WA’s Connor McKinney will play on the DP World Tour in 2026 after successfully negotiating Final Qualifying School in Spain.
The 23-year-old Joondalup Country Club member did it the hard way, completing all three stages of Q-School — a gruelling 252 holes of golf in total — on his way to a T2nd finish at final qualifying.
With exempt status going to the top 20 players and ties, McKinney comfortably earned his card for 2026 after completing his qualifying marathon with a 24-under-par six-round total.
This left him 13 strokes adrift of South Africa’s runaway winner Zander Lombard but six shots inside the cut-off mark for fully exempt status.
McKinney made light of one of professional sport’s most challenging environments, kicking off Final Qualifying with a blemish-free nine-under par 62 at Infinitum Golf, which saw him lead the pack after the first day. He was then ever-present near the top of the leaderboard, completing five of his six rounds under par.
Connor McKinney celebrates his achievement with caddie Tom Hulme
Indeed, McKinney’s form throughout the three stages of Q-School was sublime. He finished 5th at his first stage qualifier in Belgium in September with a five-under-par total, and was T5th at Stage 2 in Spain with a 72-hole score of -12.
From his 14 rounds over three stages, McKinney was a cumulative 41 under par, with 12 rounds in the red, one at level par and just one – his second round 73 during the final stage – over par.
McKinney will join fellow Western Australians Ryan Peake, Jason Scrivener and Min Woo Lee as exempt players on the DP World Tour in 2026.
Main pic: Getty Images
Keep up with the latest WA golf news news via the GolfWA news section and our Facebook and Insta accounts. You can also subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter here.
