Irish golf will have just three players at this week’s Final Stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School after Paul Dunne, Niall Kearney, Liam Nolan, and Jonny Caldwell missed out in a Monday finish in Almeria.
West Waterford’s Gary Hurley and Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy qualified for the six-round marathon by finishing the season between 23rd and 47th in the final Challenge Tour rankings.
They will be joined at Infinitum Golf by Royal Dublin amateur Max Kennedy, who was the only one of the 11 Irish hopefuls to come through the Second Stage of the Qualifying School held at four venues in Spain over the past five days.
Kennedy (23) qualified in 14th place at Isla Canela Links in Huelva on Sunday, but none of the remaining four Irish hopefuls came through their weather-delayed Second Stage qualifier when they returned to Desert Springs Resort in Almeria to complete their final rounds on Monday.
Royal Dublin’sl Kearney closed with a five-under 67 and Galway’s Nolan shot a 68 to get to 10-under.
But they finished a shot outside a seven-man playoff for the last three spots, tied for 27th in the race for 23 places at the Final Stage as Czech Jiri Zuska topped the qualifiers on 20-under.
Former DP World Tour winner Caldwell, who was tied for tenth with a round to play, shot 74 to miss out by two strokes on nine-under while a level par 72 from former British Masters winner Dunne left him five shots outside the mark on six-under.
Kennedy, Hurley and McElroy head to the six-round Final Stage bidding to finish in the top 20 and ties who will be awarded “conditional” DP World Tour membership after six rounds.
It’s a tougher test than ever as the bar for the 72-hole cut has been raised from the top 70 and ties to the top 65 and ties with the number of “cards” available also down from the top 25 and ties to the top 20 and ties.
A “card” does not provide “fully-exempt status” on the DP World Tour meaning that it will provide little or no opportunity to play in Rolex Series or reduced-field events.
A Q-School card will offer “fully-exempt status” on the Challenge Tour, providing opportunities when graduates do not qualify for the DP World Tour on any given week.
The 153-strong field for the Final Stage, which begins at the Lakes and Hills Courses at Infinitum on Friday, features 18 former DP World Tour winners, including Eddie Pepperell, Adri Arnaus, Justin Harding, Ashun Wu, Gonzalo Fernandez Castaño and former Ryder Cup players Oliver Wilson, Edoardo Molinari, Chris Wood and Stephen Gallacher.