La Armada, collectively, has crashed in the first major cut of the Final Stage of the Qualifying School for the DP World Tour. Twelve Spaniards started the tournament at Infinitum Golf last Friday, and only three have earned the right to play the final 36 holes in pursuit of a card for next year. Adri Arnaus (-11), Santi Tarrio (-10), and Luis Masaveu (-7) are the ones who have survived the cut. Bravo to them.
It is true that the Final Stage of the Qualifying School started off on the wrong foot from the very first minute. Only Tarrio and Arnaus have been within the top 20 at any point, those who secure the card after Wednesday’s round, and we never had more than five within the cut. It hasn’t been our week, although there is still time to fix it. Anyone would have signed up for three cards at the start of the Final Stage, and it is still possible.
The situation is tricky, but not desperate. Adri Arnaus (-11) remains among the top 20 after delivering a card of 70 strokes on the Lakes course. He’s in, but just barely. Right at the number required at the moment. He is tied for seventeenth. As the Final Stage has been challenging, the brave golfer from Moià finished with a cruel double bogey on the 18th hole, a par 5 with water on the left, dropping to -11. His cushion is gone. He needs to start from scratch tomorrow and think of it as a 36-hole tournament to score low.
Santi Tarrio (-10) is just one stroke away from that goal. The Galician delivered a valuable card of 66 strokes today at the Lakes. He played great golf. He made five birdies and no bogeys. A flawless round. A boost for the remainder. However, he needs to get into the top 20 to improve the category he currently has after finishing 50th in the Road to Mallorca. Making the cut in the Final Stage of the Qualifying School is less than what he currently has.
Luis Masaveu (-7), on the other hand, has already improved the category he had. The Madrid native, at the very least, will have category 9 on the HotelPlanner Tour after making the cut in the Final Stage. This means he can play everything. However, he has entered the Qualifying School to secure a DP World Tour card. It is his main goal, and he will fight for it with all his might over the next two days. He is four strokes away from that goal, so he needs two very good rounds at the Lakes. Nothing he isn’t capable of doing. Today he delivered a card of 70 strokes at the Hills, with a lot of movement, three birdies, three bogeys, and an eagle.
Alfredo García Heredia (-6) and Pablo Ereño (-6) were just short of making the cut and fighting for the cards. It closed at seven under par with exactly 60 players. The great hope for everyone in the end was Fabrizio Zanotti (-7). The Paraguayan golfer was the last to finish. A bogey from him in the final holes would have brought all the -6s in, but he managed to finish with three valuable pars.
Alfredo will be able to put together a calendar with DP World Tour tournaments, approximately between 5 and 7, including those in Spain, plus a good portion of the HotelPlanner Tour due to his final classification in the Race to Dubai. Meanwhile, Pablo Ereño is in a more delicate situation. Having come so close to the cut, it is possible that in the summer he might enter some HotelPlanner Tour tournaments. The rest will be invitations. He shouldn’t have trouble securing the standard seven. He wouldn’t be the first Spaniard to finish high in the Road to Mallorca starting the year without a full card. The most recent cases are Ángel Ayora and Rocco Repetto.
The rest of the Spaniards were already far from this first cut with the 60 and ties. Scott Fernández (-3) finished with a card of 69 strokes at the Lakes, showing that his golf is regaining the best sensations. The player from Granada will have few chances to play on the HotelPlanner Tour, beyond the invitations he might receive and what he can enter in Spain through national ranking.
Also out are Javier Calles (-2), in a similar situation to Scott, after finishing seventh in the Alps Tour and also falling short at the Qualifying School, Gonzalo Fernández Castaño (PAR), Joseba Torres (PAR), Javier Barcos (+5), Albert Boneta (+7), and Víctor Pastor (Retired). Boneta, Pastor, and Barcos will have the full category of the HotelPlanner Tour next year, the first two due to their classification in the Road to Mallorca, and the third due to his victory in the Alps Tour ranking. Torres will also be able to put together a good calendar in the Challenge thanks to his performances this year, with the addition of any invitations he might receive. Gonzalo will depend on invitations to play anything.
Beyond the Spaniards, the standout leader of the Final Stage of the Qualifying School is Zander Lombard (-22), followed by Connor McKinney (-16). In third place at -15 are Quentin Debove, who secured the HotelPlanner card through the Alps and still wants more, Matthew Baldwin, and Benjamin Follet-Smith.
Among those who missed the cut are notable names such as Justin Harding, Romain Wattel, Clement Sordet, Simon Forsstrom, and Oliver Wilson.
