The six day marathon at PGA Catalunya Resort was completed yesterday.

27 players were awarded their European Tour cards for 2016. Daniel Im, Ulrich Van Den Berg and Adrian Otaegul pictured above were joint winners on -18.

Walker Cup hero Paul Dunne, who lead this year’s Open Championship after three rounds, got his card by finishing 13th on -10.

Englishman Matthew Southgate, a survivor of testicular cancer this year, booked his spot on next year’s European Tour with a 6th place finish. He said “I’ve always been a fighter. To get to the top level of golf again is absolutely fantastic. I am over the moon”.

Former European Tour players Richard Finch, Ross McGowan, David Dixon and Richard McEvoy regained their cards. As did Edoardo Molinari, part of the winning European Ryder Cup team of 2010.

For this year’s leading player, South African Ulric Van Den Berg it is a return to the tour that he joined in 2007 but left after the death of his father. He described the tour school as a “long hard slog for a 40 year old”.