Last season’s Rankings champion says Troia set up his HotelPlanner Tour return, on the eve of the first Qualifying School at Dalmahoy.
Chris Wood has a simple message for everyone teeing it up at an upcoming MENA Golf Tour Qualifying School.
“Absolutely take the opportunity,” said Wood. “I can’t speak highly enough of it: the people involved and how it’s run. You can tell a lot from the people running the Tour. Get yourself six months of golf through the winter and get that experience.”
The first of three Qualifying Schools for the 2026/27 season gets under way at Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club in Edinburgh on October 1.
Wood is playing at this week’s Abu Dhabi Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, as a direct result of winning last season’s MENA Golf Tour Rankings.
A fresh start at Troia
His pathway began at MENA Golf Tour Q School in Troia, Portugal, last November. He had just missed the four-round cut at the Final Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School by a single shot.
He opened with a 66 at Troia Golf Course and won wire to wire by six strokes on six-under-par.
“It came at an amazing time for me really,” said Wood. “I’d missed the cut by a shot, but I’d played well and I was in a good space mentally. I came home and thought, ‘I need to play – where can I play?’
“The MENA Golf Tour was relaunching, so I got in touch with Keith (Waters) about playing some events. He generously said, ‘We’ll look after you with some invites, but it’d be great if you did the Q School.’
“So I did. As much of a challenge as it was, it was really beneficial for me. I started to build a bit of confidence, got through there fairly comfortably and then it rolled into a few events before Christmas.”
From winter wins to a HotelPlanner Tour return
The former Ryder Cup player and three-time DP World Tour winner had not won since the 2016 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. He had lost his DP World Tour card and fallen outside the top 2,000 in the world rankings.
Within six months of Troia, he had won three times on the MENA Golf Tour, in Portugal, Egypt and Morocco. He finished top of the Rankings with 59,320 points from eight events, sealing his HotelPlanner Tour card.
He then won his first start of the season, at the Italian Challenge Open in May.
“I didn’t play for six weeks before my win in Italy, but the last events I’d played, I’d won, and I just continued that momentum,” said Wood. “The MENA Golf Tour gave me a continuation into the HotelPlanner Tour season. Without it, there’s absolutely no way I would have turned up and won in Italy.”
“Whatever level you’re playing at, winning is winning.”
Chris Wood
“That’s one of the biggest things with the MENA Golf Tour – it’s a big opportunity. There’s the pathway, which I managed to take advantage of, and all of a sudden you’re looking back up towards the main tour.
“Being able to play competitive golf through the winter means that when you come into the season in March and April, you’re pretty sharp. I felt like I regained some confidence in how to win again. Whatever level you’re playing at, winning is winning.”
Three opportunities to earn a Tour card
The Dalmahoy Qualifying School is played on the East Course, the James Braid design known as ‘The Beast’ that hosted the 1992 Solheim Cup.
The Tour’s first-ever US Qualifying School follows at Slammer & Squire, World Golf Village, Florida, on 13–15 October. The final Qualifying School is at Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Park, Epsom, on 20–21 October.
| Qualifying School | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club, East Course, Edinburgh | 1–2 October 2026 |
| USA | Slammer & Squire, World Golf Village, Florida | 13–15 October 2026 |
| England | Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Park, Epsom | 20–21 October 2026 |
The top 10 at each venue earn Category 3 status, which exempts them into all 12 tournaments of the 2026/27 season, each with a $100,000 prize fund.
Players finishing from 11th to tied 20th earn a MENA Golf Tour card in a more favourable category.
Membership sign-up for the 2026/27 season opens on October 1, with the season beginning in Egypt in late November.
Take your next step
To enter any of the three MENA Golf Tour Qualifying Schools, download the MENA Golf Tour app.
