The penultimate event on the Road to Mallorca is in the books, and the final 45-man field for the Challenge Tour Grand Final has been set. As the players prepare for the biggest week of the season, we glance at the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
Back on top
Calum Hill went into the ‘China Swing’ leading the Road to Mallorca Rankings, but fell to fourth after Francesco Laporta won the Hainan Open to take the summit, while Robin Roussel and Richard Bland turned in top five performances to also move ahead of the Scot. Hill, however, bounced back in style and reasserted his authority with a third place finish at the Foshan Open to return to the Number One spot with 143,409 points.
Last man in
A total of 218 players have earned points on the Road to Mallorca Rankings this year, but the cream has risen to the top after 23 tournaments and the leading 45 players will have one last chance to earn a life-changing promotion to the European Tour at the limited-field Challenge Tour Grand Final. Ugo Coussaud went to China holding the 45th and final spot in the season-ending tournament, and promptly earned himself some breathing room with a tied 30th place finish at the Hainan Open, which elevated him to 42nd on the Rankings. That finish, and the 2,486 points which came with it, proved to be monumental for the Frenchman, who missed the cut at the Foshan Open but still held onto his berth for the season finale.
Alexander Knappe, meanwhile, had stormed up the Rankings by way of a tied-34th place finish at the Hainan Open and a tied fourth showing at the Foshan Open, almost overtaking Coussaud. Despite the late push, when the dust settled Knappe finished a mere 882 points shy of a Grand Final place.
Farr from finished
Oliver Farr currently has his hands on the final available European Tour card, sitting 15th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, but with every Grand Final competitor still capable of finishing in the top 15 with a win at the season-ending event, anything can still happen. Last year, Pedro Figueiredo birdied the final hole of the season to edge out Tom Murray by the tightest of margins, just 604 points. With a €420,000 prize fund, no cut and a small field, it is sure to be a photo-finish on the Road to Mallorca.
