The new European Challenge Tour season is fast approaching, with the 2020 Road to Mallorca Rankings getting under way in South Africa in just over a week’s time. Ahead of the season-opening Limpopo Championship, here is the lowdown on all you need to know about the upcoming season.
New beginnings
The Challenge Tour will head to new pastures this year, with three new events in South Africa beginning the 2020 season.
Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour, the addition of the three tournaments will see South Africa feature on the Challenge Tour International Schedule for the first time. The Limpopo Championship will get the new season under way from January 30-February 2, before the Challenge Tour travels to South Africa’s most iconic city for the RAM Cape Town Open the following week.
Rounding out the trio is the Data Dimension Pro-Am, from February 13-16, where in addition to competing for all-important Road to Mallorca Rankings points, the winner will also secure a place at the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational in July 2020.
20 for 2020
The leading 20 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings will secure European Tour cards for 2021, an increase of five from 15 berths last season. The addition of five extra cards will undoubtedly add to the drama this season, particularly come graduation time, with more players set to secure life-changing promotion to the European Tour.
Road to Mallorca
The Road to Mallorca will feature a minimum of 25 events in 15 countries, with the season culminating on the Balearic Island for the Challenge Tour Grand Final from November 5-8.
In addition to several long-running events, including the Rolex Trophy, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, the Challenge Tour also returns to the Netherlands for the first time since 2009, for The B-NL Challenge Trophy on August 27-30.
Meanwhile France will again be a regular host nation this season, with four events spread across the country, while those who reach the Grand Final are likely to stamp Morocco, China, Finland and Czech Republic on their passport.
New faces
As is tradition, the Challenge Tour will welcome a host of new faces this season, with the top five players from Europe’s leading satellite tours securing their 2020 playing rights. Meanwhile, those who made the 72-hole cut but missed out on their European Tour cards at Qualifying School Final Stage also secured a Challenge Tour spot this season.
Among those to look out for as the new season gets under way include Christopher Sahlstrom, who won four times on the Nordic Golf League last season and long-hitting South African teenager Wilco Nienaber.
It all ends here
The 2020 Road to Mallorca season will culminate at T-Golf & Country Club in Mallorca, where the leading 45 players will compete for the 20 coveted European Tour cards up for grabs. With the Challenge Tour Grand Final moving to different venues around the Spanish island each year, T-Golf & Country Club is assuming hosting duties for the first time, with plenty of drama sure to unfold over the four-day contest.
