Rolex riches are thwarting hopes of hitting the big time
THE DP World Tour Championship and the Qualifying School represent the top and bottom rungs of life on the European Tour and the fact they invariably take place in the same week always seemed like a pleasing juxtaposition.
The riches and glamour presented at the former event in Dubai were the glistening jewels on offer to the aspirants at the latter event in Spain.
This year, however, the close proximity of the two tournaments appears tinged with cruelty, for never have the chances of graduating and making it all the way to the Middle East been so slim.
Indeed, only one player — England’s Eddie Pepperell — has successfully swapped the grind of Q-School last year for the glitz of this week’s tour finale, featuring the top 60. In all, a record low of just three players — the others were Englishman Ashley Chesters and 2010 Ryder Cup member Edoardo Molinari — kept their cards for next season from the 30 handed out 12 months ago.
Contrast that to the nine who kept their cards the previous year and the 12 who retained their privileges in 2015.
Why has the success rate plummeted so alarmingly? Ironically, the prime reason is the Rolex Series: eight events that have added wealth and prestige at the top end of the European game but have skewed life horribly for those seeking to make their way who don’t gain access to them.
Take Tom Lewis from Sir Nick Faldo’s old stomping ground, Welwyn Garden City. He finished tied 11th at Q-School last year to earn a decent card. It gained him entry to 21 tournaments and from those starts he did reasonably well, with one top-three finish and seven top 20s. He missed just four cuts.
Yet he never came close to keeping his card. Even his top-three finish in an event in Prague did not earn him as much as Marcel Siem made for 27th place in the Rolex event, the French Open. Siem went on to claim the last card on offer, despite mustering only five top-20 finishes from six more events than Lewis.
How on earth can the graduates get a foothold, with access only to events with small prize funds, and overtake the seasoned journeymen who get into the Rolex tournaments? To be fair, the tour did foresee a problem and made ten cards available through a new Access list comprising money from events that excluded those with restricted entry, such as the Rolex Series. But only Chesters from Q-School earned a card this way.
So as we look forward to what promises to be a classic duel in the desert this week between Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose for the Race to Dubai, where it’s possible one of them will walk away with a cheque for more than £2 million on Sunday, spare a thought for those at Q-School.
The top 25 and ties who emerge from the nearly 900 wannabes who each paid £1,800 to enter will no doubt be bathed in smiles, for at least they’ve earned themselves a place on that bottom rung.
But it’s a sombre fact that, far from making it, there’s a more daunting climb than ever before to be made before they live the dream.