Zander Lombard wins the DP World Tour Qualifying School at -37, while all German hopefuls miss out on a tour card.
The DP World Tour Q-School is always packed with drama, from heartbreak to triumph. After six grueling days and six rounds at Infinitum Resort in Spain, only 20 players earned their way back to the DP World Tour. Among them were both young talents chasing a dream and seasoned veterans seeking one last shot at the big stage. The resort has hosted the Q-School for the seventh time and will continue to do so through 2027.
German players fall short at DP World Tour Q-School
It was a disappointing outcome for the German contingent. Jannik de Bruyn and Philipp Katich both made it to the final stage and were within reach of a tour card heading into the last round. However, both struggled on the front nine. De Bruyn continued to falter on the back nine, finishing with a two-over-par 73. “In training, I see that I’m a better golfer than two years ago, but I can’t translate it into results right now,” he told Golf Post. Two years ago, he had just barely secured his tour card at Q-School.
Katich showed signs of a comeback on the back nine, but a double bogey derailed his momentum. He closed with a 70 to finish at -12, still well short of the -18 cut line for a tour card. “It was a survival battle today,” he said. He was generally satisfied with his game, but noted his driver let him down. “If you’re on the fairway, this course is basically a gift.”
Zander Lombard leads the pack with historic score
South Africa’s Zander Lombard may have taken that advice to heart, winning the Q-School with a jaw-dropping 37-under-par total—13 shots ahead of the runner-up. Among the 20 successful players was also Eddie Pepperell, who secured his card with four birdies to close. The two-time DP World Tour winner had failed to regain his card at last year’s Q-School and spent 2025 on the Challenge Tour. This time, his persistence paid off. “This week was tough at times, especially today, but I really hung in there,” he told the DP World Tour in tears. “I’m over the moon. It’s hard to put into words.”
One of the more heartbreaking stories came from France’s Alexander Levy. The five-time DP World Tour winner missed out on a card by a single stroke, finishing 21st. After earning his way back to the Tour in 2024 via the HotelPlanner Tour, he now returns to the second-tier Challenge Tour. Scotland’s Marc Warren also narrowly missed the -18 cutoff. The 44-year-old has been playing primarily on the Challenge Tour since 2024.