WAS
WINTER UNIVERSITY SERIES
Official Competition Regulations
ROAD TO LA HACIENDA
Sección
1. Championship Committee
The tournament shall be conducted under the direction and control of the WAS
(Winter Amateur Series) Competition Committee, whose decisions on all matters
relating to the competition shall be final. The Committee reserves the right to modify
any condition at any time.
2. Nature and Category
The Winter Amateur Series (WAS) is an amateur golf circuit, open men's category.
Only amateur players may participate in accordance with the amateur status criteria
established by the R&A, who belong to a legally recognised golf federation and hold a
valid official WHS (World Handicap System) licence and handicap.
3. Eligibility and Circuit Access
Players who meet the R&A amateur status requirements and fall into one of the
following access categories, in order of preference, may participate in WAS circuit
tournaments:
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The defending champion of each WAS tournament has priority access to the next WAS circuit tournament.
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Individual winners of any of the EGA's European Amateur Order of Merit (EAOM) tournaments in the current season are entitled to participate in the WAS circuit.
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Players with the highest WAGR ranking among those registered.
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Where WAGR rankings are equal, the player with the best exact WHS index at th registration closing date.
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Additional criteria established and communicated by the WAS Committee prior to each event.
The field shall be a maximum of 100 players per tournament. The WAGR ranking reference
for the entry list shall be that published on the registration closing date of each event.
4. Registration and Entry Fee
Registrations shall be completed through the official WAS channel. Each tournament
will have a registration period that will be communicated in advance through the
official channels.
The entry fee includes the official practice round, the three competition days and
practice balls during both the practice round and the competition days. In certain
tournaments, the fee also includes hotel accommodation and transfers from Málaga
airport — see Annex I.
For tournaments held at La Hacienda Links, participation requires the mandatory
Official Pack, which includes entry, accommodation and transfers. Details are set out
in Annex I of these regulations.
For all other circuit tournaments, available accommodation conditions, partner hotels
and special prices for WAS participants will be published on the official website and
in the specific information for each event.
Payments shall be made through the official payment platform. For any queries,
players should contact the WAS team through the official channels.
5. Cancellation Policy
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Cancellations by players who have already paid may be made up to twenty (20) days before the start of the tournament in order to receive a full refund.
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After this period, no refund will be issued, as the number of places is limited.
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In the event of withdrawal for health reasons, the player must submit a medical certificate at least ten (10) days before the start of the tournament in order to receive a full refund.
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Bank, credit card or PayPal fees will be deducted from any applicable refund or reimbursement.
6. Format of Play
Each WAS circuit tournament will be played in Stroke Play format, with a total of 54
holes spread over three rounds of 18 holes. There will be no cut between rounds: all
players will complete all three rounds, a requirement for the tournament to count in
the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
6.1 Ties in the standings
In the event of a tie in the final tournament standings, it will be resolved by the results
over the last 18 holes, then the last 9, the last 6 and the last 3 holes. If the tie persists
for the winner's position, it will be resolved by sudden death play-off, which will begin
as soon as possible once the last group has completed its round.
7. Rules of Play
As all WAS circuit tournaments are WAGR and EGA events, the competition will be
played in accordance with the Rules of Golf approved by R&A Rules Limited and the
USGA, the Local Conditions of the host course approved by the Competition
Committee, the additional rules established by the WAS Committee for each event,
and the requirements of those rankings. Players are responsible for keeping
themselves informed of the applicable rules.
8. Tee Times and Live Scoring
Tee times will be published on the official WAS website. Live scoring will be available
during all events via Golf Game Book.
9. Practice Round
The official practice round will be held the day before the start of the competition and
includes practice balls. Players will also have access to practice balls during the three
competition days.
To book a practice time, players must contact the host course directly via the email or
telephone provided in the event-specific information.
10. Road to La Hacienda — WAS Order of Merit
The WAS circuit consists of six (6) counting tournaments plus the Final (Road to La
Hacienda). Points earned at each tournament accumulate in the Road to La Hacienda
ranking (WAS Order of Merit), which will be published and updated on the official
channels after each event.
The WAS points system follows the same distribution as the EGA's EAOM:
11. Qualification for the Final — Road to La Hacienda
The WAS circuit Final will be called Road to La Hacienda and will be held at La
Hacienda Links. The Final field will be a maximum of 100 players, distributed as
follows:
11.A 70 places via Combined Ranking (EAOM + WAS)
The combined ranking for Final qualification adds each player's best results as
follows:
Points source | Maximum results counted
EAOM tournaments (EGA) | Best 6 results (from ~16 events, January–September)
WAS tournaments | Best 3 results (from the 6 WAS circuit tournaments)
MAXIMUM TOTAL | 9 results per player
EAOM points and WAS points are applied using the same points table. Both are
added together in a single combined ranking. The top 70 places in the combined
ranking at the close of the season qualify directly for the Final. In the event of a tie at
position 70, the quota is automatically extended to include all players tied at that
position.
11.B 30 places by invitation and special criteria
The remaining 30 places are reserved for the following cases, which the WAS
Committee will manage and communicate before the start of each season:
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Direct invitations from the WAS Committee (high-level players, wild cards, etc.).
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Players who join the season late and have been unable to accumulate sufficient points in EAOM or WAS tournaments.
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Any other criteria established by the Committee to guarantee the quality and diversity of the Final field.
12. Prizes
12.A Circuit tournaments
The winner of each WAS circuit tournament will receive the trophy awarded by the
WAS.
