Singapore: The highly anticipated 2024 Asian Tour Qualifying School is set to be held across six different venues in three countries over a span of five months, starting in September.

Apart from its regular destination in Thailand, the Asian Tour Qualifying School will also be staged in the United States for the second straight year and is set to make a welcome return to Australia following a 17-year lapse.

The First Stage of the Qualifying School will consist of six events, with the first to be played ‘Down Under’ at the Mt Derrimut Golf & Community Club in Victoria from September 26-29, while the Soboba Springs Golf Club in California will host the next stop from November 7-10.

Thailand, which has such a strong association with the Qualifying School, will stage the ensuing events, at Grand Prix Golf Club, Kanchanaburi from December 12-15, and Pattana Sports Resort, Chonburi from December 19-22.

The final two First Stage qualifiers will be played simultaneously from January 9-12 at the Phoenix Gold Golf Bangkok and Grand Prix Golf Club.

Each event will be played over four rounds, with the top-placed finishers earning places in the Final Qualifying Stage to be played in Thailand from January 16-20. 

The top-35 will earn their cards for the 2024 Asian Tour season with the venue for the final qualifying stage to be announced in due course.

“The Asian Tour added a new Qualifying School site in the United States for the first time last year and we received immediate interest with the site filling up in a matter of days. It made complete sense to look at other regions from which we typically see a large number of entrants. Australia was the natural candidate,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and CEO, Asian Tour.

“A First Stage Qualifying event being played in Australia reflects increased interest in the Asian Tour and our need to broaden Qualifying School’s reach. It also demonstrates the strong bond we have always enjoyed with Australia’s talent pool year in and year out. This way we can help lessen the burden if travelling for Stage 1.”   

The Final Qualifying Stage will be played over five rounds. The top 140 players (and ties) after 36 holes will progress to rounds three and four. The top 70 players (and ties) after 72 holes will play in the decisive final round, which will be held on January 20. At the conclusion of 90 holes, the top 35 will be ranked accordingly for the 2024 season.

Many of the Asian Tour’s most successful golfers have ascended through the Qualifying School including Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee (1999) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat (2009), Australian Scott Hend (2007), and American John Catlin (2018).