Manuel Elvira will return to Spanish soil as the Road to Mallorca Number One having reached the summit of the Rankings for the first time this season after a top ten finish in the Hainan Open.
The Spaniard will tee it up at the season-ending Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by the R&A knowing that he has guaranteed promotion to the DP World Tour. At the conclusion of four days at Club de Golf Alcanada, the top 20 in the Rankings will graduate to golf’s Global Tour.
The 27-year-old has been a model of consistency throughout 2023, racking up three second place finishes and seven other top tens in 24 starts this year. With 1,228 points to his name and just one event to go, Elvira could become the third Spaniard to top the Rankings if he remains in pole position after four rounds in Mallorca.
Ugo Coussaud has been the man to catch for most of the season. The Frenchman got off to a fast start, finishing no lower than 21st place in each of the opening eight events of 2023. He topped the Rankings for the first time in March off the back of a maiden win at The Challenge presented by KGA, and has been in the top two ever since. He sits 20 points behind Elvira on 1,208 points.
Casey Jarvis is in third place and is in line to become one of the youngest graduates from the class of 2023. The 20-year-old South African has amassed 1,172 points in his first season on the Challenge Tour thanks to a first win, which came in the Euram Bank Open, and three other second place finishes.
Swedish duo Jesper Svensson and Adam Blomme occupy fourth and fifth in the Rankings on 1,148 and 1,143 points respectively. Svensson had to wait until the B-NL Challenge Trophy at the end of May for his first start of the season but made the most of it by securing a memorable win to catapult himself into the top 20 where he has remained ever since. Blomme’s maiden win arrived in September at the Swiss Challenge, but with six other top tens, he too has been ever-present towards the top of the Rankings.
Lorenzo Scalise is just one point behind Blomme in sixth place on 1,142 points, with fellow Italians Andrea Pavan (1,083) and Matteo Manassero (1,082) in seventh and eighth, with the trio having contributed four wins during 2023. Alex Fitzpatrick has impressed in his 15 starts this year and sits in ninth on 1,003 points.
Ricardo Gouveia completes the top ten having climbed 15 places following a second win of the season at the Hainan Open. The 32-year-old, who won the Abu Dhabi Challenge in April, is now a seven-time winner on the Challenge Tour after his win in China, which has also given him a huge boost as he edges closer to returning to the DP World Tour.
Outside of the top ten, it was an important week in China for both Francesco Laporta and Joel Girrbach. Laporta, who returned to the top 20 following a fifth place finish in the Hopps Open de Provence two weeks ago, backed that up by finishing tied third in the Hainan Open to move up to 15th. Girrbach is finding form at the perfect time, with his solo second in China seeing him climb 17 places to 17th – the first time he has been in the top 20 since June. Scotsman Euan Walker currently occupies the final promotion place.
The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final takes place from November 2-5, with the full field of 45 now confirmed.
Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final field
Manuel Elvira
Ugo Coussaud
Casey Jarvis
Jesper Svensson
Adam Blomme
Lorenzo Scalise
Andrea Pavan
Matteo Manassero
Ricardo Gouveia
Ivan Cantero
Will Enefer
Maximilian Rottluff
Stuart Manley
Francesco Laporta
Brandon Stone
Joel Girrbach
Benjamin Follett-Smith
Jamie Rutherford
Euan Walker
Ashley Chester
Oliver Farr
Sam Bairstow
Marco Penge
Frederic Lacroix
Brandon Robinson Thompson
Felix Mory
Laura Ruuska
Julian Suri
JJ Senekal
Nicolai Kristensen
Jaco Prinsloo
Tom Vaillant
Lars van Meijel
Jeppe Kristian Andersen
Conor Purcell
Sam Hutsby
Tom Lewis
Lucas Vacarisas
Sebastian Friedrichsen
Steven Brown
Craig Howie
Jordan Gumberg
Darren Fichardt
Marc Hammer
Martin Couvra
