WA pros Haydn Barron, Hayden Hopewell and Connor McKinney have secured playing rights for the Challenge Tour in 2024 after all made the 72-hole cut at DP World Tour Qualifying School.
The six-round final stage of Q-School is renowned as being one of the toughest tests in all golf, with only the top 25 and ties from a starting field of 156 earning fully exempt status on the DP World Tour.
Any golfer surviving the fourth-round cut is granted full playing rights on the Challenge Tour feeder circuit, with Barron, Hopewell and McKinney achieving that milestone at Infinitum Golf in Spain.
Of the three, WAGC member Barron (pictured) is best-placed after a sublime round of 64 in his fourth round moved him into a share of 12th place at -13 for the tournament.
Royal Fremantle’s Hopewell is three shots further back in T23rd, while Joondalup CC’s McKinney made it through on the cut-line at -5. All will now be planning to play attacking golf for 36 holes in a bid to finish as high in the standings as possible.
The WA trio were the only Australians to progress to the final two rounds, with Elvis Smylie, Justin Warren, Matias Sanchez, James Marchesani and Andre Lautee failing to make the 72-hole cut, and Blake Windred retiring after two rounds.
You can follow Barron, Hopewell and McKinney’s progress over the closing two rounds here.
Image credit: Getty images
