THE BIG LOSERS FROM Q-SCHOOL

Six days, six rounds and just 25 cards up for grabs. Q-school is known for being brutal, but this year there were some major casualties among the 156 players looking to secure their playing rights for 2023. From Ryder Cup heroes to multiple winners, these are four of the biggest names who are now facing an uncertain future.

DAVID HOWELL

A member of Europe’s winning side in both 2004 and 2006, Howeller (above) became the youngest player ever to join the DP World Tour ‘700 club’ in August and also surpassed Sam Torrance for number of appearances. However, 18 missed cuts and another at Q-school means the 47-year-old is without a tour card for the first time since 1996. Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher is in the same boat.

CHRIS WOOD

The biggest casualty of the lot. It was only six years ago that Wood won the BMW PGA Championship to secure his ticket to the Ryder Cup. He was a top-25 player back then, but persistent back injuries have taken their toll. He missed 16 of 22 cuts in 2022 and has fallen to 1,216 in the World Ranking.

TOM LEWIS

The 31-year-old Englishman shot to fame at the 2011 Open, tying the first-round lead and taking home the Silver Medal as an amateur. He has enjoyed sporadic success as a pro with two victories at the Portugal Masters, but he’s really struggled for form since making an ill-fated switch to the PGA Tour in 2020. A runner-up finish at the 2020 WGC-FEDEX St Jude seems like an eternity ago now.

LUCAS BJERREGAARD

It wasn’t so long ago that the Dane was being talked up as a future Ryder Cup player. He held off Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton to win the 2018 Dunhill Links and memorably beat Tiger in the Wgc-match Play just six months later. Then Covid happened and he’s posted just three top 10s in the last three seasons. It’s a cruel game.