McGee Takes European Tour Qualifier at De Vere Wychwood Park

The European Tour Qualifying School First Stage at De Vere Wychwood Park came to a conclusion with some of Europe’s top amateurs and up-and-coming professionals moving a step closer to earning the right to compete on the European Tour in 2014.

Ruaidhri McGee from Ireland won the event despite carding a two-over par 74 in the final round to finish two shots clear of his nearest competitors with a three-under par four-round total of 285. He is one of 27 competitors from the qualifier advancing to the Second Stage of the competition, alongside the likes of second placed Alan Dunbar, the 2012 Amateur Champion, two-time Walker Cup player Stiggy Hodgson, and 2005 European Tour Qualifying School Winner, Tom Whitehouse.

Exciting prospects from around the world have come to Wychwood Park since 2010 for the European Tour Qualifying School. This year, competitors have come from as far afield as the USA, South Africa, New Zealand and Canada. Nine different nationalities are represented among the 27 qualifiers alone, emphasising the popularity of the venue, which at 7,213 yards in length provided a challenging test for all the competitors. The course has five different sets of tees that can provide an enjoyable experience for golfers of all abilities, whilst testing even the best. 

“We set the course out this week so that we would create a tough challenge for the some of the world’s best golfers” commented Jon Farmer, Director of Golf, Wychwood Park. “It is a tournament that we are proud to host and couldn’t be happier with how things went. Ruaidhri played great all week, so I would like congratulations to him. We’ve had some brilliant feedback from all the players this week about the condition of the course and the atmosphere surrounding the event itself.”

Daniel Hodson, Golf & Leisure Director at De Vere Hotels & Resorts stated, “The staging of Qualifying School at Wychwood Park provides further evidence of De Vere’s ever-expanding tournament heritage across the portfolio of UK resorts. This gives De Vere the opportunity to showcase the leading Championship golf courses to golfers across the UK, and through the flexible membership offering, the De Vere Club, they are all accessible to golfers are all ages and abilities. ”