Wood Off To A MENA Q-School Flyer In Portugal

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Former Ryder Cup star Chris Wood muscled his way to a handsome four-shot lead thanks to a six-under-par 66 on day one of the MENA Golf Tour Q School at the host Troia Golf Course in Portugal.

The 54-hole qualifier will determe membership and category status for the 2025–26 season.

Wood is  three-timeDP World Tour winner, who represented Europe in the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine and he kick-started solidly with birdies on the par-four fifth and par-five seventh in an outward nine of 34, before moving through the gears on the back nine.

Wood picked up shots on the 10th, 13th and 14th before his only scorecard blemish came with a bogey at the 15th. The affable Englishman responded quickly with closing birdies on 17 and 18 to complete an inward half of 32 and set the early pace in Portugal.

Wood, who is using the MENA Golf Tour to regain competitive sharpness and rebuild confidence after limited playing opportunities in recent seasons, showed glimpses of the form that secured him victories on the European Tour and a place in Darren Clarke’s Ryder Cup team.

“It’s a nice score, but I did a lot of things well out there,” said Wood.

“I’ve got certain things that I want to achieve on a golf course these days and I’m putting myself in environments where I’m pushing myself. It was pleasing to come out and achieve what I was after today. The score is obviously nice, but I can go back feeling good about how I went about my day.”

His only dropped shot came at the par-four 15th where he found himself off the green with mud on the ball and unable to clean it, leading to a three-putt. “I was 10 feet from the pin but off the green with a load of mud on the ball, couldn’t clean it,” he said. “Apart from that, I didn’t really look like dropping a shot. I played pretty solid, really.”

Wood’s aggressive strategy onTroia’sdemanding layout reflected his growing confidence. “Woody two years ago would have played the golf course very differently,” he explained. “I’m brave enough now to take more shots on, and that’s really satisfying. I’ve been doing so many good things, so I just need competitive golf, and that’s what the MENA Golf Tour is offering me.”

In the hunt

Germany’s Max Schmitt, England’s Will Marshall and Andorra’s KevinEsteveshare second place on two-under-par, four shots behind Wood’s commanding lead, while a group of four players sit at even par as the international field jostles for position on the Portuguese coast.

With two rounds remaining, the top finishers will earn their place on a Tour that has established itself as a proven springboard to the highest levels of professional golf.Notable alumni include Major champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, Scotland’s RobertMacIntyreand South Africa’sThristonLawrence, all of whom used the MENA Golf Tour as a launchpad to success on the DP World Tour.

Following Q School, the regular season launches immediately with back-to-back events in Portugal: the PGA Aroeira Challenge (25–27 November) and theRolearAlgarve Classic atAmendoeira(2–4 December), with all regular season events carrying guaranteed, tax-free USD $100,000 prize funds and payouts initiated within 48 hours.

Play continues onFriday with the second round beginning at 8:00 AM.

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 1

-6: –Chris Wood (ENG)

-2: Max Schmitt (GER),

-2: Will Marshall (ENG),

-2: KevinEsteve(AND)

Even par. NicolasCalvet(FRA),

Even par. SebastianSandin(SCO),

Even par. Jack Madden (IRL),

Even par. Silvester Tan (AUS)

  • This report with much thanks MENA Tour.



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