Road to Mallorca Number Ten Espen Kofstad has an outside chance of becoming the first player to win the Road to Mallorca Rankings on two separate occasions with victory in this week’s Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A at T Golf & Country Club.
The Norwegian was crowned Challenge Tour Number One in 2012 after triumphing in the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, and he is hoping to use that experience to replicate history in Mallorca.
“I have won this tournament before and I am going to try to do it again,” he said. “If I can get myself into a winning position, I can certainly use my experience from 2012, along with my other wins on the Challenge Tour to my advantage.
“The Grand Final is the pinnacle of the season and I think everyone is so happy to be here. It’s the best event of the year and I am super excited. I have played really well all season and since the first event I have felt remarkably comfortable.”
Kofstad has secured his return to the European Tour for the 2022 season following victory at the Sydbank Esbjerg Challenge as well as five further top ten finishes, and the 34-year-old believes he is much better equipped to make the step-up this time around having had a full season’s preparation on the Challenge Tour.
“It means everything to return to the European Tour,” he said. “I have had so many injuries and problems but my victory in Denmark proved to me I was on the right path, and I can’t wait to be able to play with the best again.
“I feel so much more prepared this time around. Last time I played on the European Tour was the 2019 season, and I hadn’t played much golf the previous year. This time I have had a full season playing tournament golf and working on the mental side of my game, I can give it a proper go.”
The 2021 Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A gets under way at 8:15am local time on Thursday November 4, with Kofstad playing alongside France’s Frederic Lacroix and American Chase Hanna at 10:16am.
