The Second Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School takes place this week and a host of Australians are attempting to earn their cards, with an eye on starting the 2023 season in their homeland.
The first week of the new season features the co-sanctioned Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland from November 24-27, followed a week later by the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Victoria and Kingston Heath golf clubs.
The top three players on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit have received full cards for 2023, with the next three in line - Aaron Pike, Dimitrios Papadatos and Louis Dobbelaar - receiving direct entry to the Final Stage of Qualifying School.
The next seven on the Order of Merit not otherwise exempt inside the top 30 were granted a spot at Second Stage and seven players advanced through the First Stage conducted at Rosebud Country Club in Victoria, the first DP World Tour qualifying leg held outside of Europe.
“After not winning (the Order of Merit) the goal was to just try and place as high up as possible,” said Thompson.
“The higher you finish, the more opportunities elsewhere as well, so finishing as high as you can is not going to do you any harm.
“The platform for us in Australia is getting better and better. It’s more taking advantage of that and just keep going with it.”
The six other Australians to earn a spot at Second Stage via the Order of Merit were Austin Bautista, Daniel Gale, Jarryd Felton, Jordan Zunic, Nathan Barbieri and Jay Mackenzie. American Derek Ackerman also secured a spot through the Australasian Order of Merit.
Power Horan, Marchesani, Blake Collyer, Kyle Michel, Lachlan Barker, Linus Yip and John Lyras qualified for Second Stage at Rosebud while Braden Becker, Elvis Smylie and amateurs Connor McKinney and Hayden Hopewell advanced at First Stage events throughout Europe.
The Second Stage will take place at four courses across Spain this week before the Final Stage is played over six rounds at the Lakes Course at Infinitum in Tarragona from November 11-16.
“It’s a great opportunity," said Tom Power Horan, who finished second to James Marchesani at Rosebud in September.
“To have that first stage in Australia, and then just do one trip to Spain, it’s a lot more accessible for the guys that are coming from Australia.”
South Australian Jack Thompson is one of the seven who will attend Second Stage thanks to his Order of Merit finish for the 2021/2022 season.
Further Q School pathways to the DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour in the US were announced in January as part of the PGA of Australia’s strategic partnership with both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR.
