Frank Kennedy disputes Q-School DQ over damage to 11th green

“Deliberately causing serious damage to a putting green” is the first example the R&A gives of serious misconduct, the offence for which a committee can disqualify a player outright. The DP World Tour used almost the same words when it confirmed on Monday that Frank Kennedy had been removed from the final stage of its Qualifying School at Infinitum in Tarragona: “serious misconduct, after causing deliberate damage to the course.”

Kennedy, 21, was −15 after four rounds and had just signed for a 69 on the Hills course. Monday Q Info, which first reported the disqualification on X, said he had left a mark about four feet behind the hole on the par-5 11th. One player quoted in that report called it “a one-foot divot”.

In a statement on Instagram, reported by Australian Golf Digest, Kennedy says he swung his putter in frustration after missing a birdie putt and caught the surface by accident. “I did not intentionally or deliberately damage the putting surface,” he wrote. He says he and his playing partner repaired the green straight away, and adds: “I should have called a referee to check the repair, and I’ve learned from that.” He has asked the tour to review the decision and says he will accept the outcome. His father, Simon, is looking for a way to have the decision overturned, according to Monday Q Info.

The R&A’s clarification of Rule 1.2a lists, among examples “unlikely” to be serious misconduct, “slamming a club to the ground, damaging the club and causing minor damage to the turf”. The committee “must consider all the circumstances”, and even when it judges misconduct serious it may warn the player instead of disqualifying him. The tour has not described the damage or said why it chose disqualification.

Kennedy’s removal moved the cut for the top 60 and ties from −12 to −11. That put seven players into the last 36 holes: Luis Masaveu, Jerry Ji, Lukas Boandl, Haydn Barron, Jesper Sandborg, Antoine Pouguet and Philipp Katich. Masaveu, the LIV Golf player, reached the final stage only as first alternate after losing a second-stage playoff.

Kennedy was four shots outside the card places. The top 15 and ties earn DP World Tour cards for 2027, and that line stood at −19 after 72 holes, with Matteo Cristoni leading on −24. Kennedy won the 2023 Lytham Trophy as a 17-year-old amateur and the Euram Bank Open on the HotelPlanner Tour in 2024. He finished 62nd on the HotelPlanner Tour this season and has Category 8 status there for 2027, according to GolfMagic.

The last two rounds are on the Lakes course, and the cards are decided on Wednesday 11 November.

Sources

• GolfMagic: Report: DP World Tour DQ’s rising golf star from Q-School for “serious misconduct”
• Australian Golf Digest via NewsBeep: Young pro disputes being DQ’d from DP World Tour Q-School for damaging green
• EssentiallySports: Golfer’s deliberate green damage triggers Q-School DQ
• The R&A: Rules of Golf clarifications, Rule 1
• DP World Tour: Cristoni cruises to DP World Tour Qualifying School lead
• GolfMagic: DP World Tour Q-School 2026 latest scores and final stage leaderboard
• Wikipedia: Frank Kennedy (golfer)