The field has now been confirmed for the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A, with the top 45 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings teeing it up at T Golf & Country Club looking to secure one of the 20 European Tour cards.
Spain’s Santiago Tarrio, the Road to Mallorca Number One, is looking to round off his impressive season in style. The 30-year-old has picked up two victories at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge and Challenge de España, in addition to seven top tens and sits on 163, 938 Rankings points, 7,272 points ahead of five-time Challenge Tour winner Ricardo Gouveia.
Gouveia has turned back the clock this season to pick up two wins at the Italian Challenge and Made in Esjberg Challenge, along with six top ten finishes. The Portuguese will arrive in Mallorca in search of his second Challenge Tour Grand Final victory, after triumphing at the 2015 edition in Oman, and should he do so, he’ll become the first man to top the Rankings on two separate occasions.
Espen Kofstad is another man looking to become the first player to secure two Grand Final and Rankings winner doubles, after sealing victory at the 2012 Apulia San Domenico Grand Final. The Norwegian has enjoyed a fine 2021 season, currently sitting in tenth place on the Rankings after triumphing at the Sydbank Esbjerg Challenge and looks set to secure European Tour playing rights for the 2022 season.
Marcus Helligkilde sits in third position on the Rankings after victories at the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge and the Swiss Challenge. The 25-year-old finished in second place at the recent Challenge Costa Brava and now has eyes on becoming the third Dane to top the Rankings after 15-time European Tour winner Thomas Bjørn in 1995 and J.B. Hansen in 2018.
Marcel Schneider will arrive in Spain full of confidence having secured two victories and three top tens in just ten Challenge Tour appearances this season, to sit in seventh place on the Rankings. The German put in a solid performance at the 2020 Grand Final to finish in 21st place and claim second place on the Rankings behind Czech Ondrej Lieser.
Marcel Siem will tee it up on the Challenge Tour for the first time since his victory at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in July. The German’s victory earnt him a place at The Open, where he finished in a tie for 15th and has since been plying his trade on the European Tour. The 41-year-old returns for the Grand Final in a bid to earn his European Tour card having narrowly missed out on membership via his Race to Dubai Ranking.
Wilco Nienaber had a fine start to the season with victory at the Dimension Data Pro-Am in his native South Africa. The 21-year-old, known for his long-hitting, played on the European Tour for most of the season but will play in the Grand Final to fight for one of the top 20 places in the Rankings as he heads into the week in 24th position.
Matteo Manassero, a four-time European Tour winner, finished in a tie for third at the Challenge Costa Brava to climb 20 places into 44th position on the Rankings and therefore secure his place in the Grand Final. The Italian became the youngest winner in European Tour history with victory in the 2010 Castello Masters at 17 years and 188 days, and he will need to produce another magical performance in Mallorca if he is to earn one of the 20 European Tour cards.
You can view the full field here.
