The year is barely into its third week and the wheels of Indian men’s professional golf are already grinding into motion with the Tata Steel PGTI Qualifying School that will run from January 19 to February 3 in Jamshedpur.
The first stage that is made up of three pre-qualifying events of 36 holes each will be held till January 28 at the Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur, the PGTI said in a statement.
The Final Stage, a 72-hole event, will be held from January 31 to February 3 at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata.
Q-School, which leads off the professional season is one of the most important events on the PGTI calendar as it is the only route for players to qualify to play on the tour in a particular season.
The extended qualifying process determines the criteria for players for the whole season.
This year’s Qualifying School event will see a total of 395 golfers including 309 professionals and 86 amateurs in the fray.
Besides a large Indian contingent, this year’s Q-School will feature 34 overseas golfers from 11 countries. The list includes 10 from Bangladesh, seven from the USA, four from Sri Lanka, three from Australia, two each from Great Britain, Canada and Nepal and one each from Japan, Austria, Andorra and Mauritius.
Long route
The first stage will comprise of three 36-hole events – Pre Qualifying I, Pre Qualifying II and Pre Qualifying III. While Pre Qualifying I begins on Thursday, Pre-Q II will be played on January 24 and 25 and Pre-Q III on January 27 and 28.
Out of a total field of 118 at Pre Quali I, the top 23 and ties make it to the Final Stage.
From the field of 108 at Pre-Q II, the top 21 and ties go through and from 116 competing at Pre-Q III, the top 23 and ties will line up in Kolkata.
The qualifiers from the First Stage will join 53 exempt players in the 72-hole Final Stage which is scheduled to be held from January 31 to February 3 making for a total field of 120 at the Tolly.
The top 80 and ties will make the halfway cut after two rounds of the Final Stage. At the end of all four rounds, the top 34 earn their full cards for the 2023 PGTI season.
The Tolly tournament will offer a total prize amount of Rs. 5 lakh.