Verden, Germany - 96 players - one dream: the ticket for the Pro Golf Tour season 2023. Almost one hundred hopeful young golfers fought for the few places at the Verden Golf Club on 5 and 6 October. Only the top ten were able to celebrate the full tour ticket (category 5) at the end. For the second year in a row, the Verden Golf Club was the venue for one of the two Q-School events for the upcoming Pro Golf Tour season. In addition to the prize money, the tournament, which is endowed with 3,000 €, was primarily about planning for the future - after all, the Pro Golf Tour has always been regarded as a springboard for young and aspiring golfers who want to move up to the highest European playing class as quickly as possible. "It's a great tour to prepare for the next higher tour, the Challenge Tour," also remarked German Max Griesbeck after an outstanding 67 (-4) on the final day. Thanks to the best round of the day, the 28-year-old secured victory in Verden. The full Tour card is now in his pocket.

Despite the importance of these two days in Verden, Griesbeck had not put himself under too much pressure - at least for long stretches of the tournament. "For me, the pressure was moderate. Then when I found out from the fans on the tenth hole that I was leading, it got a bit more intense. But I just kept believing in my qualities and kept playing." Griesbeck did so impressively - and in the end secured a two-stroke lead over compatriot Nils Dobrunz. "Qualifying for the Pro Golf Tour was something I had set my sights on," said the 23-year-old amateur, who missed out on advancing to the next round at last week's DP World Tour Q-School. "I am very happy to be able to play on the Pro Golf Tour next season." It is not yet clear whether Dobrunz will continue to tee off as an amateur or as a professional.

Leaderboard: All results at a glance

Thanks to the qualification, Griesbeck, Dobrunz and nine other players can plan their 2023 golf year in the best possible way. Places 12 to 30, who start the coming season in category 8, also have a good chance of starting on the Pro Golf Tour. All other players from the top 45 have at least secured category 10, which should help them to get some starts. Despite the month-long heat wave, those responsible at the Verden Golf Club were able to produce presentable course conditions, which also impressed the players. "For the fact that everything here was brown and dried out just a short time ago, the course showed itself to be in very good condition," explained Griesbeck. "Especially the greens were superb and they ran very true. The organisation at a Pro Golf Tour event is always great anyway."

Before the Pro Golf Tour finally heads off into the winter break, the second Q-School event in Trier is on the agenda next week (11 & 12 October). Once again, 96 players will be competing and hoping for a top ten result in the best case scenario in order to get a little closer to their dream of playing in League One at some point.