ROSERSBERG, Sweden (Sept. 16, 2019) – Oklahoma Christian golf alumnus Oscar Stark is a step closer to playing on the European Tour after advancing through the first stage of Qualifying School last week in his native Sweden.

Stark rallied with a final-round 66 (4-under-par) on Friday to become one of 15 players to advance from the qualifying stage at Arlandastad Golf, one of nine sites to host a first-stage event. Stark finished the tournament at even par, shooting 70-70-74-66—280 and tying for eighth in the 57-man field.

The 30-year-old Stark advanced to the second stage of qualifying, which will be held Nov. 7-10 at four sites in Spain. About 20 percent of the approximately 310 golfers who reach the second stage will advance to the final stage of qualifying, a six-round marathon that will run from Nov. 15-20 at Lumine Golf Club in Tarragona, Spain.

In the final stage, 156 players will compete to win one of 25 European Tour cards.

Stark, from Gothenburg, Sweden, was a four-time NAIA All-America selection from 2008 to 2011 at OC, receiving first-team honors the final three years. He was a part of teams that won the NAIA title in 2009 and 2011 and as a senior in 2011, he received the Arnold Palmer and Nicklaus Awards after earning individual medalist honors at the NAIA Championship.

He has been working his way toward the European Tour for several years. In 2016, he posted three top-five finishes on the European Challenge Tour (similar to the PGA's Korn Ferry Tour in the U.S.) and reached the final stage of qualifying for the European Tour. He didn't make the European Tour, but did earn himself full playing privileges on the Challenge Tour for 2017.

That year, he played in five European Tour events and posted his biggest professional win, taking the Challenge Tour's Made in Denmark Challenge at Royal Oak Golf Club in Rødding, Denmark. He had a pair of top-10 finishes on the Challenge Tour and played in two European Tour events in 2018 and reached the second stage of European Tour Q School, but played only nine Challenge Tour events this year.