What a brutal end to the DP World Tour Q School 2026! While some secured their Tour card for 2027, true heavyweights like Thomas Pieters and Pablo Larrazábal, who together boast 14 DP World Tour victories, had to face bitter disappointment. A slap in the face for players who have competed at the highest level.
Pieters, a Ryder Cup participant and five-time DP World Tour champion, missed the top-15 cut by a full five strokes, finishing at 20 under par. After his move to LIV Golf in 2023, he had hoped to reclaim his European ticket here – a plan that didn't materialize. Nine-time champion Larrazábal, who competed in Q School for the first time in 20 years, also failed to secure his card.
Who Made It? And Who Didn't?
The list of those who didn't make it is long: Elvis Smylie, who was genuinely strong in his LIV Golf debut in Saudi Arabia, narrowly missed by three strokes. Ross Fisher, another five-time DP World Tour winner, failed to advance beyond the fourth round after losing his card the previous month. For young talents like Luis Masaveu, the HotelPlanner Tour will likely be their next stop.
But Q School wouldn't be Q School without stark contrasts: José Luis Ballester, also a former LIV golfer, confidently secured a 2027 Tour card as a co-medalist with 32 under par. Byeong Hun An and John Catlin, both with LIV connections, were also among the twenty lucky players who earned the coveted card after the 108-hole test in Infinitum, Tarragona.
Scandal on the Green
And as if that wasn't enough drama, England's Frank Kennedy caused a full-blown scandal. He was disqualified for intentionally damaging the 11th green – a flagrant breach of Rule 1.2a that sealed his fate. This shows how heated things can get on the course when everything is on the line.
