Jonathan Caldwell finished three shots outside the tour cards at the Final Stage of the gruelling 108-hole DP World Tour Qualifying School in Spain.

The Clandeboye star (39) went into the sixth and final round just inside the top 25 and ties at INFINITUM in Tarragona.

He knew he likely needed a round in the sixties to get his card but mixed four birdies with one bogey and two double bogeys in a closing 72 to finish 49th in the final standings on 11-under par.  

Caldwell will have full playing rights on the Challenge Tour in 2024, but 33 players secured full DP World Tour cards on 14-under or better.

They were headed by Germany’s Freddy Schott (22), who claimed the top card when he eagled the par-five 18th at the Lakes Course to card a six-under 65 and secure a two-stroke victory over Italian Filippo Celli on 27-under par.

“I'm unbelievably happy,” Schott said. “I knew it was going to come down to the final few holes. I had a chip-in on 14, made a good birdie on 16 and then the eagle putt dropping on 18 just made it a really good week.

“I wasn't really thinking about winning it but then after three or four days, I thought I might as well go for it and so I did.

“I couldn't have imagined that after last year I wouldn't be back on the DP World Tour. I've made some great friendships there this year and it's just amazing to play on the DP World Tour. That was my only goal this week.”

Belgian Matthis Besard fired a closing 65 to finish third on 23-under par alongside overnight leader Sebastian Friedrichsen from Denmark and Dutchman Darius van Driel.

The fairytale stories included New Zealand’s Sam Jones, Belgian Besard, English amateur Joshua Berry, Danish duo Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen and Søren Broholt Lind, England’s Joe Dean and American James Nicholas, who came through all three stages to earn their cards.

But American John Catlin, who won the 2019 Irish Open at Galgorm Castle, missed out by just two strokes, finishing 46th on 12-under after a closing 71.

Meanwhile, Robert Moran was the best of the Irish after day one of the Alps Tour Qualifying School in Italy.

The top 35 and ties after three rounds will be awarded cards and the Castle man is well placed, tied for 11th on two-under after a 69 at Golf Nazionale near Rome.

Carton House’s Marc Boucher shot a 71 while Portmarnock’s Bradon St Jude fired a 73 at Olgiata to leave them tied 28th on level par.

AJ McCabe tied 64th after a two-over 73, just inside the top 65 and ties who will make the 36-hole cut.

But Walker Cup player Alex Maguire and France-based Micheal Young (+3), Luke Donnelly and Simon Bryan (+5) and Joseph Hanney (+8) have work to do to make the final round.

English amateur Mason Essam shot an eight-under-par 65 at Olgiata Golf Club to top the leaderboard by three shots from Italian amateur Luca Memeo.

 

DP World Tour Qualifying School Final Stage, INFINITUM Golf Club, Tarragona, Spain

Detailed scores

401 F SCHOTT (GER) 68 63 75 66 64 65, 

403 F CELLI (ITA) 68 65 66 66 70 68, 

405 M BESARD (BEL) 70 67 70 65 68 65, D VAN DRIEL (NED) 70 66 70 66 65 68, S FRIEDRICHSEN (DEN) 67 66 68 67 66 71, 

406 T LEWIS (ENG) 71 69 73 61 67 65, S JONES (NZL) 68 69 70 65 68 66, 

407 S GARCIA (ESP) 67 65 69 69 75 62, 

408 K JOHANNESSEN (NOR) 68 67 73 65 67 68, H BARRON (AUS) 67 72 70 64 66 69, 

409 R PARATORE (ITA) 73 64 71 69 67 65, J KRUYSWIJK (RSA) 70 67 72 66 66 68, J DAVIDSON (WAL) 67 66 70 66 70 70, 

410 K APHIBARNRAT (THA) 71 70 67 69 69 64, A WILSON (ENG) 69 70 69 69 65 68, 

412 D RAVETTO (FRA) 71 70 70 65 66 70, 

413 B RUSCH (SUI) 72 72 68 68 67 66, G PORTEOUS (ENG) 69 69 73 66 66 70, N GALLETTI (USA) 71 69 67 66 70 70, J BERRY (AM) (ENG) 67 68 70 67 71 70, P MOOLMAN (RSA) 71 66 70 64 70 72, 

