Edoardo Molinari birdied the final hole to secure a one-stroke victory at the Final Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School, making him one of 21 players to earn their DP World Tour cards at INFINITUM.
Molinari’s final round, a four-under-par 67, complemented his spectacular performances throughout the week with scores of 65-61-72-68-66, culminating in a total of 29 under par, narrowly edging out Sweden’s Niklas Lemke.
After a washout delayed his fifth round, Molinari returned to action on Thursday, ultimately reclaiming the lead from Lemke.
“It was very good to finish on top,” Molinari reflected. “I’m relieved to come out on top in the end. I feel I kind of deserve it after the way I played all week.”
Molinari also emphasized the importance of his strong start, “I think on such a long week, it is important to get off to a good start and obviously it was the ideal start after two days. I couldn’t have dreamt about being 17 under par after two days.”
Looking ahead, the three-time DP World Tour winner shared his satisfaction and future plans: “It means a lot to keep my card, especially as I’m 43 now.
I’m towards the end of my career so any chance I get to play, I want to take it. It’s not been my best year but to finish like this and now to go home and be with my wife and kids, to spend time with the family, and then plan out next year, it’s something I’m looking forward to.”
American newcomer Davis Bryant, who progressed through all three stages of the qualifying school, finished strongly with a nine-under-par 62 to place third at 27 under overall, securing his DP World Tour card for the first time.
Other qualifiers included Spaniard Albert Boneta, Australian Danny List, and Americans Dan Erickson, Ryggs Johnston, and Corey Shaun.
Among the day’s standout stories was Armenian Jean Bekirian, who secured his card by finishing tenth.
“I have no words to describe it,” Bekirian shared. “I am so happy because my mother and my father are here with me this week.
I turned pro at 16 and I’ve done everything alone with my family and my team, so for me it’s a great achievement. What I’ve done the last two rounds, to have a DP World Tour card is a dream.
It was very stressful today and I didn’t sleep yesterday, but today I played my best golf of the week. I’m proud to have played the golf I did under that pressure.”
Other notable performances included South African Wilco Nienaber and Italian Gregorio de Leo, who both clinched their tour cards in dramatic final-round fashion, while Dutchman Wil Besseling and Danish amateur Jacob Skov Olesen earned their cards after a series of clutch birdies on their closing holes.
The final leaderboard confirmed the top 20 and ties, all receiving the coveted DP World Tour cards, marking a significant milestone in their careers and setting the stage for their next challenges on the global tour.
