School's out - The story of Final Stage 2024

While DP World Tour Qualifying School Final Stage is anything but predictable, there is one thing upon which you can always rely - drama.

The established professional who's had an off year, the veteran who is looking for one more shot, the rising star who's ascension seems inevitable and the journeyman player just looking for a home. They all teed up it at INFINITUM.

It is this heady mix that makes the 'toughest test in golf' one of the game’s greatest spectacles and here, we take a look back at six life-changing rounds in Spain.

Edoardo Molinari fights back to take the title

Just call Edoardo Molinari the king of Q-School. He came through golf's toughest test in 2015 and 2016 and now, in his first trip back since, he has won it after a dominant performance in Tarragona.

He had led since the end of round two but midway through the final round he trailed Niklas Lemke by two before four birdies in six holes saw him sign for a closing 67 and take the title by one at 29 under.

“It was very good to finish on top,” he said. “I’m relieved to come out on top in the end. I feel I kind of deserve it after the way I played all week. It means a lot to keep my card, especially as I’m 43 now. I’m towards the end of my career so any chance I get to play, I want to take it. It’s not been my best year but to finish like this and now to go home and be with my wife and kids, to spend time with the family, and then plan out next year, it’s something I’m looking forward to.”

Honourable mention also goes to INFINITUM specialist Lemke, who has now come through Final Stage here in his last four attempts, having previously graduated in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

Carlson's tears

Nick Carlson has never had status on a major tour and earlier this year he was working as a teacher, coach and a delivery driver before winning a NEXT Golf Tour event on a simulator that provided him with the funds to give golf another go.

Now, after coming through First and Second Stage, he made the Final Stage cut to earn himself a place on the Challenge Tour next season.

His emotional interview after round four shows you just how much it means to finally have a golfing home.

Olesen gives up Augusta

Unlike most people at Q-School, amateur Jacob Skov Olesen revealed after round one he was feeling no pressure to get the job done this week. "My plan B is pretty damn good," he said after firing an opening 65.

That safety net was an appearance at the Masters Tournament, earned via becoming the first Danish player to win The Amateur Championship. But Olesen, who arrived this week having already earned Challenge Tour status via the Global Amateur Pathway Rankings will now give that up to enter the paid ranks and play on the DP World Tour.

Global trailblazers

You will be seeing some unfamiliar flags dotted across DP World and Challenge Tour leaderboards next season as Final Stage saw the DP World Tour truly prove itself to be golf's global tour.

Jean Bekirian changed his nationality from French to Armenian in the middle of the year and he will now become the first Armenian member in DP World Tour history.

"I'm very happy because Armenia is a country with a lot of political problems so I do this for every guy like me who is in the war," he said. "I am on the golf course and I think about that when I sleep, when I wake up, when I play. So this is for my country - Armenia."

And the Challenge Tour will also have a new flag with Albania's Ilirian Zalli, who missed out on a DP World Tour card by one shot and made a hole-in-one en route.

World's best caddie

"Luckily enough I have a good caddie with me here this week," said Joseba Torres after his final practice round. The caddie of which he spoke was his uncle, two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup great José María Olazábal.

"He has been with me since I started playing golf when I was three years old,” said Torres.

"Obviously in a tournament it is different but he has always been with me and he knows what I'm more comfortable with and not. He really knows my game.

"Whatever he says I say yes, let's go and do it because I really trust him. I know he isn't going to say anything that I don't need to do so I really trust what he says."

Torres unfortunately missed the cut at INFINITUM but he had four days he will never forget.

Van Veen shoots 59

Vince van Veen fired the magic number of 59 on day three to catapult himself over 100 places up the leaderboard.

After birdieing the first at the Lakes course he never looked back, adding a further three gains on the front nine and eight on the way back to come home in 28 and move up 126 places.

With preferred lies in place after heavy rain early in the week, Van Veen's effort will not enter the history books but it is still a round for the ages.

"It's the last thing that you think about," he said.

"I've shot between eight and ten under a few times this year so I thought that this golf course is a little bit more forgiving off the tee. I think if I can shoot eight under I at least have a chance to be there for the final two days with another low one so that was what I had in mind.

"So it's just trying to prepare for a solid round, really, see if I can shoot a nice number but 59? I've never had a putt for 59 in my life so this was brilliant."

From play-off despair to the DP World Tour

American Corey Shaun was the odd man out in a three-man play-off for the final spot in the Final Stage field at Second Stage. That made him second alternate and he decided to try his luck and stay in Spain - seeing his patience pay off as he secured a DP World Tour card.

"I lost the first play-off hole and I had no idea what second alternate meant," he said. "I didn't think I was going to get in but I was convinced to stay in Spain one more week and see what happens. Luckily a day and a half later I did get in but what is crazy is that, in all honesty, third alternate, I probably would have flown home that day."

He is now glad he didn't.

Another ride on the Tom Lewis roller coaster

For Tom Lewis, 2011 feels like a very long time ago. That year he played on a winning Walker Cup team, won on the DP World Tour in just his third professional start and was crowned Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.

Since then he was won again on the DP World Tour and had a PGA Tour card but he this year he found himself at Qualifying School for the second campaign in a row.

In 2023 he shot a stunning fourth-round 61 to dash to the cutline and comfortably regained his card. He threatened to do it again in 2024 as he turned in 31 on day four and while he made the cut on the number after initially thinking he may miss out, he missed out on DP World Tour card.

"I don't feel sorry for myself but it's getting to the point where I'm getting frustrated with how my life is turning out," he said in a brutally hoinest interview after thinking he had missed the cut.

"This is not how I wanted it when I turned pro back in 2011. I didn't expect my career to be like this so it's a shock to the system.

"There's only so much players can take of disappointment.

"It doesn't matter whether you're playing on the PGA TOUR or the Challenge Tour, if you're doing well, you feel good. If you're doing poorly, you don't feel good at all.

"This year there was a lot of disappointment, a lot of punches taken and not a lot of reward so when you come here you have to be in the right frame of mind, which I clearly wasn't quite there.

"That was the thinking behind maybe not coming, just to save myself from my own mental torture.

"If I win the lottery I think I'd be packing it in but that's probably not going to happen so let's see how it goes."