Zander Lombard leads by six Final Stage Q School..72 hole results, Tuesday TEE TIMES

    DP World Tour : Q School Final Stage.  Leaderboard Tee Times

Zander Lombard took a big step towards securing DP World Tour playing privileges for 2026 by jumping into a six-stroke lead on day four of Final Stage Qualifying School at INFINITUM.

The South African, who shared the overnight lead with Benjamin Follett-Smith from Zimbabwe, posted a -7 64 on the Lakes Course to reach -22  for the week, six clear of Australian Connor McKinney who occupies solo second.

Lombard got his fourth round off to the perfect start by birdieing his first two holes before adding two more gains at the fifth and sixth. A bogey at the seventh was cancelled out by birdies on eight and nine as he went out in 30 shots to separate himself from the field.

The 30-year-old added three more birdies and a solitary bogey on the back nine to extend his advantage, and he was delighted to remain on top in Tarragona.

“It was really good stuff again,” he said. “I hit the ball well and had good control over it, especially on the back nine when the wind started picking up and gusting in all different directions.

“The start set up perfect for me. I hit a gap wedge to about eight feet on the first and then hit the par five in two and two-putted, so the birdie-birdie start got some momentum going in the right direction. I just freewheeled and stuck to my process from there.

“It's easy to just sit back and start making sloppy errors, so I’m trying to stay focussed and stay in it for two more days.”

Lombard underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in July 2024 when he was a career-high 96th in the Official World Golf Rankings, before he returned to the course in March this year.

The South African is now in pole position to secure DP World Tour playing privileges through Qualifying School for the second time in his career having done so in 2018, and says the hard work done during his recovery is starting to pay off.

“My game has been trending, and it's nice to get some reward for the hard work behind the curtain,” he added.

Frenchman Quentin Debove fired a round-of-the-day -8 63 to climb into a share of third on -15 alongside Follett-Smith and DP World Tour winner, Matthew Baldwin.

Five players are one shot further back in sixth, including India’s Shubhankar Sharma, Canadian Aaron Cockerill, Englishman Nathan Kimsey, Dane Hamish Brown and American Davis Bryant.

A total of 60 players made the 72-hole cut, with the leading 20 players and ties after six rounds earning DP World Tour playing privileges (Category 18) for 2026.

The fifth round of Final Stage Qualifying School gets under way tomorrow at 9:00am local time, with Lombard teeing off alongside McKinney and Follett-Smith on the Lakes Course at 10:44am.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Cockerill T6 at Q School... Full results 72 holes..

    DP World Tour : Q School Final Stage.  Leaderboard Tee Times

After 72 holes of Q School at the Hills and Lakes courses at the Infinitum GC in Tarragona, Spain the cut has been made at -5 and 60 players of the 156 who started will play another 36 holes to decide who get their category 18 DP World Tour card for 2026. 

Aaron Cockerill after a poor season with just one top 10 has found his game this week, 69 66 70 67 -14 sees him currently T4. Today he was bogey free, 4 birdies.

The leader is veteran South African Zander Lombard at -22.

The cut is at -6 with round 4 winding up, top 60 and ties will play 36 more holes to decide the top 20.

This has been a very impressive 4 days for Aaron, who is now in with a good chance to stay on Tour.

more to follow..

Bryan Angus

54 holes of DP World Tour Q School...Full Results

   DP World Tour : Q School Final Stage.  Leaderboard Tee Times

Zander Lombard and Benjamin Follett-Smith lead by two shots after three rounds of DP World Tour Final Stage Qualifying School at INFINITUM.

The 30-year-old could secure DP World Tour playing privileges through Qualifying School for the second time in his career this week, after he finished second at INFINITUM in 2018.

Lombard, who missed the start of the 2025 season due to injury, says he has found form in recent weeks and is hoping to capitalise on being in a strong position at the mid-point of the six-round marathon in Tarragona.

“Today was another move in the right direction for this long week,” he said. “I can't complain.

“I've played stress-free golf, put it in the right spots and leaned on the putter for a few birdies.

“You play every nine as a new nine, then start over and try and make new little goals. It's been working and hopefully I can carry it on.

“The last two or three months, I've been showing some signs of where I used to be at, and I feel like I'm hitting the ball how I should. It’s been trending.

