Tied for fifth entering the final round of Final Stage of the Qualifying Tournament that distributes five Tour cards at the completion of 72 holes, Jones fell outside the top 10 with three bogeys in his opening eight holes.

With full status slipping away, Jones (pictured far right with fellow qualifiers Mark Walker, Felipe Aguilar, Soren Kjeldsen and Freddie Jacobson) conjured six birdies in his final 10 holes to finish tied for third at 14-under par.

A bogey on the final hole by American Dicky Pride ensured a playoff would not be required, fellow Aussies Andre Stolz and Scott Barr relegated to a tie for sixth as a result of Jones’s stunning finish.

Q-School drama on 18.

A closing bogey from Dicky Pride helped Aguilar, Jones and Walker earn their status and avoid a playoff. pic.twitter.com/sotFwLjSFh

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) December 7, 2024

Not due to celebrate his 50th birthday until March 3, Jones will miss the opening three events of the 2025 season before being eligible to debut at the Cologuard Classic in Tucson from March 7-9.

It continues Australia’s recent run of success at Champions Tour Q School after four secured status last year and two the year prior.

Although heartbroken by their near miss, both Stolz and Barr are eligible to play in open qualifiers in 2025. It is the same status that Greg Chalmers used to play his way into 20 events this year and ultimately finish 25th in the Charles Schwab Cup to secure full status in 2025.

Queenslander Cameron Smith has returned to the top 100 on the Official World Golf Ranking with a fourth top-three finish in his past five starts.

Teeing off an hour before the final group, Smith’s bogey-free final round of 9-under 62 saw him post 21-under par.

It would hold up all afternoon, the 31-year-old joining eventual champion Joaquin Niemann and American Caleb Surratt in a playoff.

“I think it was a bonus to even get in there, to be fair, sitting down for an hour and a bit,” said Smith, who climbed 21 spots to 80th in the world ranking.

“I was thinking my percentage of having a top five was very slim.

“It’s kind of lucky that there wasn’t any beers in the clubhouse because I would have had a few, I think.

“It’s a weird game sometimes, and you never really know what’s going to happen.”

BMW Australian PGA champion Elvis Smylie is second on the DP World Tour Race to Dubai rankings after finishing in a tie for 14th at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa while Robyn Choi remains in the hunt to earn back LPGA Tour status at LPGA Q Series for the second straight year.

Medallist 12 months ago, Choi is in a tie for 19th entering the fifth and final round, the top 25 and ties to secure full status for 2025 where she intends to build on her 2024 performances.

“I feel like if I can just keep playing the way I am right now and get my card again, I think I can take some revenge,” said Choi.

“I feel like I’m a little bit more comfortable going into next year.”

Photo: Rudy Ramirez/PGA TOUR Champions

Results
Asian Tour
PIF Saudi International
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudia Arabia
1          Joaquin Niemann         65-66-65-67—263       $US1m
Won in sudden-death playoff
2          Cameron Smith            67-64-70-62—263       $412,500
4          Ben Campbell (NZ)       68-68-64-64—264       $235,000
T9        Matt Jones                   67-66-68-67—268       $90,035.71
T17      Travis Smyth                66-66-68-69—269       $62,600
T22      Jak Carter                     70-66-66-68—270       $50,500
T29      Brett Coletta                70-69-64-68—271       $41,600
T42      Lucas Herbert               68-69-67-70—274       $27,375
T50      Nick Voke (NZ)             68-68-73-66—275       $21,583.33
T50      Wade Ormsby              70-68-66-71—275       $21,583.33
MC       Daniel Gale                  72-69—141
MC       Maverick Antcliff          71-70—141
MC       Jed Morgan                 70-71—141
MC       Marc Leishman            70-72—142
MC       Danny Lee (NZ)            74-73—147

PGA TOUR
Hero World Challenge
Albany Golf Club, Albany, Bahamas
1          Scottie Scheffler           67-64-69-63—263
T19      Jason Day                    75-70-73-71—289

DP World Tour
Nedbank Challenge
Gary Player CC, Sun City, South Africa
1          Johannes Veerman       70-71-73-69—283       €969,273.82
T14      Elvis Smylie                  71-72-73-72—288       €82,506.48

PGA TOUR Champions
Qualifying Tournament – Final Stage
TPC Scottsdale (Champions Cse), Scottsdale, Arizona
1          Søren Kjeldsen             64-65-65-66—260
T3        Brendan Jones             67-69-66-68—270
T6        Andre Stolz                  69-70-66-66—271
T6        Scott Barr                     67-67-67-70—271
T14      Mathew Goggin           69-68-67-72—276
T26      Brad Kennedy              71-68-71-69—279
T62      Dominic Barson (NZ)    73-70-74-74—291

Legends Tour
MCB Tour Championship Mauritius
Constance Belle Mare Plage, Mauritius
1          Peter Baker                   70-62-68—200
T27      Scott Hend                   68-75-69—212
T41      Michael Long (NZ)        75-71-71—217
T47      Michael Campbell (NZ) 70-80-69—219

LPGA Tour
LPGA Q-Series: Final Qualifying
Magnolia Grove Golf Course, Mobile, Alabama
Through four of five rounds. Top 25 and ties earn LPGA status
1          Chisato Iwai                 67-69-68-62—266
T19      Robyn Choi                  70-67-73-70—280