There is no right way to earn a tournament exemption, but few will have come in a more intriguing manner than that of Jordan Weber who will play an event on the DP World Tour having won an indoor simulator league.
Weber competes on the NEXT Golf Tour, a virtual golf league which holds indoor tournaments that take place on a Trackman simulator.
Now, thanks to a partnership between Trackman and the European Tour group, the 38-year-old American will play in three Challenge Tour events and one DP World Tour event this summer after topping the league's end-of-season Order of Merit.
Weber, whose struggles with the yips derailed his professional hopes as a young adult, claimed victory in the Tour's final event to secure first place in the season-long standings. The win was his second of the season and saw his earnings tick past $90,000.
“Wow! I am shaking and crying and all the things,” Weber said after the win. “I cannot believe I just did that. Unbelievable. I did not think it was going to happen.
“I’m so pumped to get to go to Europe, it’s amazing. It’s just hard to believe that this could even happen to me. We’re gonna go celebrate. I’m gonna go have a drink and celebrate with my family. It’s so exciting. I can’t believe it.”
Weber won his first event of the NEXT Golf Tour season in round four, which saw players compete virtually at the PGA West Stadium Course. The win came a startling 12 years after his last victory on the Dakotas Tour.
His second win of the season at the season-ending event was played at The Concession, with the 38-year-old securing a two-shot victory over Iceland's Sigurdur Gardarsson of Iceland and Sweden's Jesper Sandborg thanks to five consecutive birdies in his final round.
It is not currently confirmed which DP World Tour event that Weber will compete in.