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Q-School & Qualifying

The Q-School pathways.

Where the PGA TOUR, LPGA and DP World Tour qualifying stages stood when we checked on October 15, 2026: playing dates, whether entry was open, what each final stage awards, and the official pages for entry and results. Below that, 8 men's and women's qualifying routes, each saying what we could and could not confirm.

Stages, entry and status, checked October 15, 2026.

A dated snapshot from each tour's own pages, not a maintained calendar. Dates, deadlines and status awards can change, and the tour's page is the authority. Playing dates and entry are listed separately: “Closed” means the published deadline had passed when we checked, “Open” means the official page still took applications from the players its terms name, and “Unknown” means no public page we could read said either way. Each event is a 2026 competition; the status it awards is for 2027.

PGA TOUR

2026 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry

Swipe to compare dates, format and entry conditions.

2026 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry stages as checked on October 15, 2026
StagePlaying datesWhere and formatEntry
Pre-QualifyingSeptember 16 to 18, September 23 to 25 and September 30 to October 2, 2026Eight U.S. sites. 54 holesClosedDeadline was September 2, 2026, 5 p.m. EDT.
First StageOctober 20 to 23, October 27 to 30 and November 3 to 6, 202614 U.S. sites. 72 holesClosedDeadline was September 23, 2026, 5 p.m. EDT.
Second StageDecember 1 to 4, 2026Five U.S. sites. 72 holesOpenApplications close November 23, 2026, 5 p.m. EST, for players who meet a Second Stage exemption. Everyone else gets here by advancing from First Stage.
Final StageDecember 10 to 13, 2026TPC Sawgrass (Dye's Valley) and Sawgrass Country Club, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. 72 holes, two rounds on each courseOpenApplications close November 23, 2026, 5 p.m. EST, for players who meet a Final Stage exemption. Everyone else gets here by advancing from Second Stage.

What the result earns

  • Top five at Final Stage: eligible for 2027 PGA TOUR membership. A tie for the last place or places is decided by a hole-by-hole playoff.
  • Next 40 finishers and ties: 2027 Korn Ferry Tour membership. They are exempt from the early-season reorders: the first 25 and ties until the third periodic reorder, the rest until the second. The regulations count some players who already hold Korn Ferry Tour status, and Second Stage medalists, when the 40 are determined, so read that note before assuming a fixed finishing position.
  • Everyone else who plays Final Stage: conditional 2027 Korn Ferry Tour status, subject to the first reorder, plus PGA TOUR Americas membership.
  • Stage medalists: the medalist and ties at each First Stage site earn PGA TOUR Americas membership, and at each Second Stage site Korn Ferry Tour membership, unless they do better at a later stage.

Membership is not a schedule. The regulations say a player's tournament access is first set by Q-School finishing position and then changes at each periodic reorder; Korn Ferry Tour eligibility does not guarantee a start, and conditional status may mean limited access. The PGA TOUR can decline to award membership, and members must be 18.

Published 2026 entry fees: Pre-Qualifying $3,000, plus $3,000 more on advancing; First Stage $5,500 (member rate $4,500); Second Stage $5,000 ($4,000); Final Stage $4,500 ($3,500). These are the tour's published fees, not what a full Q-School costs once travel is added.

PGA TOUR Q-School page: schedule, deadlines, applications and site leaderboards2026 Q-School rules and regulations (PDF)PGA TOUR's June 3, 2026 explanation of the stages and status
LPGA

2026 LPGA Qualifying Series (Q-Series)

Swipe to compare dates, format and entry conditions.

2026 LPGA Qualifying Series (Q-Series) stages as checked on October 15, 2026
StagePlaying datesWhere and formatEntry
Pre-QualifyingSeptember 23 to 25, 2026Indian Wells, California; Daytona Beach, Florida; Sugar Land, Texas. 54 holes, cut to the top 65 and ties after 36ClosedDeadline was September 1, 2026, 5 p.m. ET.
QualifyingNovember 3 to 6, 2026 (rescheduled; rain date November 7)Plantation Golf and Country Club, Venice, Florida. 72 holes; top 55 and ties advanceClosedDeadline was October 6, 2026, 5 p.m. ET. The LPGA's eligibility statement still shows the original October dates; its stage page carries the new ones.
Final QualifyingNovember 19 to 23, 2026Magnolia Grove Golf Course, Mobile, Alabama. 90 holes, with a cut after 72ClosedDeadline was October 6, 2026, 5 p.m. ET, except for named categories the LPGA late-enters when identified, such as the top 10 on the LET Order of Merit at a set cut-off.

What the result earns

  • Top 25 and ties at Final Qualifying: LPGA status for the 2027 season, in the LPGA's words.
  • The LPGA describes Q-Series as the qualifying pathway to both LPGA and Epson Tour membership. The pages we read do not set out which LPGA category, or which Epson Tour category for other finishers, each result brings; the LPGA's Regulations & Policy page is the place to check.
LPGA Q-Series overview and stage pagesQualifying stage pageFinal Qualifying stage page2026 Q-Series eligibility statements (PDF)
DP World Tour

2026 DP World Tour Qualifying School

Swipe to compare dates, format and entry conditions.

