Louis de Jager came the closest of South African golfers attempting to qualify for a place in the final ftage of the European Tour’s Qualifying School over the weekend.
De Jager was involved in a dramatic playoff at the Costa Ballena Club de Golf with seven players all tied on eight-under-par. Chilean Benjamin Alavarado eventually prevailed at the first play-off hole to secure the 19th and final place in the field for the Final Stage.
None of the other South Africans campaigning at the four courses in Jerez advanced past the Second Stage. George Coetzee, Tyrone Ferreira, Grant Veenstra, Bradford Vaughan and amateur Jacques Blaauw all failed to qualify.
Thomas Aiken, Darren Fichardt, Branden Grace, Alex Haindl and James Kamte, who all previously qualified, will be teeing up at this week’s Final Stage qualifying at the PGA Golf de Catalunya.
The top 30 and ties at the end of the Final Stage will earn the coveted European Tour card and this year, for the first time, the successful graduates will be competing in The Race to Dubai.
