Report: DP World Tour DQ's rising golf star from Q-School for "serious misconduct"

Controversy overshadowed the latest round of DP World Tour Q-School's final stage after a highly-rated English prospect was disqualified for "serious misconduct", according to a report.

Per American golf journalist Ryan French, who is best known as MondayQInfo, England's Frank Kennedy was disqualified from the final stage of qualifying school after inflicting damage to the 11th green on the Hills Course at Infinitum Golf Resort in Spain.

The 21-year-old, from Manchester, was tied for 28th on 15-under par after 72 holes of the 108-hole tournament when officials removed him from the competition.

Only the top 15 players earn cards for the 2027 DP World Tour season at the conclusion of the six-round marathon.

In a statement, the DP World Tour acknowledged Kennedy had been disqualified for "serious misconduct after causing deliberate damage to the course", but did not go into specifics.

French reported on X that he had been told Kennedy took a "large divot" out of the green at the par-5 11th.

Kennedy made par on the hole. His 3-under 69 also contained seven birdies, two bogeys and one double-bogey. 

"One player described it as 'a one-foot divot' about four feet behind the hole," French reported.

He added: "According to multiple people, Kennedy argued for a long time in scoring after being informed he was disqualified.

"On top of that, according to multiple people, Kennedy's dad, Simon, is looking to have the call reversed or an 'injunction' of some sort."

Kennedy's disqualification was good news for some as it had a significant impact on the cut line, which moved from 12-under to 11-under, allowing seven players to remain in contention for the final 36 holes.

Among those who benefited was former LIV Golf recruit Luis Masaveu, who briefly played in the same team as former Masters champion Sergio Garcia on the breakaway tour. 

Jerry Ji, Lukas Boandl, Haydn Barron, Jesper Sandborg, Antoine Pouguet and Philipp Katich also advanced.

Italy's Matteo Cristoni leads the tournament on 24-under par, one shot clear of Spain's Josele Ballester, also formerly of LIV Golf, and Sweden's Marcus Helligkilde.

Among those currently inside the qualifying places are Cameron John on 21-under, Ben An and American Joshua Lee on 20-under, with fellow American Jhared Hack and England's Tom Lewis both a further shot back.

DP World Tour veteran Pablo Larrazabal, who lost his card this season after more than two decades, is three shots further back heading into the final two rounds. 

European Ryder Cup stats guru, Edoardo Molinari, is also in contention. 

Who is Frank Kennedy?

Kennedy has established himself as one of England's leading amateur prospects.

He won the 2023 Lytham Trophy aged 17. 

He also reached the semi-finals of the Amateur Championship that summer before turning professional later in the year.

In 2024, he became the third-youngest winner in HotelPlanner Tour history when he claimed the Euram Bank Open.

He spent the 2026 season on the HotelPlanner Tour, finishing 62nd in the season-long rankings.

As a result, he holds only Category 8 status for the 2027 campaign.

Kennedy is currently ranked 777th in the Official World Golf Ranking.