The opening week of the Road to Mallorca is here, with the SDC Open taking place at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa. Here are three names to keep an eye on…
Form Horse: Joel Moscatel
Joel Moscatel made the most of two starts on the DP World Tour at the end of last year and arrives at Zebula looking to maintain that form as the new Challenge Tour season begins. A tied seventh finish at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship was followed with a 33rd place finish at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open. A strong start to the season would see the Spaniard take a huge step towards improving on his 83rd place finish in the Road to Mallorca Rankings last season.
Local Boy: JJ Senekal
JJ Senekal had a week to remember at Zebula this time last year. The South African fired rounds of 62-67-69-65 on his way to a 25 under par total to surge four strokes clear of the chasing pack and secure a wire-to-wire victory. Senekal went on to narrowly miss out on promotion to the DP World Tour, eventually finishing 28th in the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings, however he will hope that a positive start to the season in familiar surroundings will kick-start another charge towards graduation.
The Outsider: Kiet van der Weele
Kiet van der Weele tees it up with full playing rights on the Challenge Tour for the first time after an outstanding season on the Alps Tour. The Dutchman recorded three wins from his first four appearances there last season, and registered one other top ten in only seven starts to earn promotion. Those results ensured playing opportunities towards the end of 2023 on the Challenge Tour, where he made five of six cuts to end his best year to date as a professional on a high.
