[PHOTO: Gary Lisbon]
Rosebud Country Club on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula makes history today as the first DP World Tour qualifying school staged outside Europe tees off.
Some of Australia’s brightest young talents and a handful of Kiwis and Americans will compete across 72 holes in the first stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School, the first DP World Tour Q School since 2019.
Rosebud was slated to host a first-stage event in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic that made international travel so difficult put paid to those plans. But two years on the opportunity once again presents itself for players to advance to the second stage in Spain in November.
“This has been more than two years in the making so we’re just thrilled that our players now have this wonderful opportunity,” said PGA of Australia tournaments director Australasia, Nick Dastey.
“The ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia exists to provide playing opportunities for our members and to give them a direct pathway to the game’s largest tours.
“Our strategic alignment has made it possible to host a stage of qualifying in our own country that will take some of our players a step closer to potentially playing on the DP World Tour in 2023.”
Fourth at TPS Victoria at Rosebud in February, Blake Collyer has made no secret of his desire to forge his professional career on the DP World Tour.
Shortly after turning professional in October 2019, Collyer attended the first stage of DP World Tour qualifying in England. He progressed there but failed to advance to the final stage, the chance to take another shot just an hour from home an opportunity he was not going to pass up.
“Being able to sleep in my own bed, cook my own food and drive down each day is a massive benefit for me and something that I was really excited about when I saw that it was going to be at Rosebud,” Collyer said.
“It’s been a strange few years,” he added. “I turned pro in October 2019 so it wasn’t long before that (COVID) all hit. You were transitioning out of the amateur game with these high hopes of where you can take your game and then it was put on hold and paused for a few years.
“Now it’s finally kicking back into gear so it’s got that excitement back and optimism of where I can take my game. The opportunities that are coming up are very exciting.
“I’m looking forward to what the next six to 12 months will have in store.”
Collyer’s fourth placing at Rosebud was one of two top-five finishes on the 2021-2022 PGA Tour of Australasia season, tied for fifth just three shots behind winner Harrison Crowe at the Golf Challenge NSW Open.
He spent seven weeks in Europe in June and July playing mini tours and taking part in final qualifying for the Open Championship at St Andrews, missing out by just two strokes at Prince’s Golf Club.
It affirmed to Collyer again that he has the talent and temperament to succeed internationally.
“Because they’re on the European Tour you put it on such a high pedestal but I feel like my game is there, it’s just giving myself the opportunities and getting myself out there,” said Collyer, who went out in the first group with West Australian Haydn Barron and Sydney’s John Lyras at 8 o’clock this morning.
“Even when I did Q-School at the end of 2019, I got through first stage and did all right at second stage but didn’t get through to finals. In my head I’d put it on a big pedestal and was thinking these players would all be really good but I felt like I fitted in quite quickly. This recent trip to the UK solidified that my game is really close and can compete at any level. I’ve just got to keep doing it until I do it at the right time and get onto a tour and go from there.”
Other notable names playing this week include Rosebud local James Marchesani, North Coast Open champion Kade McBride, recent Redcliffe Pro-Am winner Aaron Wilkin, 2019 Gippsland Super 6 champion Tom Power-Horan and young pros such as Matias Sanchez, Andre Lautee and Linus Yip.
The number of qualifying positions will be determined once all players have teed off.
Click here for the first-round draw.