12.B Final Road to La Hacienda
The champion and runner-up of the Road to La Hacienda Final will receive the trophy
awarded by the WAS.
INVITATIONS TO PROFESSIONAL TOURS
EVENT WINNER
1 invitation to the Hotel PlannerTour for the winner of each event
GRAN FINAL
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1 DP World tour invite
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2invitations to the Hotel Planner Pro Tour
second place
-1 HotelPlanner tour invite
Invitations are subject to the player maintaining their amateur status until the date of
the relevant event, and to the specific conditions of the organising tour. WAS is not
responsible for the final conditions of each invitation.
13. World Amateur Ranking (WAGR / EGR)
As all WAS circuit tournaments are WAGR and EGA events, only three-day events
with a minimum of 54 holes completed by all players count in those rankings. Players
are responsible for keeping themselves informed of the current requirements.
14. Competition Committee
The WAS Competition Committee is responsible for all decisions during the
competition, including the interpretation of the Rules of Golf, suspension of rounds
due to adverse weather conditions, slow play and any other matter that may arise.
Players must comply with its decisions with the best sporting attitude and respect.
The Committee's decisions are final and binding.
These regulations may be updated by the WAS Committee at any time.
The current version will always be available on the official Winter Amateur Series channels.
Winter Amateur Series (WAS)
1. Exemptions (Direct Entry)
Players belonging to any of the following categories will be granted direct entry into the tournament:
a. Current champions of the following major international amateur championships:
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The Amateur Championship (British Amateur)
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U.S. Amateur Championship
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European Amateur Championship
b. Members of the top five teams (including ties for 5th place) from the most recent Eisenhower Trophy (World Amateur Team Championship).
c. Members of the four semifinalist teams from the most recent European Amateur Team Championship.
d. Members of the champion and runner-up teams from the most recent European Boys' Team Championship.
e. The top 30 players in the European Amateur Order of Merit (EAOM) as of the official entry closing date.
f. Winners of any of the 16 counting events of the European Amateur Order of Merit (EAOM).
g. Winners and runners-up of any Winter Amateur Series tournament during the current season will automatically receive an exemption to compete in the subsequent events of the circuit. This exemption does not apply to the Road to La Hacienda Final.
2. World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR)
Once all exemptions have been applied, the remaining places will be allocated strictly according to the current World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) among players ranked within the Top 2,500 as of the official entry closing date.
3. Handicap
Should places still remain available after applying the previous criteria, they will be allocated in strict order of Exact Handicap.
Minimum entry requirement:
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Exact Handicap of 0.0 or better.
4. Wild Cards
The Organising Committee may award a limited number of Wild Cards to:
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Players of outstanding sporting interest.
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Emerging international talents.
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Players nominated by national golf federations.
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Winners of affiliated tournaments.
WINTER AMATEUR SERIES – ROAD TO LA HACIENDA
100 Players
OFFICIAL POINTS SYSTEM (Value 1x)
PositionPoints
1st 500
2nd 350
3rd 250
4th 200
5th 175
6th 160
7th 145
8th 130
9th 120
10th 110
11th 100
12th 90
13th 82
14th 75
15th 68
16th 62
17th 56
18th 50
19th 45
20th 40
21st 36
22nd 32
23rd 28
24th 24
25th 20
26th 17
27th 14
28th 11
29th 8
30th 5
ROAD TO LA HACIENDA
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All Winter Amateur Series tournaments will carry the same weighting (Value 1x).
The Road to La Hacienda Final will bring together the Top 100 players of the season through a qualification system that combines international performance with results achieved in the Winter Amateur Series.
1. Automatic Qualification
The following players will qualify automatically:
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The winner of each Winter Amateur Series tournament.
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If a player wins more than one tournament, the additional qualifying place will be awarded to the next eligible player in the Overall Ranking.
2. International Ranking (70 Places)
The first 70 places will be allocated through a Combined International Ranking, based on:
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The player's six best results in European Amateur Order of Merit (EAOM) events.
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The player's four best results in Winter Amateur Series (WAS) events.
This system rewards consistent performances across both the European amateur circuit and the Winter Amateur Series.
3. Winter Amateur Series Ranking (30 Places)
To provide opportunities for players who have been unable to compete in enough European Amateur Order of Merit events, the Organising Committee will reserve 30 places through an exclusive Winter Amateur Series Ranking.
This ranking will be based solely on each player's four best results in Winter Amateur Series tournaments.
These places are intended for players who, due to age, scheduling, eligibility requirements or other circumstances, have not been able to compete regularly on the European Amateur Order of Merit circuit.
The Winter Amateur Series Committee will assess and confirm each player's eligibility in accordance with the Official Regulations.
4. Wild Cards
The Organising Committee may award a limited number of Wild Cards to players of exceptional sporting interest, emerging international talents, representatives nominated by national federations, sponsors' nominees, or invited players selected by the Organising Committee.
Philosophy of the Qualification System
The objective of this qualification model is to reward sporting merit while ensuring that emerging talent is not overlooked.
On one hand, it recognises the performances of established players competing in both the European Amateur Order of Merit and the Winter Amateur Series. On the other, it guarantees that highly promising young players who have not yet had full access to the EAOM schedule still have the opportunity to qualify for the Final through their performances in the Winter Amateur Series.
In this way, the Road to La Hacienda Final will bring together some of Europe's leading amateur golfers alongside the next generation of international talent, establishing itself as one of the premier championship finals in European amateur golf.