Page added: Wednesday, 14 December 2011

European Tour hopefuls have been universal in their praise for PGA Catalunya Resort as the venue once again hosts the pressure cooker that is the Qualifying School Final Stage.

Vying for one of just 30 cards on offer for the lucrative Race to Dubai, 152 players, including multiple European Tour winners have been battling it out over the highly acclaimed Stadium and Tour Courses at PGA Catalunya Resort, Barcelona. South African Branden Grace, who has enjoyed success on both courses, said: “Both courses here are always in immaculate condition, especially the greens. There aren’t many golf clubs with better practice facilities than they have here either. It’s the perfect venue for a golf tournament.”

In November PGA Catalunya Resort officially opened an impressive new practice complex, including a 2,000 square-metre putting green and chipping area, with five bunkers each containing different sand types (Augusta, St Andrews, Hawaii volcanic, PGA Catalunya Stadium Course sand bunker and Pebble Beach). The area also includes a PGA Catalunya Tour Course grass bunker for practicing.

Julio Delgado, PGA Catalunya Resort chief executive, said: “PGA Catalunya Resort has invested heavily in ensuring we have the best practice facilities in Europe. To see the players utilising the practice ground and describing it as the best they’ve seen is a testament to the high quality of our facilities. The comments of the players this week further reinforce our reputation as one of the world’s best golfing experiences.”

The final two rounds of European Tour Q School Final Qualifying will be played over the Stadium Course, originally built by the Tour to host the Ryder Cup, and has previously hosted the Sarazen World Open and the Spanish Open.

Following the final two rounds the top 30 players – plus ties – will receive their European Tour cards to compete in the Race to Dubai 2012.