“I’ve had a couple of good rounds on tough golf courses in tough conditions, I just didn't do it for four days in a row. I've proven I can do it for three days, so hopefully I can do it for three more.

Follett-Smith teed it up in the same group as Lombard and also got his round off to a fast start by recording four birdies, an eagle more.and a bogey on his front nine, before playing his back nine in level par.

The 31-year-old finished tied 12th at INFINITUM last year, and says the lessons learned 12 months ago should stand him in good stead over the next three days.

“I obviously started well and had a really good front nine which is the start you need and the start you want to have,” he said. “After that, I just stuck to my game plan.

“This is a marathon of a tournament and there's always another day, but I'm happy with the way I'm playing and happy with the way it went today.

“Last year I learned how irrelevant playing well for three days can be. It's not over until it's over. The last three days, you’ve just got to play it like it's the first day.

“It's always nice being in this position though. It gives you some room for an error if you did make one, which eases your mind a little. Three days to go and I'm just going to keep plodding along and hopefully end up at the top.”

Englishman Matthew Baldwin, Australian Connor McKinney and Norwegian Andreas Halvorsen share fifth on -12, with Portuguese Daniel Rodrigues and Brazil’s Frederico Biondi Figueiredo one shot further back in eighth.

The fourth round of Final Stage gets under way tomorrow at 9:00am local time, with Lombard and Follett-Smith teeing off alongside De Leo at 9:49am on the Lakes Course.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Cockerill T10 at Final Stage Q School after 54 holes...Full results..

   DP World Tour : Q School Final Stage.  Leaderboard Tee Times

Following rounds of 69 66 Aaron Cockerill posted -2 70 today and at -10 he is T10, five shots off the lead -15, with a 72 hole cut to be made on Sunday night, before the final two rounds on Monday and Tuesday, where the top 20 and ties will receive DP WORLD Tour category 18 Tour cards for 2026. 

Playing the Hills course off the 10th tee he got off to a tough start with a double bogey 5 on the par. However to his credit he bounced back with a birdie at #11 then added 3 more, out in -2 34.

Coming home he was all pars until a birdie 4 at the 7th, the a bogey at the 8th. His 34 46 -2 70 was an excellent result considering the start.

The cut looks likely to fall at -4 or -3, and he is in great shape for that which the way he played all year with 12 missed cuts will give him confidence at the half way stage of the 6 round grind. 

So far, so good...

Bryan Angus

A thrilling ending sees Aaron Rai win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Full Results..

 Aaron Rai claimed his second Rolex Series crown at the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after beating Tommy Fleetwood in a dramatic play-off on Sunday.  

• Results

The Englishman started the day with a one-shot lead but soon found himself two shots back following a fast start from playing partner Fleetwood.

But a run of four successive birdies on the front nine returned him to the top before Fleetwood regained control on a roller-coaster final day.

Rai produced late fireworks, though, birdieing the 16th and 17th to sit level with Fleetwood at the top of the leaderboard heading down the last.

And although he missed a good chance to win inside 72 holes on the 18th green, he made no mistake with his birdie putt at the first extra hole to become a three-time DP World Tour winner.

Rai, who won his first Rolex Series title at the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, when he beat Fleetwood in a playoff, made a total of seven birdies - including four in a row from the fourth - and two bogeys in his closing 67 to reach -25, while Fleetwood produced a bogey-free 66 that featured an eagle and four birdies.

Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy fired a -10 62 to sit one shot behind Fleetwood and Rai in a T3 alongside Nicolai Højgaard.

Rai started the week 55th on the season-long standings, needing a big week to book his spot at next week's DP World Tour Championship, and now he heads there as the Tour's most recent winner.

After his win, Rai said: "It's hard to sum up. I think you're just so focused on playing the round and obviously just trying to stay in your zone. It's hard to put into words at the moment how this feels or how I'm going to reflect on it.

"But it's just amazing to be stood here. Tommy is a phenomenal player. He's an even better person than he is a player and that says a lot.

"To play with him the last two days and be out there with him was really special. So yeah, amazing to be here."

Speaking about how he bounced back from missing his close-range par putt on the 14th, Rai added: "My caddie Jason (Timmis) was great. Because it was a little bit of a shock to the system really on the 14th, missing a short putt there.

