Six days, two courses, one ultimate goal.
Here are five things to know as 156 players battle for DP World Tour playing privileges in the 2027 season at the Final Stage of Qualifying School.
How we got here
The 2026 DP World Tour Qualifying School schedule began in August and over the course of the next five weeks, 746 players competed across ten events in seven countries as 182 players progressed from First Stage.
Of those, there were wins for Paul Beauvy, Philipp Katich, Atiruj Winaicharoenchai, Michael Mjaaseth, Miika Makinen, David Nyfjall, Nevill Ruiter, Angus Flanagan, John Greco and Hunter Epson.
Second Stage, held last week across four venues in Spain, saw 321 players, 15 of whom were amateurs, compete for 80 places across the 72-hole no-cut events.
Ahmad Baig, Albert Boneta, Jerry Ji and Anthony Quayle each won events at Second Stage, where play-offs were required at each venue to finalise those progressing to Final Stage.
The qualifiers, along with the ten alternates, are now joined by the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour players already exempt for Final Stage.
How Final Stage works
For the eighth successive time, and the second of an extended three-year partnership through to 2027, Costa Dorada’s award-winning INFINITUM resort is the scene for Final Stage.
Starting on Friday, each player will play two rounds over each of INFINITUM's Lakes and Hills courses before the top 60 and ties make the 72-hole cut at the conclusion of play on Monday.
The final two rounds – held over The Lakes course next Tuesday and Wednesday – will then see the remaining players battle it out.
INFINITUM is a member of the prestigious European Tour Destinations network, which brings together the most renowned golf resorts in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Following a two-phase renovation to the Hills course, it is playing slightly longer this year at 7,056 yards (par 72), while the Lakes measures 7,001 yards (par 71).
What are they playing for?
Upon the conclusion of Final Stage, the leading 15 players and ties will earn playing opportunities on the DP World Tour via Category 18, alongside fully exempt Category 5 status on the HotelPlanner Tour for the 2027 season.
Last year, the top 20 and ties earned playing privileges and prior to that it was the top 25 and ties.
A player's finishing position can make a big difference to the number of Tour stars they earn, although there is opportunity for players in Catgeory 18 to be re-ranked with good performances as the 2027 Race to Dubai plays out.
From the 2025 cohort of Qualifying School graduates, four - Davis Bryant, Gregorio De Leo, Nathan Kimsey and Daniel Rodrigues - played their way into the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
For those who make the 72-hole cut and finish below 15th place and ties but within the leading 40 players and ties, they will earn Category 9 status on the HotelPlanner Tour. Players who make the 72-hole cut but finish below 40th place and ties will earn Category 13 membership on the HotelPlanner Tour.
Players who fail to make the cut will be eligible for membership of the HotelPlanner Tour, equivalent to Category 15 from the 2026 season.
Explainer: What new changes to DP World Tour membership structure mean as Qualifying School Final Stage nears
Inside the field
With its combination of global qualifying events and exemptions from DP World and HotelPlanner Tours, the Final Stage brings together one of the most diverse fields in golf.
There are a host of DP World Tour winners, 21 to be precise, with Pablo Larrazábal and Marcel Siem accounting for 15 titles and 1,067 appearances between them.
Larrazábal first won his DP World Tour card through Qualifying School in 2007 and is bidding to extend his association on Tour for a 20th consecutive campaign at a venue he won one of his nine DP World Tour titles at in 2022.
Among other recognisable established players are Ross Fisher, Alexander Levy and Edoardo Molinari, who won the Final Stage of Qualifying School in 2024.
Rolex Series winner Thomas Pieters makes his return to Qualifying School for the first time since 2013 as the Belgian targets a return to the DP World Tour, a decade on from playing in the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.
Byeong Hun An won the first of his two DP World Tour titles at the BMW PGA Championship in 2015 and the South Korean is another prominent international player teeing it up.
Yannik Paul, who was in contention to play at the Ryder Cup in 2023, earned a late call-up as an alternate following a play-off on Monday. The German had initially come up one shot shy at his Second Stage event.
Dean Greyserman, brother of PGA Tour golfer Max, is in action as one of four amateurs - alongside Argentinean pair Mateo Pulcini and Segundo Oliva Pinto and the United States' Nathan Wang, having come through Second Stage last week.
There are 50 players who have made it all the way from First Stage, including Baig who is bidding to become the first golfer from Pakistan to secure DP World Tour membership.
To view the entry list in full, click here.
50 years of Qualifying School
First played in 1976, this year marks the 50th anniversary of DP World Tour Qualifying School.
What started out as a 72-hole test has evolved into a potential 252-hole marathon. In 2026, as was the case last year, players paid an entrance fee of £2,750.
Over the past five decades a host of Major Champions, Ryder Cup stars, World Number Ones and DP World winners have earned promotion to golf’s global Tour through Qualifying School.
Some of the notable alumni include Sandy Lyle, José María Olazábal, Colin Montgomerie, Retief Goosen, Pádraig Harrington, Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Justin Rose.
A dramatic week, filled with moments of joy and heartbreak, awaits.
