TATA Steel PGTI Qualifying School 2023 gets underway from January 19 in Jamshedpur

While the First Stage consisting of three Pre-Qualifying events of 36 holes each will be held from January 19 – 28 at the Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur, the Final Stage, a 72-hole event, will be held from January 31 – February 3 at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata.

The Qualifying School, which kickstarts each PGTI season, is one of the most important events on the PGTI calendar as it is the only route for players to qualify to play on the PGTI in a particular season. The tournament determines the criteria for players for the whole season.

This year’s Qualifying School event will witness participation by a total of 395 golfers including 309 professionals and 86 amateurs.

Besides Indian golfers, this year’s Qualifying School will also feature as many as 34 golfers from 11 foreign nations. This list includes 10 players from Bangladesh, seven from the USA, four from Sri Lanka, three from Australia, two each from Great Britain, Canada and Nepal and one each from Japan, Austria, Andorra and Mauritius.

The First Stage of the Qualifying School will comprise of three 36-hole events – Pre Qualifying I, Pre Qualifying II and Pre Qualifying III. While Pre Qualifying I will be staged on January 19 – 20, Pre Qualifying II will be held on January 24 – 25 and Pre Qualifying III takes place on January 27 – 28.

Out of a total field of 118 at Pre Qualifying I, the top 23 players and ties will make it to the Final Stage. From the field of 108 at Pre Qualifying II, the top 21 players and ties will go through to the Final Stage. Among the 116 players competing at Pre Qualifying III, the top 23 players and ties will qualify for the Final Stage.

The qualifiers from the First Stage will join the 53 exempt players in the Final Stage which is scheduled to be held from January 31 – February 3. The 72-hole Final Stage will feature a field of the top 120 players and ties.

The top 80 and ties will make the halfway cut after two rounds of the Final Stage. At the end of the Final Stage, the top 34 players will earn their full cards for the 2023 PGTI season. The Final Stage offers a total prize purse of Rs. 5 lakh.