South Africa’s Zander Lombard completed one of the most dominant performances in recent Qualifying School history, winning the Final Stage at INFINITUM by 13 shots to headline the 20 players who secured DP World Tour cards for the 2026 season.
Lombard closed with an eight-under 63 to finish 37-under, capping six rounds of exceptional scoring (64-69-67-64-64-63). The 30-year-old arrived in Spain needing to regain his card after missing much of 2024 with an ACL and meniscus injury, and walked away as the runaway medalist.
“It’s been a tough year and a half,” Lombard said. “From knee surgery to learning how to walk again… I’m just happy I could keep this form going.”
Shubhankar Sharma earns full status
India’s Shubhankar Sharma capped a strong week with joint second place alongside Connor McKinney and Aaron Cockerill, all finishing 13 shots behind Lombard. Sharma, a two-time DPWT champion, bounced back from a difficult 2025 season to secure Category 18 status — completing a Second Stage + Final Stage turnaround to regain his playing rights.
Pepperell delivers a four-birdie finish to keep his card
England’s Eddie Pepperell produced one of the week’s biggest moments, birdieing his final four holes to jump inside the top 20 at 19-under. It was redemption for the Englishman, who missed out by one shot last year after failing to convert a seven-footer for eagle at the last.
“I’m pretty proud of myself,” he said. “It was a struggle at times, but I hung in there.”
Veterans return; heartbreak for big names
Former DP World Tour winners Matthew Baldwin, Adri Arnaus, and Andreas Halvorsen also earned their cards, while nine-time Tour champions Alexander Levy and Marc Warren both missed out by a single shot, relegated instead to HotelPlanner Tour Category 9 for 2026.
Six players graduate through all three stages
Six players completed the full Q School gauntlet — 252+ holes across multiple countries — to earn full DPWT membership:
Frederico Biondi Figueiredo (BRA)
- Andres German Gallegos (ARG)
- Hunter Logan (USA)
- Mike Toorop (NED)
- Connor McKinney (AUS)
- Daniel Rodrigues (POR) (ranked 2,449 in OWGR)
Three players earned DPWT cards at Q School for the second straight year:
- Davis Bryant (USA)
- Benjamin Follett-Smith (ZIM)
- Gregorio De Leo (ITA)