– Josele Ballester (-32) and Rocco Repetto Taylor (-32) have won the DP World Tour Qualifying School Final Stage after a head-to-head contest that reached its final chapter a metre from the hole. That was how far the Andalusian had left for eagle on the 18th and a solo victory, after a magnificent shot to the pin. The putt did not drop. Both finished with a birdie, both signed for 65 and both leave Infinitum as champions.
Iván Cantero (-30) completed the excellent Spanish result with a round of 64 without a bogey and a share of fourth place with Tom Lewis. Three Spanish players in the top four, two champions and a shared fourth place. Only his two compatriots and Cameron John (-31), who was playing alongside them, finished ahead of Cantero. The entire podium at this Final came from that group.
– Ballester carried much of the weight of the duel. After 13 holes, he was seven under for the day, with a total of -33 and a four-shot lead over Rocco. And he had done it without feeling especially comfortable off the tee. ‘I haven’t driven it very well today; I’ve missed quite a few fairways with the driver,’ he told Ten Golf at the end.
The difference came in what followed. He hit some good wedges from the rough and semi-rough and holed the putts that had eluded him yesterday. On the 2nd, for example, there was no eagle this time: his tee shot finished in a bunker, he had to take a penalty drop and from there he left his wedge stone dead for birdie. Later, on the 12th, he made another three by holing a chip after missing the fairway. ‘I did leave myself, it’s true, a very straightforward chip. And, well, a three instead of a four.’ A good summary of the skill with which he was getting his round over the line.
The trouble came on the 15th. Taking relief from a path whose tarmac stood an inch proud left him in a very awkward position, facing a penalty area with no room to make a swing. He still managed to give himself a chance to save bogey from a metre, but the putt did not drop. Double bogey and back to -31. It was his only hole over par on a card featuring eight birdies, though it came just in time to add some drama to the finish.
– Rocco had not had an especially straightforward round either. He made eagle on the 2nd, but consecutive bogeys on the 5th and 6th brought him back to level par for the day. Birdies on the 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th kept him going, although he also dropped shots on the 12th and 15th. By the time he left the latter, he was at -28, still three behind Josele. Three holes remained. He needed just two to catch him.
Eagle on the 16th and birdie on the 17th, while Ballester made pars on both. Suddenly, they reached the final tee tied at -31. ‘It was crazy. To be honest, I hit some really good shots,’ Rocco said. His eagle putt on the 16th had been a sign that he could still win the tournament. And he went after it.
On the 18th, he had a distance he liked and confirmation from Miguel, his caddie. ‘We had a perfect number with the wind just right and, to be honest, talking it through with Miguel, we had a really clear opportunity there.’ He took advantage with his iron: a terrific shot to the pin that left the ball a metre away. An eagle would have given him the solo victory. He had to settle for birdie and a share of the title, after playing the final three holes in four under par. On the Lakes’ three par fives, he had made eagle, eagle and birdie. Not bad at all.
Josele, who had watched the entire comeback from the front row, acknowledged his playing partner’s achievement: ‘I’m happy for him because he battled hard all day and came from nowhere to get in there.’ With his card secured, he had been able to approach the finish with more composure, although he made no secret of his desire to win: ‘I’d have liked to win it outright, but, well, I’m happy to share it with him.’
– Spain’s third card came courtesy of an Iván Cantero who finished this Qualifying School in outstanding form. His last three rounds were 61, 67 and 64: 21 under par over 54 holes, with just one bogey. He started Wednesday with only a one-shot cushion over the qualifying mark and finished five clear. A pretty convincing way to put the maths behind him.
That said, the start was more difficult than a bogey-free card suggests. The Asturian admitted that he had struggled to switch off the night before and had started more tense than he would have liked. The moment that changed his day was a par on the 3rd. He had hit a good 4-iron into the middle of the fairway, but his wedge from 138 metres came out too strong, flew the pin and finished in the water. He found the ball half-submerged and decided to play it.
He got it out to around six metres and holed the par putt. He describes it as an ‘unbelievable’ par, his turning point. The birdies followed: on the 4th and 6th, three in a row from the 8th to the 10th, another on the 13th and the last on the 18th. Seven in total, without dropping a shot. This time he was able to enjoy the closing holes and a scorecard he had earned with some excellent golf.
‘To be honest, I’m so happy, very emotional, delighted and, above all, proud of what I’ve just done and of the guts I’ve shown in this situation, after coming off a very bad year and being able to believe in myself, which I think is really what I need to become a better player,’ he said. His 64 was the best score by a Spaniard on the day. And it was the finishing touch to an outstanding second half of Qualifying School.
– The rest of the Spanish contingent were unable to complete the comeback. Quim Vidal (-21) came closest, with a 65 to finish in a share of 38th place, four shots short of the target. Pablo Larrazábal (-19) closed with a 69 to take a share of 53rd, while Luis Masaveu (-17) and Joseba Torres (-17), with rounds of 70 and 69 respectively, finished tied for 60th.
The cut-off for Tour cards ended up at -25. The seven players tied for 14th take the number of golfers leaving Infinitum with DP World Tour Category 18 status for 2027 to twenty. And there are a few stories to tell on that final line.
One of them is the story of John Catlin, who needed a bogey-free 63, with eight birdies, to climb 24 places and regain the playing rights he lost in 2023. The American also arrived with places in the 2027 Masters and Open thanks to his recent win in Hong Kong, but his return to the DP World Tour was still to be secured. He had come close to doing so at the HotelPlanner Tour Final at Alcanada.
Philipp Katich’s story has another twist. Like Luis Masaveu, the German was among those to benefit from Frank Kennedy’s disqualification: his -11 after four rounds had gone from leaving him out to allowing him to keep playing. Well, he turned that second chance into rounds of 66 and 62, 14 under over the last 36 holes.
Edoardo Molinari also finished on that same mark with a 67, which was enough for Luke Donald’s right-hand man at the Ryder Cup to secure his card in the play-off.
A Spaniard had not won the Final since Alejandro Cañizares in 2018. Never before had two Spaniards shared the title. Josele and Rocco have added that chapter to the record books, with each of them shooting six rounds under 70. Cantero also broke 70 all six days. After a week at this pace, there is a pretty clear explanation for all three cards. And let’s not forget: Ballester, An and Catlin are LIV players who have earned their way back onto the European Tour through Qualifying School.