We’re at the business end of the DP World Tour season, but it's not just the Play-Offs where matters are coming to a head.
While the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship was being played in the United Arab Emirates, at Spain’s Infinitum Golf, the annual battle for stars to secure a DP World Tour card via Q-School was taking place.
DP World Tour Q-School began back in August with the first stage, while the second stage started at the end of October.
Now we are at the all-important final stage, which began on November 7th and runs until November 12th, with the action taking place over six rounds at the Lakes Course and the Hills Course.
The object of the first four rounds was to finish above the cut line for the chance to battle it out for the top 20 places and ties in the final two rounds to secure a card.
Among those who have made it to the latter stage are 72-hole leader Zander Lombard, former LIV Golf star Luis Masaveu, and two-time DP World Tour winner Shubhankar Sharma.
However, for several more notable names, the fourth round marked the end of the road for their chances. Here are the details.
Lucas Bjerregaard
The Dane finished 30 below the cut-off for a card in the Race to Dubai rankings, but could the two-time DP World Tour winner seize his final opportunity at Q-School?
After the first round, it was looking likely, with Bjerregaard heading back to the clubhouse on three under.
That was as good as things got for him, with further rounds of 75, 72 and 72 meaning he finished his challenge on one over and heading home two days earlier than he would have liked.
Gregory Bourdy
For the Frenchman, it must seem a long time ago since his fourth and most recent DP World Tour win, which came in 2013 at the ISPS Handa Wales Open.
In recent seasons, he has largely played on the Challenge Tour (now the HotelPlanner Tour), and he won’t be making a full-time return to the DP World Tour in 2026, either, after missing the cut by two at Q-School following rounds of 68, 71, 74 and 69.
Gavin Green
Malaysian Green played 30 times on the DP World Tour this season, but it wasn’t enough to finish in the top 115 of the Race to Dubai rankings, eventually placing 142nd.
In total, he has over 200 starts on the DP World Tour, but they’ll be limited in 2026 after rounds of 74, 70, 71 and 66 ensured he missed the cut by one in Spain.
Justin Harding
Two-time DP World Tour winner Harding has missed far more cuts than he would have liked in 2025.
Unfortunately for the South African, he now has another to add to the list after two rounds of 70 and two more of 72 meant he finished his bid for a DP World Tour card on two-under, four adrift of the cut line.
Maximilian Kieffer
The 2022 D+D Real Czech Masters victor went on to place 33rd in the Race to Dubai rankings that year. Three years on, he finished 143rd, meaning he headed to Q-School to battle for his DP World Tour card.
He made a dreadful start in Spain with a five-over 76 before recovering with rounds of 67, 69 and 71, but it wasn’t enough as he missed the cut by three.
Yannik Paul
Two years ago, Yannik Paul came close enough to qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team to contemplate what might have been after missing out.
However, the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open champion has been gradually sliding down the world rankings ever since, while he has just one top-10 finish this season.
As a result, he placed 121st in the Race to Dubai rankings, while his efforts to secure his DP World Tour card at Q-School fell short, too.
He was another player to head away from Infinitum Golf, having missed the cut by one.
Tapio Pulkkanen
The Finnish player, who is instantly recognisable for his habit of wearing a trilby hat, made a slow start to his challenge with rounds of 73 and 71.
He warmed to the task as the event continued, with a 69 in the third round and a 68 in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to scramble above the cut line.
Pulkkanen, who placed 10 spots beneath the Race to Dubai rankings threshold that would have secured full DP World Tour playing privileges for 2026, finished on five under to miss out by one.
Justin Walters
The South African has spent most of 2025 playing on the HotelPlanner Tour and the Sunshine Tour, with just three DP World Tour events in his schedule.
He missed the cut in all three, meaning he needed Q-School to have a chance of earning a DP World Tour card.
His worst round of the week came immediately with a 74, before further rounds of 69, 72 and 70 saw him to one-under after 72 holes, but still five shy of where he needed to be.
Chris Wood
Back in 2016, Wood was one of the game’s brightest stars. However, a dramatic loss of form starting in 2019 led to him taking a year out of the game in 2023 after his mental health suffered, with chronic anxiety and burnout as the diagnosis.
He made his comeback in 2024 on the HotelPlanner Tour and relied on invitations to play on the DP World Tour this year, with a T7 at the Turkish Airlines the big highlight.
However, he couldn’t finish in the top 115 of the Race to Dubai rankings, so instead sought a card via Q-School. Sadly, he came up short, missing the cut, agonizingly, by one.
