While the Asian Tour season came to an end following a thrilling finish to the Saudi Open presented by PIF on Saturday, the new season starts for many in the cauldron of the Qualifying School’s Final Stage, which commences on Wednesday.

Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren won the Saudi event for his maiden title on the Asian Tour finishing one ahead of Australian Jack Thompson – after the closest of finishes. Both are graduates of the School, with Hellgren finishing ninth in 2020, while Thompson won it in 2023 and came fifth in this year’s edition.

Qualifying School is now far from their thoughts, but it is very much on the minds of the 201 players competing this week. The tournament is being played at Lake View Resort & Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand.

A host of tour winners have entered. The most notable of those are Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang [main picture], a five-time winner, Nitithorn Thippong from Thailand, with three wins, and his compatriot Panuphol Pittayarat as well as South African Justin Harding – who both have two titles to their name.

Nitithorn Thippong.

Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman, another two-time winner, has made the trip plus American Berry Henson, Korean Yikeun Chang, India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu and Spaniard Carlos Pigem, who have all tasted victory once before.

The Final Stage will be contested over five rounds. The leading 140 players and ties after 36 holes will qualify for rounds three and four, with a further cut after 72 holes to the leading 70 players and ties, who will then play the final round.

At the conclusion of the final round on Sunday the top 35 players will secure Asian Tour membership for the 2026 season.

Six pre-qualifiers were held in the months leading up to this week with the winners of each of them are all here: France’s Ignacio Arcaya, who topped the very first pre-qualifier held in Morocco, American Carson Herron, who made it through the US qualifier and is the son of former PGA Tour star Tim Herron, plus Germany’s Philipp Katich, China’s Chen Guxin, Brady Watt from Australia and Agusti Quinquilla from Spain, who all negotiated the pre-qualifiers held in Thailand.

Last week a number of players came agonisingly close to not having to go through the rigors of Final Stage by finishing in the top 65 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit – which secures cards for next year.

Chan Shih-chang and Thailand’s Charng-Tai Sudsom, also playing this week, were the closest, finishing 66^th and 67^th on the Merit list respectively. Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung, who finished 70^th, and Filipino Sean Ramos, who started last week holding 65^th position and ended 71^st, are also here looking to make amends.