414 L RUUSKA (FIN) 76 66 67 70 69 66, J NICHOLAS (USA) 68 71 69 69 70 67, A GARCIA-HEREDIA (ESP) 69 68 70 71 68 68, J DEAN (ENG) 69 72 67 67 71 68, P FIGUEIREDO (POR) 70 68 70 71 66 69, S BROHOLT LIND (DEN) 72 67 71 68 67 69, D FICHARDT (RSA) 69 67 71 71 67 69, N VON DELLINGSHAUSEN (GER) 71 66 69 68 71 69, J DE BRUYN (GER) 66 71 67 73 67 70, R ENOCH (WAL) 75 65 69 67 67 71, K BROBERG (SWE) 69 66 70 69 69 71, J GOTH-RASMUSSEN (DEN) 69 65 68 69 69 74

Non-qualifiers

415 B THORNBERRY (USA) 67 72 76 65 69 66, J MOSCATEL NACHSHON (ESP) 70 69 70 67 71 68, F MORY (FRA) 69 68 73 68 68 69, O LINDELL (FIN) 70 70 69 67 69 70, G BOYD (ENG) 70 65 71 67 70 72,

416 P PINEAU (FRA) 78 66 67 69 69 67, S HUTSBY (ENG) 70 72 68 71 67 68, R SCIOT-SIEGRIST (FRA) 74 64 73 69 68 68, H HOPEWELL (AUS) 73 65 69 69 71 69, S BROWN (ENG) 72 71 70 68 65 70, G BOURDY (FRA) 71 68 71 67 69 70, D YOUNG (SCO) 68 69 70 70 68 71, J CATLIN (USA) 73 65 71 67 69 71, 

417 D GERMISHUYS (RSA) 72 66 69 70 72 68, Q VIDAL (ESP) 70 69 71 69 69 69, JONATHAN CALDWELL (NIR) 74 68 66 67 70 72, 

419 M LINDBERG (SWE) 71 69 72 69 71 67, M QUIROS (ESP) 71 70 68 67 72 71, B FOLLETT-SMITH (ZIM) 69 65 72 67 74 72, 

420 A LEVY (FRA) 75 71 67 68 70 69, L VAN MEIJEL (NED) 77 68 70 66 69 70, P KATICH (GER) 71 70 70 67 72 70, R NEERGAARD-PETERSEN (DEN) 74 64 71 72 68 71, G MASON (ENG) 70 71 64 71 73 71, J ANDERSEN (DEN) 64 70 73 71 69 73, 

421 M GIBOUDOT (AM) (FRA) 70 69 71 70 72 69, H BROWN (DEN) 74 65 70 71 72 69, W BESSELING (NED) 73 67 72 69 69 71, J SENEKAL (RSA) 70 72 67 72 68 72, C MCKINNEY (AUS) 71 69 71 70 66 74, 

422 T AIKEN (RSA) 73 68 71 69 72 69, M SIMONSEN (DEN) 70 66 70 75 70 71, T SHADBOLT (ENG) 74 72 64 71 69 72, P BOVARI (ITA) 71 66 71 71 70 73, L VACARISAS (ESP) 72 69 68 68 70 75, 

423 O HUNDEB?LL (DEN) 72 69 66 74 68 74, 

424 J GUMBERG (USA) 69 69 71 70 75 70, M KIM (KOR) 73 69 66 73 70 73, R KLEU (SUI) 68 73 69 71 70 73, C BLOMSTRAND (SWE) 68 70 74 66 71 75, 

425 M WARREN (SCO) 69 72 73 66 69 76, 

426 M COUVRA (FRA) 70 70 69 72 75 70, 

428 R MCEVOY (ENG) 71 72 68 70 72 75, H MAGNUS (ISL) 66 69 74 71 71 77, 

430 A VENTER (RSA) 71 70 70 70 75 74