The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A has a history of finding the next generation of golfing superstars.
All 45 players teeing it up at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final will be battling it out for one of the life-changing DP World Tour cards on offer, in the hope of adding their name to a growing list of graduates that continue to achieve great things in the game.
Nathan Kimsey
It was just 12 months ago at the 2022 Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final that Nathan Kimsey was making his mark. Sitting in sixth place in the Rankings prior to the week, he carded rounds of 70-73-66-70 to secure a one stroke victory and become Number One at the season’s end. With three top tens on the DP World Tour this season, he’s currently 27th in the Race to Dubai Rankings and will take his place at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November. He’s also had two starts on the PGA Tour this season, narrowly missing out on a first victory, eventually losing in a playoff at the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky.
Edoardo Molinari
Edoardo Molinari ended the 2009 season as the Road to Mallorca Number One and has gone on to become a recognisable face in world golf. He was a three-time winner on the Challenge Tour that season which ended with a seventh place finish at the Grand Final. The Italian won twice on the DP World Tour the following season and represented Team Europe for their famous Ryder Cup win at Celtic Manor in the same year. Molinari would add a third DP World Tour win in 2017 and most recently played a crucial role as a Vice-Captain for Team Europe as they regained the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone.
Tom McKibbin
At 19-years-old, Tom McKibbin was the youngest in the field at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final last year. The Northern Irishman would fire a final round 66 at Club de Golf Alcanada to finish in a share of sixth place to climb up to tenth in the Road to Mallorca Rankings and make sure of graduation to golf’s Global Tour. What a year it has been since. McKibbin is 42nd on the Race to Dubai Rankings and claimed a breakthrough DP World Tour win at the Porsche European Open back in June.
Nacho Elvira
Nacho Elvira is in his eighth season on the DP World Tour having enjoyed an outstanding campaign on the Challenge Tour in 2015. T hree wins, and a tied third finish at the season-ending NBO Golf Classic Grand Final helped to secure promotion. The Spaniard won for the first time on the DP World Tour in 2021 with a playoff win in the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale, and will have a keen interest in proceedings at Club de Golf Alcanada next week. His younger brother Manuel currently sits atop the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
Ryan Fox
The Challenge Tour played its part in Ryan Fox’s journey to becoming a Rolex Series title winner. Back in 2016, the New Zealander finished 4th in the Rankings to earn promotion to the DP World Tour, a place he has played ever since. Fast forward seven years and the 36-year-old is now a four-time winner on golf’s Global Tour. A maiden title came in 2019 before he added two more in 2022, including the prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This year he carded rounds of 69-68-66-67 to record the biggest win of his career in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
