the top 114 places required to retain tour status. 13 missed cuts from 28 starts did the damage for Law who now heads Spain to battle for his professional future.

No.120 – Eddie Pepperell

Pepperell’s slow start to the season ultimately cost the two-time DPWT winner. He fell just short despite a season-best T12 at the BMW PGA Championship in September. Three missed cuts in his final five starts sealed his fate though, sending the popular Chipping Forecast podcast co-host back to Q School.

“I am not at all daunted by the prospect,” said Pepperell. “In fact, I am quite looking forward to it, to be honest, and having that mindset will help. I am quietly optimistic about it.”

No.127 – Rafa Cabrera Bello

Arguably the highest-profile casualty this year is 2016 Ryder Cup star Cabrera-Bello. The Spanish four-time DPWT winner has struggled for the last two seasons and with 18 missed cuts in 2024, there really can’t be many complaints.

Who has won Q School?

Sandy Lyle (1977), José María Olazábal (1985), Jesper Parnevik (1988), Retief Goosen (1992), Adrián Otaegui (2015), and Sam Horsfield (2017), are all previous Qualifying School Champions. The most recent rollcall of winners include:

Who won Tour Cards from Q School in 2023?

Final Stage Qualifiers:

• Freddy Schott
• Filippo Celli
• Sebastian Friedrichsen
• Darius van Driel
• Matthis Besard
• Sam Jones
• Tom Lewis
• Sebastian Garcia
• Haydn Barron
• Kristian Krogh Johannessen
• Jack Davidson
• Jacques Kruyswijk
• Renato Paratore
• Andrew Wilson
• Kiradech Aphibarnrat
• David Ravetto
• Pieter Moolman
• Garrick Porteous
• Nicolo Galletti
• Joshua Berry
• Benjamin Rusch
• Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen
• Kristoffer Broberg
• Rhys Enoch
• Darren Fichardt
• Jannik de Bruyn
• Pedro Figueiredo
• Søren Broholt Lind
• Nicolai von Dellingshausen
• Lauri Ruuska
• Alfredo Garcia-Heredia
• Joe Dean
• James Nicholas

About the author

Ross Tugwood – Senior Digital Writer

Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.

Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.

He is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.