2026 DP World Tour Qualifying School stages as checked on October 15, 2026
StagePlaying datesWhere and formatEntry
First StageAugust 25 to September 25, 2026Ten venues in Europe. The tour confirms 72 holes at the final two First Stage venues; see each event page for its format.ClosedEvery First Stage venue had finished by September 25, 2026.
Second StageOctober 29 to November 1, 2026Four venues in SpainUnknownThe schedule alone does not establish that you can enter this stage directly. Check the tour's entry terms for your starting stage, advancement or exemption route; the player portal was not inspected.
Final StageNovember 6 to 11, 2026INFINITUM, Tarragona, Spain. 156 players, six roundsUnknownThe public schedule does not show entry status; its entry link goes to the tour's player portal, which we did not open.

What the result earns

  • Leading 15 players and ties at Final Stage: playing opportunities on the DP World Tour alongside full status on the HotelPlanner Tour for 2027, in the tour's words. We did not find the current regulations, so the DP World Tour category is not stated here.
DP World Tour entry information: confirm your starting stage and current terms2026 schedule with each stage's leaderboardFinal Stage leaderboard, INFINITUM 2026DP World Tour's May 7, 2026 schedule announcement

Qualifying routes by tour. The PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Americas, LPGA and DP World Tour entries match the terms we read on October 15, 2026. For the Asian Tour, LIV Golf, the Epson Tour and the Ladies European Tour, each entry says what we could confirm that day and what we could not. This is not a complete list of every tour in the world.

Men's Qualifying Pathways

5 pathways
P

PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry

PGA TOUR Q-School

The PGA TOUR's own qualifying tournament: Pre-Qualifying, First Stage, Second Stage and Final Stage, with exempt players starting at a later stage. At the 2026 Final Stage the top five earn 2027 PGA TOUR membership, with a hole-by-hole playoff for a tie for the last place; the next 40 and ties earn Korn Ferry Tour membership; the rest of the Final Stage field earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour status and PGA TOUR Americas membership.

International

2026 Final Stage: top five earn 2027 PGA TOUR membership.

P

PGA TOUR Americas Q-School

PGA TOUR Americas Q

Qualifying for the tour one level below the Korn Ferry Tour. The 2026 Q-School was 72 holes at five U.S. sites in March and early April, before the season: at each site finishers 1 to 8 earned exempt status through the second reshuffle and finishers 9 to 25 and ties earned conditional status. On the 2026 season points list, No. 1 earns an exempt 2027 Korn Ferry Tour card and Nos. 2 to 10 a Korn Ferry Tour card subject to the third reshuffle.

International

Top 10 on the 2026 points list earn 2027 Korn Ferry Tour cards.

D

DP World Tour Qualifying School

DP World Q-School

The DP World Tour's three-stage qualifying school: First Stage at venues across Europe, then Second Stage and a six-round Final Stage in Spain. The tour says the leading 15 players and ties at the 2026 Final Stage earn playing opportunities on the DP World Tour alongside full HotelPlanner Tour status for 2027. We did not find the current regulations, so the DP World Tour category those players receive is not stated here.

International

2026 Final Stage: leading 15 and ties earn DP World Tour playing opportunities.

A

Asian Tour Qualifying School

Asian Tour Q-School

The Asian Tour says it will not hold its 2027 Qualifying School, because the end of The International Series cut playing opportunities in the second half of its 2026 schedule, and that next year's Qualifying School is meant to offer places for the 2028 season. The most recent edition, the 2026 Qualifying School, ended with a five-round Final Stage in Hua Hin, Thailand, December 17 to 21, 2025.

International

No 2027 Qualifying School, per the Asian Tour.

L

LIV Golf Promotions

LIV Promotions

LIV Golf's qualifying tournament, first held in 2023. The 2026 edition, January 8 to 11, 2026 at Black Diamond Ranch in Florida, was four 18-hole rounds: the top three earned full-season wild card places in the 2026 LIV Golf League, and the top 10 and ties earned exemptions into the 2026 International Series. We did not find a later edition announced on LIV Golf's site when we checked on October 15, 2026.

International

2026 edition: top three earned League wild card places.

Women's Qualifying Pathways

3 pathways
L

LPGA Qualifying Series (Q-Series)

LPGA Q-Series

The LPGA's qualifying pathway to LPGA and Epson Tour membership, in three 2026 stages: Pre-Qualifying (54 holes), Qualifying (72 holes, top 55 and ties advance) and Final Qualifying (90 holes with a cut after 72). The LPGA says the top 25 and ties at Final Qualifying earn LPGA status for 2027. The LPGA pages we read do not say which Epson Tour category other finishers receive.

