BC's Ilirian Zalli Advances To Final Stage Of DP World Tour Q-School
(November 4, 2024) - Fraser Mullholland has had a front-row seat to Ilirian Zalli’s development as a professional golfer, so the Vancouver Golf Tour commissioner was not surprised to see Zalli advance to the final stage of the DP World Tour Q- school.
“He just continues to prove to himself and to us that he is not afraid of the moment and is fully confident in his abilities,” Mullholland said of Zalli, a former B.C. Junior Boys and Vancouver Open champion.
Zalli shot four rounds in the 60s and breezed through his second-stage Q-school site in Girona, Spain.
Zalli, a Vancouver resident who grew up playing Fraserview Golf Course, now moves onto the final stage. He doesn’t have long to wait as the six-round finals go Nov. 8-13 in Tarragona, Spain. The top 20 and ties will earn full status on the 2025 DP World Tour, while the remainder of the field will earn full or conditional status on the Challenge Tour, the feeder circuit to the DP World Tour.
Zalli, who survived a first-stage qualifier in Sweden in mid-September to get to second stage, dominated the Vancouver Golf Tour this year. He recorded eight wins and also won the prestigious Glencoe Invitational in Calgary.
“He has proved that he is the best player on our tour by a long margin and he did that winning eight times,” Mullholland said. “His stroke average was 67-something, right around where Adam (Hadwin) and Nick (Taylor) were when they were playing our tour and made it out to the Canadian Tour and beyond.
“I am happy to see he has learned a lot, he has gained confidence from all of his wins here, that he is the man out here in Vancouver. That goes a long way in going down to these Q-school experiences and believing that you are the best. . .I think he believes in the talent that he has and he’s not afraid to come to the table when the pressure is high.”