EUROPEAN TOUR FINAL QUALIFYING SCHOOL SIX--ROUNDER STARTS SUNDAY

FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Johan Edfors returns to The European Tour’s Qualifying School 

Final Stage for the first time since 2005 this week hoping to recreate 

the incredible rise to prominence his promotion sparked last time 

around, when the Swede claimed three victories the following 

season.

Among the Scots in the field of 156 chasing the 25 (and ties) 

places  in next season's European Tour are: Scott Drummond, 

Alastair Forsyth, Andrew McArthur, Jack Doherty, Raymond 

Russell,  Duncan Stewart, Neil Fenwick, George Murray and 

Scott Henry.

West Linton Welshman Gareth Wright is also in the field.

Edfors has only once come through Qualifying School to earn a 

European Tour card, eight years ago, after he had struggled to 

maintain his playing status on the top tier having graduated from the 

Challenge Tour in 2003.

It was in 2006, the year following his sole School success, in which 

Edfors truly found his feet, as he stormed to three victories en route 

to a tenth place finish in the Order of Merit.

It remains the most successful of his eight seasons on The 

European Tour, and he is hoping the fond memories of his last 

trip to Qualifying School, and the rewards it yielded the 

following year, will give him the positivity he needs to get 

through the six-round marathon at PGA Catalunya Resort.

“The last time I was at Qualifying School it definitely gave me a 

boost,” said the 28 year old. “I have some nice memories from that 

so I’d like to build on that and I feel like if I can squeeze through 

this week it’s going to give me some momentum for next year.

“I definitely feel like I have quite a few more years to perform even 

if the last two years I haven’t done myself justice. Hopefully things 

will settle down now and I can get back to the level where I want to 

be.

“There are a lot of good players here but I feel that if I get close to 

the level I can play at I should be able to come through it so I just 

have to find a bit of form and consistency.

“I don’t think I have played that badly this year but I just haven’t 

been able to put all the pieces together and my scoring hasn’t been 

good. Let’s hope I can get a good six rounds and see how far that 

will take me.”

Played over the two stunning Neil Coles and Angel Gallardo-

designed layouts at the PGA Catalunya Resort outside the Spanish 

town of Girona, Qualifying School Final Stage provides an 

examination of stamina and mental fortitude like no other, and 

Edfors is relishing the challenge.

“It is so different to anything else,” he said. “It’s been a long 

time since I have played it but I played it a few times so I hope I 

can bring some of that experience out to the course this week.

“The good thing is that because it is six rounds, if you have one bad 

round you can still get through. In a four day tournament it’s really 

costly to have one bad day but here you can have one bad day and 

you can make up for it.”

Hearts will be broken and dreams will be made over the coming 

week when one of golf’s most fabled marathons reaches a thrilling 

climax.

Since September, 968 players will have participated in Qualifying 

School, all chasing one goal – a European Tour card for the 2014 

season.

By the end of this week’s six-round examination only a select few 

will realise those dreams, though, as the top 25 and ties come next 

Friday evening will claim playing rights for the top tier of European 

golf.

The field this weekend includes 39 European Tour winners and 

three former Ryder Cup players, while a host of young up and 

coming stars including three players from Great Britain and 

Ireland’s 2013 Walker Cup team players (Max Orrin, Kevin Phelan 

and Callum Shinkwin) also arrive hoping to fulfil their amateur 

promise by making their first big steps on the professional scene.

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS