The DP World Tour’s Qualifying School Final Stage will return to INFINITUM in 2022, with the stunning Catalonia resort signing a three-year partnership after successfully hosting the event from 2017-2019. Final Stage qualifying is the last opportunity for hopefuls to win their DP World Tour playing rights for the 2023 season and will be played over two 18-hole championship courses at INFINITUM, the Hills and Lakes, the latter of which is hosting this week’s ISPS Handa Championship in Spain.
DP World Tour Qualifying will open with its First Stage throughout September and early October 2022, with Second Stage running from November 3-6. The three-stage competition culminates at INFINITUM from November 11-16, where 156 players will compete over six rounds in a bid to fulfil their DP World Tour dreams.
Final Stage qualifying was first played at INFINITUM – formerly called Lumine – in 2017, with England’s Sam Horsfield claiming victory to regain his Tour card along with 32 other players.
A year later, Spain’s Alejandro Cañizares and Zander Lombard, from South Africa, headed a list of 27 players who won their playing rights. Denmark’s Benjamin Poke topped the leaderboard in 2019 – with another 27 joining him in qualification – before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the event. “It was a life-changing experience, winning in 2019,” said Poke. “You are playing for your card and your future. Qualifying School can be daunting, but you must look at it as a fantastic opportunity. It is quite surreal coming back to INFINITUM [for this week’s ISPS Handa Championship] and going over the great memories of that week. Qualifying School changed my life. I will never forget that.”
Set to the west of the beautiful city of Tarragona on the Costa Dorada, INFINITUM has quickly built a reputation as one of Europe’s most popular golf and lifestyle facilities in an area of natural beauty. The venue’s Lakes course was designed by Greg Norman and runs around the wetlands of the Sequia Major, with water naturally the layout’s chief defence, testing players and their positional play on no fewer than 14 holes.
Its neighbouring Hills course poses an altogether different test; several elevated tees and tight landing areas are surrounded by mature, natural pine trees with greens enveloped by towering cliffs. Panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea add to the course’s charms – and it has quickly built a reputation for being one of Spain’s finest layouts.
Both the Hills and Lakes courses will feature over the six days of Qualifying School Final Stage, and are complemented beautifully with the Ruins course, which has been rated as one of the world’s best nine-hole layouts. Also designed by Norman, it wends seamlessly across sweeping fairways with heavily contoured greens that will deliver a stern test for even the best players.
Agustin Garcia Pascual, chief business officer at INFINITUM, added: “We have built a strong and successful relationship with the DP World Tour and are delighted to welcome back the Final Stage of Qualifying School in 2022. “Signing a three-year partnership affirms our commitment to Qualifying School and will allow us to showcase the developments we have made at INFINITUM as we look to start a new chapter and build on the success of hosting the event from 2017 to 2019. “Our Hills and Lakes layouts – the latter of which is playing host to this week’s ISPS Handa Championship in Spain – will provide a fitting finale, as well as a stern test, for Qualifying School hopefuls and we look forward to six days of fantastic golf later this year.”