"He was great, just telling me to stay present and just focusing on playing the next shots and trying to finish strong. Made a really good up-and-down on the 15th which really helped.

"Made a nice putt there which certainly gave a little bit of confidence moving forward. That was an important moment. And yeah, it was nice to finish off strongly over the last few holes as well."

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Aaron Rai edges McIIroy then beats Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff to win in Abu Dhabi.. Final Results

  DP WORLD TOUR : Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship  Weather Leaderboard

He may have run out of holes to win this week, but with a stunning 62, bidie eagle start, 8 birdies including 5 straight from 10-14, no bogeys, Rory McIlroy has stormed into the clubhouse  T1 -24, which pretty much assures him of winning his 7th Race to Dubai title next week.

However with 3 holes to play, Fleetwood -24, Rai -24, Hojgaard -23, Hillier -23...I sense a playoff, although for the outright win my money would be on Tommy..

edit >>>> Aaron Rai birdied his last 3 (67) holes to catch and tie Tommy Fleetwood 66 at -25 to force a playoff. 

Moments later both players were on the par 5 18th in 3 shots. Fleetwood missed his from 12 feet, then Rai made his from 9 feet for the win.   The 1,318,103 euros prize is worth $2,140,467 cdn dollars.

the full story to follow....

The top 50 have now been decided as they move up the road to the Earth course in Dubai for next week's Tour Championship.

England's Marco Penge, a three time winner on Tour this year shot a stunning 63 to finish T9 at -20, with that he is the only player with enough points that could catch Rory next week, as unlikely as that may be. He would need to win, with Rory nearly last.

Bryan Angus

Aaron Rai atop packed leaderboard after 54 holes in Abu Dhabi.. Full results TEE TIMES

   DP WORLD TOUR : Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship  Weather Leaderboard

Aaron Rai will take a narrow one-shot lead into the final round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as he goes in search of his first DP World Tour title in five years.

The Englishman shared the halfway lead with countryman Tommy Fleetwood on 14 under par but put his foot to the floor in perfect scoring conditions on Saturday to hit the front on his own.

Rai turned in 31 after picking up five shots on the front nine before adding further birdies at the 11th and 14th, with his only bogey of the day coming on the 17th.

He had led by three during the closing stages of his round but a late bogey and strong finishes from the chasing pack ate into his advantage.

His third-round 66 sees him go into Sunday's fourth round on -20, one clear of nearest challengers Fleetwood and Nicolai Højgaard.

Two-time former champion Fleetwood made an eagle and three birdies in his flawless 67, while Højgaard's 65 featured eight birdies and one bogey. Nacho Elvira was another shot further back on -18 after his birdie-birdie finish.

Rai, who already has one Rolex Series win to his name, knows how big an achievement it would be to get another on Sunday.

He said: "This is a huge event. This is one of the biggest events we have on the DP World Tour. To win this week, to have a chance going into the weekend, is great.

"Still a long way to go and a lot of really good players. Yeah, we'll give it our best and see how it comes."

Speaking about his day's work, Rai added: "A really good round overall. Drove it extremely well. Some really good iron play. Created a lot of chances.

"I felt like I rolled it really well on the greens. A lot of putts had a good chance of going in.

"The wind definitely picked up for us on the back nine. Yeah, it played tricky out there, especially the back nine."

Tommy Fleetwood said "these are the times of our lives" after continuing his fine recent form with a third-round 67 to sit one shot off the lead ahead of the final round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The Englishman is enjoying a spectacular year, having ended his long wait for a first PGA TOUR title at the Tour Championship to capture the FedExCup in August, played a key role in Europe's historic away Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black in September and won the DP World India Championship last month.

And he has a chance to add another big victory to that collection on Sunday as he bids to become a three-time winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

He said: "I've been saying the whole time, I'm playing very good golf at the moment, and I've found myself in this position a lot throughout the summer, but never take it for granted.

"This is what we practise for. These are the times of our lives, and I'm enjoying it very much.

"Great to get in the last group which is where we all want to be and I'm one of the lucky ones to do it tomorrow. Hopefully I just continue to do great things and the right things and see where we finish at the end of the day."

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus