One of golf’s most grueling tests is over for another year. Here’s who earned their DP World Tour cards as the curtain comes down at Q School…

Well, what a day that was! Q School never fails to deliver and this year has been no different.

Zander Lombard closed with a 63 to finish on a ludicrous 37-under-par for the six-round marathon to break the scoring record of 29-under – set by Simon Forsstrom in 2022 and matched last year by Edoardo Molinari – by eight shots.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, but it’s what I came here to do,” the South African said afterwards. “Unreal – and hopefully this is the springboard for what the season has in store.”

But the big story of the day came from a fan favorite as Eddie Pepperell carded a 66 to sneak into the top 20 and earn his DP World Tour card for next year.

Pepperell, who took some time out of the game earlier this year after admitting he was suffering from burnout, left himself with a mountain to climb when he bogeyed the 12th hole. But the Englishman rolled in four birdies in a row to finish in a tie for 12th at 19-under.

“I’m pretty proud of myself, actually,” Pepperell, who told listeners of his podcast that he had broken a putter and a phone during the second stage of Q School, admitted.

“That was a tough day and a tough finish. I didn’t have too many goals coming into these two weeks, to be honest, I was just looking forward to playing some golf and hoping that I would play well.

“This week felt like a bit of a struggle at times and never more so than today midway through the round, but I really hung in there. I am delighted.

“It’s tough to put into words, really. The game’s been tough for a while, and I’ve made it hard for myself.”

Fighting back tears, he added: “The game is so difficult still, so I just want to take forward what I’ve just done there.”

Pepperell was one of four players – along with Jack Yule, Hunter Logan and Mike Toorop – who started the day outside the top 20 before forcing their way in.

At the other end of the emotional rollercoaster, though, spare a thought for the likes of Marc Warren and Alexander Levy. The pair, who have nine European Tour titles between them, finished in a tie for 21st missed out by a single shot.

Warren needs just one more start to join the tour’s ‘500 Club’, while Levy will feel particularly aggrieved having started the day inside the top 20.

The pair were among 11 big names who failed to earn DP World Tour cards at Q School.

DP World Tour Q School prize money

Before we get to who finished in the top 20, did you know there is a small prize purse at Q School?

The 60 players who make the cut will each receive share, which is paid in Euros, with the player finishing 1st taking home €5,000 (around $5,800).

The player in 2nd will earn €3,900 ($4,500), the player in 3rd will earn €3,100 ($3,600), the player in 4th will earn €2,500 ($2,900), and the player in 5th will earn €2,000 ($2,300). Those finishing 6th to 60th will each bank €1,750 ($2,000).

DP World Tour Q School Top 20

Those inside the top 20 gained exemption category 18 status on the DP World Tour, along with full status on the HotelPlanner Tour.

POSITIONPLAYERROUND 1ROUND 2ROUND 3ROUND 4ROUND 5ROUND 6TOTALPRIZE MONEY1Zander Lombard646967646463-37€5,000T2Connor McKinney627368676569-24€3,100T2Shubhankar Sharma706966676666-24€3,100T2Aaron Cockerill696670676765-24€3,100T5Daniel Rodrigues696669696568-22€2,000T5Nathan Kimsey686770676767-22€2,0007Quentin Debove696871636769-21€1,750T8Davis Bryant726862706472-20€1,750T8Benjamin Follett-Smith666767716572-20€1,750T8Matthew Baldwin676670686869-20€1,750T8Gregorio De Leo676669716867-20€1,750T12Andreas Halvorsen666968706670-19€1,750T12Adri Arnaus726568706569-19€1,750T12Eddie Pepperell707167686766-19€1,750T12Jack Yule687466696765-19€1,750T16Andres German Gallegos716771676569-18€1,750T16Sadom Kaewkanjana706966706768-18€1,750T16Frederico Biondi Figueiredo676770746468-18€1,750T16Hunter Logan667369686767-18€1,750T16Mike Toorop706673696567-18€1,750

You can see the full leaderboard on the DP World Tour website.