The race to become Road to Mallorca Number One is heating up with just one event to play - the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A. Heading into the season finale at T Golf & Country Club, 12 players can still join the illustrious club of Challenge Tour Rankings winners, which includes 15-time European Tour winner Thomas Bjørn, 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson and two-time Ryder Cup player Tommy Fleetwood.
Santiago Tarrio
Spaniard Santiago Tarrio currently sits in pole position on the Rankings with 163,938 points after an impressive season which has included victories at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge and Challenge de España. The 30-year-old’s form was rewarded with invitations to play on the European Tour towards the latter stages of the season and he took full advantage, finishing third at the Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews. Tarrio is now looking to cement his position at the top of the Rankings with a strong performance in Mallorca, but those close behind may have different ideas.
Ricardo Gouveia
Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia is just 7,272 points behind Tarrio as he strives to become the first player to become Challenge Tour Number One on two separate occasions. The 30-year-old topped the 2015 Rankings after securing victory at the Grand Final in Oman and he will be hoping for another Grand Finale this time around to leapfrog Tarrio and claim top spot. A second place finish would be good enough for Gouveia, as long as Tarrio, Marcus Helligkilde or Julien Brun do not win the grand Final.
Marcus Helligkilde
Marcus Helligkilde is looking to follow in the footsteps of countrymen Bjørn and Joachim B. Hansen to become the third Dane to top the Rankings. The 25-year-old has enjoyed an impressive season with victories at the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge and the Swiss Challenge, he subsequently sits on 144,628 points and a Grand Final victory would see him rise to the summit to be crowned Road to Mallorca Number One. The Dane could record a second place finish at the Grand Final and still secure top spot on the Rankings, but this would require Tarrio, Gouveia and Brun to finish below him in Mallorca.
Julien Brun
Julien Brun is currently on 132,147 points and would need to win the Grand Final whilst relying on Tarrio finishing no higher than third if he is to become the second Frenchman to top the Rankings after Mike Lorenzo-Vera in 2007. Brun has sealed European Tour playing rights for the 2022 season but will be hungry for a third taste of victory this season after wins at the Open de Bretagne and Empordà Challenge, taking his Challenge Tour total to three after a maiden victory as an amateur at the 2012 ALLIANZ Golf Open Toulouse Metropole.
Alfredo Garcia-Heredia
Spain’s Alfredo Garcia-Heredia has eyes on history as he looks to round off an impressive season in style, which has included a maiden Challenge Tour title at the B-NL Challenge along with two third place finishes. The 39-year-old would need to win the Grand Final with Tarrio finishing no higher than fifth and Gouveia and Helligkilde no higher than third, if he is to become the oldest-ever winner of the Rankings.
The outsiders
Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, German Marcel Schneider, South Africa’s Oliver Bekker, Austrian Lukas Nemecz, 2012 Rankings winner Espen Kofstad, France’s Frederic Lacroix and American Chase Hanna can still come out on top if they win the Grand Final, however they would need several other results to go in their favour.
