The Qualifying Schools will take place at Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club near Edinburgh from October 1 to 2 at Slammer and Squire within World Golf Village in Florida from October 13 to 15 and at the Royal Automobile Club’s Woodcote Park in Epsom from October 20 to 21 according to a report by the Emirates News Agency. Top-10 finishers at each venue will secure Category 3 status providing exemption into all 12 events on the 2026/27 schedule while those placing 11th to tied-20th will earn the highest available category of playing rights. The expanded programme follows the tour’s earlier announcement of its inaugural US Qualifying School and aims to attract talent from beyond the Middle East and North Africa region.
MENA Golf Tour Chairman and Commissioner Keith Waters described the addition of the new venues as a significant milestone in the circuit’s development. “Bringing in new Qualifying School venues at Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club and the Royal Automobile Club alongside our debut Q School event in the US marks another significant milestone in how the MENA Golf Tour continues to develop” Waters said in the announcement. He added that the initiative keeps the tour open and accessible for driven players while creating a genuine pathway to build careers in professional golf.
Entry to the two UK Qualifying Schools is set at $350 with the first 20 players to register for the final event at Woodcote Park invited to participate in a Pro-Am the day before and awarded a $200 appearance fee. The Florida school at the Slammer and Squire course which was designed with input from Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen will build on the tour’s ambition to potentially stage a US swing of events in coming years. Players who do not gain full status at the first two schools remain eligible for the third giving them multiple opportunities to qualify.
The MENA Golf Tour was founded in 2011 by the Dubai-based Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation and has operated as the only Official World Golf Ranking-recognised professional circuit based in the Middle East and North Africa. After a period of hiatus the tour relaunched its 2025/26 season with 12 events each carrying $100,000 prize funds and a 36-hole cut according to its published schedule. Leading players from the final 2025/26 rankings will receive full exemption for the upcoming season while the Qualifying Schools create additional routes onto the calendar.
A strategic alliance formed with LIV Golf in 2022 enabled the tour to contribute to the Official World Golf Ranking system further elevating its profile. The Qualifying Schools can each award status to as many as 20 players depending on ties with play-offs used to break deadlocks for the top 10 positions. This structure has already proven effective in providing opportunities to professionals at different stages of their careers including those seeking to advance toward higher-tier tours.
