Wood Six Shots Clear With Scotland’s Sandin Second Heading MENA Q-School Final Round.

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Former Ryder Cup star Chris Wood survived testing conditions to maintain his commanding position at the MENA Golf Tour Q School, carding an even-par 72 to remain six-under-par heading into Saturday’s final round at Troia Golf Course.

The Englishman, who opened with a sparkling 66 on Thursday, faced significantly tougher conditions as wind swept across the Portuguese coast, making Troia’s narrow fairways and small greens a stern examination for the international field competing for Tour cards and category status for the 2025-26 season.

Wood’s second round proved eventful, with early turbulence on the front nine including bogeys at the third and sixth holes before he steadied himself with a crucial birdie at the ninth to turn in 37. The back nine began disastrously with a double-bogey at the par-four 10th and another dropped shot at the par-three 11th, but the three-time DP World Tour winner showed his championship mettle with a crucial birdie at the 12th before producing the shot of the day.

At the par-five 14th, Wood found himself slightly right of the fairway but launched a superb four-iron from 242 yards over a tree on the right side, the ball landing just four feet from the pin for a momentum-shifting eagle. He added another birdie at the 16th before closing with pars on 17 and 18 to preserve his four-shot advantage.

“I thought the course showed its teeth today,” said Wood. “The wind’s up and it’s small greens, so small targets. A lot of holes you’ve got to thread it. The fairways are quite narrow with a lot of crosswinds, so it was tricky. When you’re out there on your own, you’ve got to really commit to the wind direction, and it was slightly different to yesterday.”

The former European Ryder Cup player reflected on his recovery after the difficult stretch. “I sort of started talking to myself after about seven holes. I wasn’t quite where I needed to be. It’s challenging; there’s a lot going on, but I hit a lot of good shots. That four-iron at 14 was a great shot – it needed to be held. I hit great shots coming in as well, like a lovely pitch into 16 for birdie.”

Scotland’s Sebastian Sandin produced the second-best score of the day with a two-under-par 70 to surge into second place at two-under-par overall. The Scot posted a spectacular front nine featuring eagles at both the first and seventh holes, along with a birdie, to storm into contention.

“I just had a nice two eagles and a birdie, so you just take them when they come and move on,” said the Dunblane based Sandin, who appeared comfortable in the blustery conditions.

“Conditions we’re more used to, that’s for sure. I felt a little bit more comfortable than some other people may be out there in that wind.”

Sandin acknowledged the challenge posed by the course setup. “It’s just a few times taking more club and knocking some spin off or just playing for the spin and hitting it to the back and letting it rip. Just stuff you’ve got to adjust for each hole.”

Sandin enjoyed a huge success in June last year winning as an amateur on the Scottish Tartan Tour with his two shot success at the Cardona Classic.  A few weeks later, at age 23 he turned pro.

At the time of writing Sandin has contested 29 pro events, 12 a year ago and 17 this year each one on the Tartan Tour, and with his best finish a month ago in being runner-up in the Trump International Tour Championship at  Aberdeen.

A group of five players share third place at even-par, including England’s Will Porter, who fired the round of the day with a three-under 69. Porter’s sensational front nine of 32 included four consecutive birdies from the sixth through ninth holes, showcasing the scoring opportunities available to those who can navigate Troia’s challenges.

Joining Porter at even-par are Italy’s Ludovico Addabbo, Ireland’s Jack Madden, England’s Will Marshall and Germany’s Max Schmitt, all well-positioned heading into Saturday’s decisive final round.

With Tour cards and category status on the line, the stage is set for a compelling finale as the international field battles for their place on a Tour that has launched the careers of Major champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence.

The final round begins on Saturday at 8:00 AM local time.

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 2

-6: Chris Wood (ENG)
-2: Sebastian Sandin (SCO)
Even: Will Porter (ENG), Ludovico Addabbo (ITA), Jack Madden (IRL), Will Marshall (ENG), Max Schmitt (GER)

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