Q school....

[CMAC]

I've been folowing the players for this years Q school (great start by Alastair Forsyth) and I was reading the entry form.

If you think your medals/opens or club championships are stressful have you seen the schedule to get on the tour?

Entry fee is £1,350

First Qualifying stage- 72 holes(sept-beg Oct) and you can choose one of 8 courses, 5 in Europe and 3 in UK. After 54 holes only those within 7 shots will be permitted to contest the final round.

Second Qualifying stage- 72 holes (2-5 Nov) allocated to play at 1 of 4 courses in Spain.

Final Qualifying - 108 holes (10-15 Nov) PGA Catalunya resort in Spain which has 2 courses. A field of 156 players will play two rounds over each of the Tour and Stadium Courses. After 72 holes, the field will be cut to the leading 70 players and those players tied on the final qualifying place score who will then play two further rounds.
At the conclusion of 108 holes, the leading 25 players (and those players tied on the final qualifying place score) will be ranked according to score. Each of these players will be eligible for membership in Category 15 of the European Tour (and Category 5 of the Challenge Tour) for the 2014 season and will be subject to the 2014 re-rank policy adopted by the Tournament Committee.

On top of the £1350 entrance fee you will have extensive travel/accomodation and living costs.....


Just thought I'd post this as it was a bit of an eye opener for me and not sure how many of us realise how tough it actually is just to get a start in a tournament where you pay yet again

My hat is firmly off to them all:clap:


entry form in case anyone wants to sign up for next year http://www.europeantour.com/mm/document/tournament/qualifying/20/08/04/_english.pdf

 

[pbrown7582]

think it is too easy to forget life is not rosey for all on tour, when you see the top boys getting the appearance fees and sponsorship deals they do.
thats a big commitment to under take good luck to all those that try.

 

[Rooter]

I met a young lad a few weeks ago called Tyrell Hatton, lovely guy and he is one of the lucky ones that a little bit of backing, he has just qualified for the full european tour next year, but was telling me about how 95% of people out there carry their own kit as paying a caddy is too expensive, how they bunk up in hostels to save cash etc. he reckons he will be lucky to have cleared £10k this year and he had a good year!! fingers crossed he does well next year in the european tour! one to watch!!

PS, Even if i did beat him at beat the pro nearest the pin

 

[woody69]

How do they justify charging such a high entrance fee?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

How do they justify charging such a high entrance fee?

Because they have to pay to host it as well as provide prize money.

 

[JustOne]

Seems OK to me. If I was good enough then I'd just go and play my game.

£1350 isn't too much considering that you're playing for £250,000 every week + sponsorship + perks.

 

[dotty001]

I wish they televised q school , it's an awesome process , if not a little harsh playing for your livelihood


It's been said before it's tough at the top but it's even tougher at the bottom , I've heard stories of pros sleeping in their car, caravans , hostels , hence why a win and guarentee of your card for a couple of years mean so much to them

 

[chrisd]

I wish they televised q school , it's an awesome process , if not a little harsh playing for your livelihood

I seem to remember Sky showing an edited programme on the Tour School last year ( I think)

 

[Deleted member 18588]

In addition to the other concerns it should be remembered that having gained your card at Q School you are still going to struggle to get entries for enough events, particularly the larger ones, to make sufficient prize money to retain your card.

 

[Imurg]

In addition to the other concerns it should be remembered that having gained your card at Q School you are still going to struggle to get entries for enough events, particularly the larger ones, to make sufficient prize money to retain your card.

Yep. Not a lot people know that.
You're actually better off getting in through the Challenge Tour. You get ranked in a higher Category so get into more events.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I don't really have sympathy for them if I'm honest - they make a choice. Far from the toughest lifestyle or career choice

 

[3offTheTee]

Used to work in Whitchurch late 70's which is close to Oswestry.

There was this lad who did not have enough money to get into the local night club and his friends used to chip in with 50p.

Shame really; he was struggling to make ends meet. You may have heard of him - Ian Woosnam!!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Earning a small fortune doing something you love shouldn't be easy IMHO.

 

[white_feather]

I'd be interested to know how much debt these guys get themselves into chasing the dream.

How long do you keep trying before enough is enough?

Golf can be so cruel, the number of ex-Major winners who've fallen by the road side lost their Tour card and ended up playing on the minor tours.

A very difficult way of making a living.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Just scroll down the quality of the players going for their card.
It gives you some idea how tough it is to get to the top.

 

[CMAC]

Forsyth now -8 and 2 off the lead, long way to go but promising....


http://www.europeantour.com/europea...3/tournamentid=2013995/leaderboard/index.html

 

[CMAC]

Jim Morrison (ENG) now shot 7 under today and is tied in 1st place, it shot him up 39 places today:thup:
Alastair still at -6 with 2 to play........c'mon Alastair just 1 birdie in the last 2 please to keep you well in the hunt.

 

[jimbob.someroo]

Jim Morrison (ENG) now shot 7 under today and is tied in 1st place, it shot him up 39 places today:thup:

This must be the hardest part about getting through something like this. Was speaking to a playing partner on Sunday who played in the The Open in 1989 through the regional/local qualifiers and we were talking about a young lad at our place who got to final qualifying this year. He played alright at the last qualifying but no nearly well enough to get in the top 4 (or 3?).

With so few spaces on offer playing 'well' just isn't enough. You need to have a silly low score like -7 or more to really give your self a chance. Shooting -2 three times in a row on what I imagine are really difficult course set-ups would currently have you in a tie for 20th. Level par for the first three rounds has you in a tie for 66th!

Really need a stupidly good round to push yourself through to the top.

Edit: as a side note, the guy I was talking to missed the cut in The Open but did finish two shots better than Strictly Come Dancing star and occasional golfer Anthony Jacklin CBE.

 

[CMAC]

Alastair finishes -7 and tied 11th :whoo:

1 more round then field is cut to 70 and ties for 2 more rounds.

 

[shivas irons]

Seems OK to me. If I was good enough then I'd just go and play my game.

£1350 isn't too much considering that you're playing for £250,000 every week + sponsorship + perks.

Trouble is its the same guys winning that £250, 000 every week!