After the first four rounds of the final stage of DP World Tour Q-school, we now know who remains in contention for a card for the 2025 season.
The six-day marathon, which began with 156 players, will see just the top 65 and ties make it to the final two rounds at Infinitum Golf in Spain, where the top 20 and ties will earn a potentially life-changing card.
Leading the way heading into the fifth round is three-time DP World Tour winner Edoardo Molinari. He carded a three-under 68 on the Lakes Course on day four to lead by two over Clement Sordet. Other notable names in the top 10 include former LIV golfer Justin Harding, 2019 ISPS Handa Vic Open winner David Law and Amateur champion Jacob Skov Olesen.
In October, the Dane admitted he was ‘very open-minded’ about the direction of a future professional career, including the possibility of reaching the LIV Golf League via the Asian Tour’s International Series. However, given his progress so far this week, a DP World Tour card appears the most likely. He is T10 on the leaderboard with two rounds to play.
Other well-known players safely into the next two rounds include Matthew Southgate, who finished T6 at the 2017 Open, four-time DP World Tour winner Ashun Wu and Eddie Pepperell, who has two wins on the circuit.
Little-known Albanian Ilirian Zalli also remains in contention in T30. As reported by X account Monday Q Info, he is the son of immigrant parents, plays on a local mini-tour and is currently living at home to care for his ill mother.
You probably have never heard of Ilirian Zalli but his story is worth your time.He is the son of two immigrant parents. He didn't play college golf, lives at home to help care for his ill mother and plays a local mini-tour.My story from @DPWTQSchool https://t.co/ILpkoZQOVB pic.twitter.com/EG8wEewYzgNovember 11, 2024
Overall, 19 players made the cut on the number, including Englishman Tom Lewis, who produced an epic six-under round of 66 on the Hills Course to keep his dream alive.
Others who will be breathing a sigh of relief after reaching T65 include five-time DP World Tour winner George Coetzee and Tiger Christensen, who joins fellow amateurs Skov Olesen and Irishman Max Kennedy in the final two rounds.
On the wrong side of the cut line are plenty of big names as well as hard-luck stories. Brett Coletta and Brandon Berry each needed to make par on the 18th to scrape home, but they made bogey to miss out. Another notable name to fall just one shot adrift of the cut line is seven-time DP World Tour winner Gonzalo Fdez-Castano.
Spare a thought for Renato Paratore, too. He birdied the 18th in his fourth round to finish even for the day, but it wasn’t quite enough to make the cut as he missed out by one.
That will have brought back unwanted memories from a couple of years ago for the Italian. Back then, he suffered double agony, first missing out on a DP World Tour card via the Race to Dubai rankings by one shot despite a 60-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the Portugal Masters that at first appeared to be enough.
He then missed out on a card via Q-school, when he finished just a single shot adrift after the sixth and final round.
Relegated LIV golfer Kalle Samooja also didn’t quite do enough to make the cut, finishing six away from the threshold, while Spaniard Joseba Torres, who had uncle Jose Maria Olazabal caddying for him, finished four away from keeping his hopes of a card on track.
Two-time DP World Tour winner Oliver Fisher, 2023 Latin America Amateur Champion Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira and four-time DP World Tour winners Marc Warren and Stephen Gallacher also miss out.
It was a tale of woe for German Freddy Schott, too. He had been in place to retain his DP World Tour card before the Genesis Championship but missed the cut to finish 117th in the Race to Dubai rankings.
Despite that, he would have been confident heading to Q-school having won the 2023 edition, but he could only manage a three-under for the week to miss the cut by four.