International

2026 Final Qualifying: top 25 and ties earn 2027 LPGA status.

E

Epson Tour Race for the Card

Epson Tour

The LPGA's official qualifying tour; LPGA Q-Series is the LPGA's stated qualifying pathway onto it. Members earn points all season in the Race for the Card, and the Epson Tour says that, beginning in 2024, 15 LPGA Tour cards go to the season's top points earners. Its points explainer is still labelled 2025, so check the current terms before relying on a category.

International

Top 15 on the Race for the Card earn LPGA Tour cards.

L

Ladies European Tour Q-School

LET Q-School

The Ladies European Tour runs its own qualifying school. We could not confirm its current stages, dates or status categories from a public page on October 15, 2026, so we list none here; check the LET's site. One link between the tours that we did confirm: the LPGA's 2026 Q-Series terms let the top 10 on the LET Order of Merit, at a set cut-off, late-enter LPGA Final Qualifying.

International

About Q-School

Q-School (Qualifying School) is the usual name for a tour's own qualifying tournament: a series of stroke-play stages, each with its own entry deadline and fee, where the final stage awards status for the following season on that tour or a tour below it. Formats, fees and the number of places differ by tour and change from year to year, so the tour's current regulations are the authority. Entry alone is not the same as playing as a professional. Under USGA Rule 2, entering and playing as a professional ends amateur status; the guidance distinguishes that from a future professional entry before the player has competed. See our Rules of Amateur Status guide before you file.

On the men's side, PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry is the PGA TOUR's own qualifying tournament. The name confuses people: Korn Ferry presents the qualifier, and the Korn Ferry Tour is one of the tours its Final Stage feeds. In 2026 the top five at Final Stage earn 2027 PGA TOUR membership, with a playoff for a tie for the last place; the next 40 and ties earn Korn Ferry Tour membership; and the rest of the Final Stage field earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour status and PGA TOUR Americas membership. The DP World Tour Q-School is the European route; the tour says its leading 15 and ties in 2026 earn playing opportunities on the DP World Tour alongside full HotelPlanner Tour status. The Asian Tour says it will not hold a 2027 Asian Tour Qualifying School, and LIV Golf Promotions gave three 2026 League wild card places to its top three in January 2026.

On the women's side, LPGA Q-Series runs in three 2026 stages, Pre-Qualifying, Qualifying and Final Qualifying, and the LPGA says the top 25 and ties at Final Qualifying earn LPGA status for 2027. The LPGA describes Q-Series as its qualifying pathway to the Epson Tour as well, and the Epson Tour's season-long Race for the Card sends its top 15 to the LPGA Tour. The Ladies European Tour Q-School is the European route; check the LET's own site for its current terms. For the tours these qualifiers feed, see the professional tour directory; for the level below, see the mini tour directory. Q-School isn't the only qualifying tournament in golf; the U.S. Open runs its own open qualifying process that any golfer with a sufficient handicap can enter, amateur or pro, no tour card required.

Frequently asked questions

Is 'Korn Ferry Q-School' the same as the Korn Ferry Tour?

No, and the naming trips up a lot of people. The 2026 event is officially 2026 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry presents the qualifier, and the Korn Ferry Tour is one of the tours its Final Stage feeds. Under the 2026 regulations the top five at Final Stage earn 2027 PGA TOUR membership, with a hole-by-hole playoff for a tie for the last place; the next 40 and ties earn Korn Ferry Tour membership; and the rest of the Final Stage field earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour status plus PGA TOUR Americas membership.

How many stages does PGA Tour Q-School have, and how long is Final Stage?

Four stages in 2026: Pre-Qualifying (54 holes at eight sites), First Stage (72 holes at 14 sites), Second Stage (72 holes at five sites) and Final Stage (72 holes, with two rounds on TPC Sawgrass's Dye's Valley course and two at Sawgrass Country Club). Players who meet an exemption category in the regulations start at a later stage; everyone else starts at Pre-Qualifying.

Do you have to turn pro before entering Q-School?

Not necessarily: check the particular tournament's amateur entry categories. Entry and playing status are different. USGA Rule 2 says entering a future event as a professional does not itself end amateur status before playing; entering and playing as a professional does. Check the tournament's written terms before choosing your entry status or accepting a prize or membership, because those decisions have their own conditions.

Does a PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour card from Q-School guarantee a full schedule?

No. Membership and starts are separate. The 2026 regulations say a player's access to tournaments is first set by Q-School finishing position and then changes at each periodic reorder, which benefits the players who perform best. The PGA TOUR's June 3, 2026 explanation adds that, with its exempt line now the top 100 in the FedExCup standings, the five players earning cards through Q-School have greater certainty of schedule for full-field events. For the Korn Ferry Tour, the regulations say Final Stage finishers eligible to join are not guaranteed a start, and conditional status may mean limited access.