Americans Peter Uihlein and Brooks Koepka will have some company from their fellow countrymen next year on the European Tour.
Though Uihlein and Koepka earned their way onto the circuit via the Challenge Tour, four Americans were among the 27 players who received cards for the 2014 season Friday at European Tour Q-School in Girona, Spain.
Leading the way for the Americans was John Hahn, a former standout at Kent State who qualified for this year's U.S. Open at Merion. Hahn finished the six-round event at 13 under, 13 shots behind medalist Carlos del Moral from Spain, who himself was five shots clear of the next-closest competitor.
Joining Hahn next year on the European Tour will be Connor Arendell, who played his college golf at the University of Central Florida, Brinson Paolini, formerly of Duke University, and Jason Knutzon, a 1998 graduate at Iowa State.
Other notables among the 27 newest European Tour members are Belgium's Thomas Pieters, who won the 2012 NCAA individual title while at the University of Illinois, Ireland's Kevin Phelan, who made the cut at the U.S. Open in June, and Alistair Forsyth, a veteran and twice a winner on the European Tour, who made it on the number despite a 2-over 74 in the sixth and final round.
With Q-School in the U.S. now a pipeline for the Web.com Tour rather than an avenue with direct access to the PGA Tour, many players are looking to the European Tour as a more viable option for developing their skills and ultimately gaining access to top-level events. Uihlein notably won last year on the European Tour at the Madeira Islands Open in Portugal, while Koepka won three times on the Challenge Tour and now is nearing special temporary membership on the PGA Tour for the 2013-14 season after he turned a sponsor exemption into a tie for third at the season-opening Frys.com Open.
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