The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by the R&A will see the leading 45 players in the Road to Mallorca Rankings tee it up at Club de Golf Alacanada from November 2-5, with the end goal of promotion to the DP World Tour in sight
For some, promotion is all but secure as they look to finish as high as possible in the Rankings to guarantee as many DP World Tour starts next year. For the remaining players, a final push across four nail-biting rounds will decide who earns one of the 20 life-changing cards on offer.
Race to Number One
Spaniard Manuel Elvira currently occupies top spot on the Rankings on 1,227.97 points having reached the summit for the first time following an eighth place finish at the Hainan Open two weeks ago. The 27-year-old has recorded more top tens than any other player through 2023 to put himself in pole position, but any of the top eight – Elvira, Ugo Coussaud, Casey Jarvis, Jesper Svensson, Adam Blomme, Lorenzo Scalise, Andrea Pavan and Matteo Manassero – will be crowned Challenge Tour Number One should they win at Club de Golf Alcanada regardless of the finishing position of all other players.
Ricardo Gouveia would finish as the Number One should he win in Mallorca and Elvira and Coussaud finish no higher than third. A win for Ivan Cantero would see him crowned champion should Elvira, Coussaud, Jarvis, Svensson, Blomme, Scalise, Pavan and Manassero finish no higher than third.
Frenchman Frederic Lacroix, currently placed 25th, is the lowest ranked player who could win the Road to Mallorca Rankings, but he would need to win the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final and, among other results, require Elvira to finish 45th.
The fight for 20 DP World Tour cards
Although 20 DP World Tour cards are up for grabs in Mallorca to the leading players in the Rankings at the conclusion of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final, it’s likely that it could be the 21st player in the Rankings that gets the final card.
Alex Fitzpatrick – a winner on the Challenge Tour this season – has made the most of his starts on the DP World Tour and has already secured his playing privileges there next season. The Englishman is currently ninth in the Rankings, and should he remain in the top 20 at the end of the week, the player finishing in 21st would take the final available card. Fitzpatrick is targeting a place in the DP World Tour Championship so won’t play in Mallorca, meaning the 46th person on the Rankings takes the final place in the field.
All to play for
Frenchman Martin Couvra is 46th in the Rankings and therefore the last man in the field. Couvra has a win to his name already this year which has helped him to 423.01 points this season, just 267.28 points behind Scotland’s Euan Walker who currently occupies the final promotion place. With 640 points available for the winner and 440 for second place, every player in the field has a realistic chance of earning DP World Tour playing rights.
