The DP World Tour Qualifying School is to return for the first time in three years in 2022, with a schedule which includes six new venues and a return to INFINITUM, venue for this week’s ISPS Handa Championship in Spain, for its dramatic finale.
Following three successful editions of the Final Stage at INFINITUM, one of Europe’s premier golf and leisure facilities, the stunning resort in Spain’s Catalonia region will play host to the Qualifying School finale for the next three years following an extended agreement with the DP World Tour.
Hopefuls from across the globe will be given the opportunity to compete for a spot on the DP World Tour in 2023, through the three stages of the famous Qualifying School.
The Qualifying School will break new ground in 2022 by visiting Australia for the first time with a maiden visit to Rosebud Country Club in Victoria, while five further new venues in Europe have been added to the schedule.
Rosebud Country Club, Portugal’s Montado Hotel & Golf Resort and Denmark’s Lyngbygaard Golf will all make their long-awaited debuts in 2022 after the Qualifying School was cancelled in the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
English venue Mottram Hall and Haugschlag, in Austria, will also make their Qualifying School bows in 2022, while Empordà Golf, in Spain, has also been added to the schedule for the first time since hosting Final Stage in 2003, 2002 and 2000.
The DP World Tour Qualifying School will visit 14 venues from August to November and gives players – professional and amateur – the opportunity to earn their place on Europe’s top tier for the 2023 season.
The five venues making their Qualifying School debuts will all act as First Stage venues, with Rosebud Country Club making history as the first Australian venue to hold a Qualifying School event. First Stage will take place across nine venues in total, including returning locations in England, France, Italy and Sweden.
Empordà Golf, which is located in Girona and hosts the Empordà Challenge on the European Challenge Tour, returns to the DP World Tour Qualifying School schedule as a Second Stage setting, along with three other Spanish venues; Alenda Golf, Desert Springs Resort and Las Colinas Golf & Country Club.
Mike Stewart, DP World Tour Qualifying School Director, said: “We are delighted to welcome all six new venues to the DP World Tour Qualifying School family. Each and every venue on our Schedule is worthy of hosting the Qualifying School and will provide our players with the true test they need to prove they have what it takes to capture a DP World Tour card for the 2023 season.
“As a global Tour, we are thrilled to be able to host a First Stage event in Australia at Rosebud Country Club. DP World Tour Qualifying School gives an opportunity to professionals and amateurs alike to achieve their dream of earning a DP World Tour card and to extend the opportunity to players in the Asia-Pacific region is an exciting development.
“We are looking forward to returning to INFINITUM, with whom we have enjoyed a long and successful partnership, for at least the next three years and we are excited to experience the improvements they have made to both the golf courses and the venue as they enter this new chapter.”
Agustin Garcia Pascual, chief business officer at INFINITUM, said: “We have built a strong and successful relationship with the DP World Tour and are delighted to welcome back the Final Stage of Qualifying School in 2022. Signing a three-year partnership affirms our commitment to Qualifying School and will allow us to showcase the developments we have made at INFINITUM as we look to start a new chapter and build on the success of hosting the event from 2017 to 2019.
“Our Hills and Lakes layouts – the latter of which is playing host to this week’s ISPS Handa Championship in Spain – will provide a fitting finale, as well as a stern test, for Qualifying School hopefuls and we look forward to six days of fantastic golf later this year.”
The three-stage competition culminates at INFINITUM from November 11-16, 2022, where 156 players will compete over six rounds in a bid to fulfil their DP World Tour dreams.