Agustí Quinquillà (-16) has made a grand entrance into the final of the Asian Tour School which will take place next week in Thailand. The Catalan golfer has had a dream week at the Grand Prix Golf Club course in Kanchanaburi. He won his semifinal decisively and without dispute. This Friday, he delivered a scorecard of 67 strokes and won by two strokes over the second-place finisher.
Everything was resolved in the first nine holes, specifically with a sensational sequence of four birdies between the 4th and 9th. It’s true that he had done the groundwork in the first three days and had half the final in his pocket, but he still needed to finish it off. That’s where he succeeded. From the 10th hole onwards, the goal was different. He aimed to win his semifinal, and he did just that. He made one bogey on the day, signed birdies on the 15th and 16th, and even allowed himself a bogey on the 18th hole. Nothing was at risk anymore. He was qualified and was the champion.
The reality is that it practically makes no difference to finish first or eighteenth, the last to secure their place in the semifinal, but it certainly helps to arrive with an extra dose of confidence at the grand Final of the School which will be played from 17th to 21st December at two courses of the Lake View Resort complex in Hua Hin, Thailand. Quinquillà, a player from El Prat, secured his qualification with four outstanding rounds under par of 65, 70, 66, and 67. Unassailable.
The joy could not be complete this Friday. Mario Galiano (-8), who also started the day among the top 18, in final positions, ultimately fell in a cruel outcome. He made a par round and finished tied with two other players in 18th place. The three went to a playoff for a single spot. Mario achieved a birdie on the first hole, but a bogey on the second left him out in favour of the Korean Seungmin Kim. Very painful.
The reality is that Galiano has been playing great golf for some time, but things just don’t seem to fall into place for him. He lacks that little bit of luck and brilliance to finish off the tasks. He is not lacking in enthusiasm. In 2026, he will return to the fray, starting from the Alps Tour with the sole objective of winning again and getting into the top five of the ranking to secure the deserved leap to the HotelPlanner Tour.
Similarly, Marc Sabrià, Asier Aguirre, Pep Anglés, Scott Fernández, Toño Hortal, Luis Carlos González, and Alejandro Rodríguez were left out of the final, the only one competing at the other course hosting a semifinal this week, the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club.
Quinquillà will now join the three Spaniards who were exempt from playing directly in the Final of the Asian Tour School: Eduard Rousaud, Alejandro Cañizares, and Carlos Pigem. The four will fight to finish among the top 35, who will secure the card when the fifth day of competition ends.
