DP World Tour card hopefuls aiming to hand Scottish golf another boost

Starting on Friday, the Final Stage of the circuit’s Qualifying School at Infinitum Golf in Tarragona in Spain features 156 card contenders, including four Scots - Cameron Adam, Ryan Lumsden, Aidan O’Hagan and Graeme Robertson.

Following DP World Tour wins for Scott Jamieson and Grant Forrest over the past few months coupled with Marc Warren regaining his seat at the top table through the HotelPlanner Tour last weekend, they’ll be aiming to give Scottish fans even more to shout about.

Adam is paying his first visit to this marathon six-round battle after finishing 133rd on the Race to Dubai in his rookie season on the DP World Tour, having earned his card through winning last year’s Global Amateur Pathway.

“I am feeling good,” said the 23-year-old of now having to try and regain his status on the main tour albeit knowing that he has a full HotelPlanner Tour card as a back up for next year. “I’ve felt good for a wee while. It’s just kind of been a bit of a frustrating year. But that’s golf. I’ve felt my game has been more than enough there, but it’s just not totalled up on the scorecard.

“Yeah, there’s no reason why it can’t happen this week. It’s definitely been a big learning curve this year. It’s far more competitive than you can ever imagine. Just so many good players and, because of that, there are so many guys playing well every week.

“There’s just so much depth, so you have to play great to stand out. I’m not disappointed as I feel I gave myself a lot of opportunities playing on the weekend but it’s just not all come together. However, I’m obviously hungry to get back there and compete where I think I can.”

O’Hagan, a first-time winner on the Tartan Pro Tour this year in the Newmachar Classic, has already passed tests in the First and Second Stages, as has Robertson, who turned professional in 2021 at the age of 33 and has now teed up an incredible opportunity.

“It would be massive to get onto the DP World Tour, especially given the route I’ve taken to get here,” he said, having put his career on hold for a spell after becoming a dad but now going from strength to strength.

“To be in this position and have the chance to earn a DP World Tour card is something I’m really looking forward to. I feel like the last five years have been building towards an opportunity like this, so hopefully I can make the most of it. I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing and hopefully give myself a chance.”

Winning all five of his matches, Robertson helped a Great Britain & Ireland team captained by David Scott record a first PGA Cup victory over the US in 2017 at The K Club in Ireland last month.

“I played really well at Desert Springs,” he added of coming through his Second Stage. “In the last round, I hit all 18 greens and shot a pretty stress-free six-under, which was nice. My game has been in a good place for a while now as well - I’ve made my last eight cuts in a row on the HotelPlanner Tour - so I’m going into the Final Stage with plenty of confidence.”

As is Lumsden, who has come up short so far in his card bid on the HotelPlanner Tour but handed himself a timely boost by carding a closing 64 at Desert Springs and certainly has the talent to be a DP World Tour player.

Instead of the top 20 and ties, coveted cards will go on this occasion to just the top 15 and ties, though players are being promised that Category 18 membership will secure “greater schedule certainty” for the 2027 campaign.

The hopefuls include no less than 21 DP World Tour winners, led by nine-time champion Pablo Larrazabal, former Ryder Cup players Edoardo Molinari, Thomas Pieters and Ross Fisher and Ben An, who won the BMW PGA Championship 11 years ago.

For the four Scots, it’s a chance to be sitting at the top table next season along with Jamieson, Forrest, Warren, Calum Hill, Ewen Ferguson, Bob MacIntyre, David Law and Connor Syme, with Richie Ramsay likely to get an injury exemption.

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