From Delight To Despair: 2016 European Tour Q-School Round-Up

Nathan Kimsey
Nathan Kimsey won 2016 European Tour Q-School
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Some 30 players came through a six-round ordeal at 2016 European Tour Q-School and emerged from PGA Catalunya with their cards for next season

From Delight To Despair: 2016 European Tour Q-School Round-Up

Some 30 players came through a six-round ordeal at 2016 European Tour Q-School and emerged from PGA Catalunya with their cards for next season.

England’s Nathan Kimsey finished alone in first place on 13-under-par, one shot clear of Scott Henry, former Ryder Cup player Edoardo Molinari and Ricardo Gonzales, who, at 47, became the oldest graduate in Q-School history.

Those on five-under-par had an anxious wait to see if they’d done enough, but they ultimately scraped their cards on the number in a tie for 25th.

There was no such joy for the likes of James Heath and Canadian Austin Connelly – the youngest player in the field at 20 – who dropped shots on 17 and 18 respectively to miss the number by one.

Here’s a round-up of some of the players who earned cards, and some who didn’t, at 2016 European Tour Q-School…

Delight:

Steven Tiley – The Englishman finally secured a card through Q-School and will now play a full European Tour schedule for the first time since turning professional in 2007.

Eddie Pepperell – Pepperell agonisingly lost his card with a final-hole double-bogey at the Portugal Masters, but he bounced back in resounding fashion to comfortably secure a card for next year.

Related: Eddie Pepperell swing sequence

 YE Yang – The Korean finished in a tie for 11th after a final-round 71. He was the first Major Champion in history to play European Tour Q-School Final Stage.

Tom Lewis – The former European Tour Rookie of the Year also finished in a tie for 11th on eight-under-par.

Ashley Chesters – One of the most highly regarded young English players shot a final-round 71 to finish in a tie for 16th.

Despair:

Oliver Wilson – the Golf Monthly columnist will be playing on the Challenge Tour next season after a final-round 72 left him three shots off the pace.

Robin Sciot-Siegrist – the Frenchman was comfortably inside the top 25 after five rounds, but fell 45 places with a final-round 81.

Alvaro Quiros – Quiros, a six-time European Tour champion, failed to make the 72-hole cut after opening with a 68.

Chase Koepka – Brooks’ brother compiled a disappointing eight-over-par four-round total and missed the cut by seven strokes.

Brett Rumford, Johan Edfors and Kenneth Ferrie – all European Tour winners – failed to complete four rounds at PGA Catalunya.

Nick Bonfield
Features Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, writing, commissioning and coordinating all features across print and online. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x