DP World Tour Q-School really ramps up this week. For many, Stage Two is just another step towards the dream and for others it’s the start of an opportunity to regain playing privileges having fallen off the tour in the regular season.
From Thursday Ireland will have eleven hopefuls, both professional and amateur, scattered across four golf courses in Spain all looking to take the next step and make the Final Stage next week.
In Fontana’s Golf Club, Girona, Challenge Tour player Ruaidhri McGee will be hoping to make the leap onto Europe’s top-tier for the first time while new tour professional Mark Power is hungry to earn a DP World Tour card over the next fortnight having impressed at the Irish Open and Dunhill Links recently.
Kilkenny star, Power, heads to Spain having breezed through the First Stage last month but has no knowledge of what his playing plans for 2024 will be. The main goal is to grasp this opportunity at the first time of asking and earn that DP World Tour card and kickstart his pro career.
“It’s about ticking along trying to get to that final stage. I’ll practice hard in Portugal and keep fresh to make sure I know where my game is going into the week. You can’t get to the Final Stage without getting through Stage Two.
“I don’t know what 2024 looks like to be honest, no. I have one main goal which is getting the DP World Tour card, I’ve not thought about other tours too much I don’t want to get ahead of myself, I’m sure I will get some Challenge Tour invites and stuff to chip away at. Hopefully I won’t need them, it’s very tough at Q-School, many guys have gone and failed so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
John Murphy will look to end a torrid season on a high and regain his DP World Tour playing privileges for next season, having lost his card during the regular campaign. The Kinsale man will be hoping to draw on his heroics from twelve months ago when he secured his DP World Tour card by a single stroke at the Final Stage.
Irish Close champion Robert Moran is hoping to continue the momentum he has built up over the autumn months and cause a stir.
Meanwhile, Walker Cup star Alex Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown) ventures over from Florida to keep his dreams alive and perhaps fast track his way into the professional ranks.
“I just thought Q-School would be a good learning experience for me whether I come out with a tour card or not, just to see what it’s like as an amateur so I will have to do it as a pro,” said the 23-year-old from Mornington Co. Meath. “Given the chance I have now, playing well and having my name out there I thought I’d give it a shot and see how I get on and it seems to have paid off so far but I can’t get too far ahead of myself.”
Just up the road in Isla Canela Links will be the triple threat of Ronan Mullarney, Paul McBride and Niall Kearney.
Galway star Mullarney enjoyed a superb year on the Alps Tour, picking up two wins and a Challenge Tour card as he topped the season-long Order of Merit on the satellite tour.
The Maynooth University graduate still has his eyes on a golden ticket to the DP World Tour as he looks to kickstart his career.
“Absolutely this was one of my goals from the beginning of the year,” smiled Mullarney. “As much as it is great being on the Alps Tour, tons of nice people, I’m glad to be off the Alps Tour and move on to the next step. I was happy with my golf this year, I feel ready to compete there. I was able to play a few Challenge Tour events before and I was able to step up my game so now I’m ready.
“I’ve had a really consistent year to be honest. If it was a case of two or three wins and a rake of missed cuts that would drive me nuts but on third tier golf that’s a better way of doing it because it is so top heavy with prizes and points but it would have driven me nuts so yeah I am happy with how consistent I have been and it’s only the first step on the ladder.
“DP World Tour Q-School is the golden ticket,” Mullarney affirmed.
The Island’s Paul McBride enjoyed a fruitful year on the Alps Tour finishing third in the Grand Final and 16th in the Order of Merit.
The 2017 Walker Cup player hasn’t hit the heights that his fellow Wake Forest teammates Cameron Young and Will Zalatoris have but he hopes to join them in the big leagues.
“I am where I am and they are where they are and there’s nothing really you can do about it other than try to keep improving. They are very good players and hopefully I can get to that level one day, it’s what you aspire to do.”
Royal Dublin’s Kearney was unlucky to lose his card in 2022 but has struggled on the Challenge Tour this term and he hopes to end another troublesome year on a high note and earn promotion the hard way.
Carton House amateur Marc Boucher will be Ireland’s sole representative in Desert Springs Resort while Dermot McElroy and Conor O’Rourke will be joined by 2017 British Masters winner, Paul Dunne in Golf las Panaillas.
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