It’s officially the week of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A, with 45 players teeing it up at Club de Golf Alcanada in the hope of securing one of the 20 life-changing DP World Tour cards on offer. Here’s everything you need to know before play gets under way on Thursday…
Watch live
For the second time in the Tour’s history, the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final will be broadcast live around the world, giving fans the opportunity to watch the drama unfold. Check your local listing for when and where to watch.
Five times in Mallorca
The Island of Mallorca hosts its fifth Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in successive years this week. The Tour visited Club de Golf Alcanada for the first time in 2019 before two editions took place at T-Golf and Country Club. Last year the Grand Final returned to Alcanada, and it will do so again this year for a third time.
Designed by legendary golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., the Alcúdia setup includes incredible views of the sea, mountains and the iconic lighthouse situated on a nearby island. First opened in 2003 after three years of construction, it now houses outstanding practice facilities alongside the coastal course.
The man to catch
Manuel Elvira has had a season to remember and will tee it up on home soil as the Road to Mallorca Number One. The Spaniard is in pole position to cap an outstanding year, which has included three second place finishes and seven other top tens. Mathematically, the Rankings winner could come from anyone currently in the top 25 of the Rankings, so Elvira will have to fight off the chasing pack in order to get the job done.
All to play for
From one to 45, every player teeing it up this week has something to play for. Even for those such as Elvira that have already guaranteed their DP World Tour playing privileges for next year, the title of Road to Mallorca Number One doesn’t come around often.
Frenchman Martin Couvra, as the last man in the field this week, is 267.28 points behind Euan Walker who currently occupies the final promotion place. With a win this week securing a season-high 640 points, a win for anyone in the field would give them a great chance of catapulting themselves into the promotion spots.
A chance at history
Three men in the field will have the opportunity to write their name into the record books by becoming Challenge Tour Number One for a second time. Italian Andrea Pavan topped the Rankings in 2013, Portuguese Ricardo Gouveia did so two years later in 2015, and Italian Francesco Laporta finished in first place in 2019. Interestingly, all three players have already won on the Challenge Tour this season.
