The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A is a unique event on the golfing calendar, one in which every player in the 45-man field can earn themselves a career-changing promotion to the European Tour with one big final push. Every single shot counts.
While some players have already sealed their European Tour playing rights for 2022 and will now be looking to finish as high on the Road to Mallorca Rankings as possible to maximise their starts next year, others will be hoping to secure their spot in the top 20, others will be eyeing a stand-out week to make a big jump up the Rankings.
Here are a few of the possible outcomes, and a run-down of who needs to do what in order to claim graduation, as well as other storylines as the Challenge Tour reaches its always-thrilling conclusion:
The Race to be Number One
Here's how the Road to Mallorca Rankings stand heading into the final event of the season 📊#RolexGrandFinal
— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) October 26, 2021
The fight to be crowned Road to Mallorca Number One is always a fascinating battle and this year’s race is no different. Heading into the season finale at T Golf & Country Club, the top 12 players can still claim the Number One spot on the Rankings and follow in the footsteps of luminaries such as Henrik Stenson, Thomas Bjørn and Tommy Fleetwood. Spain’s Santiago Tarrio, the long-time leader of the Rankings, is the current incumbent of top spot but any of the top three – Tarrio, Ricardo Gouveia or Marcus Helligkilde – will finish the season on top of the pile should they triumph in Mallorca. Julien Brun would become the second Frenchman to win the Rankings should he win at T Golf & Country Club and Tarrio finishes no higher than third. Chase Hanna of the USA, currently placed 12th, is the lowest ranked player who could come out on top, but he would need to win the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final and, among other results, require Tarrio to finish 45th.
Locking in the cards
While the players ranked between 14th and 20th are currently in a strong position to join the top 13 on the European Tour next season, their places are by no means guaranteed. Granted, some players are, naturally, in a stronger position than others but the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final is a week filled with tension and high drama, so nothing can be taken for granted. Niklas Nørgaard Møller, for instance, is currently 21st on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and just 434 points behind Andrew Wilson, who occupies the final graduation spot. With 78,000 points on offer for the tournament winner, there are endless possibilities.
The outsiders
While some players had cemented their spots in the top 45 weeks ago, for others, it went right down to the wire. Welshman Stuart Manley, who won the Euram Bank Open earlier this year, is the man currently in 45th position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and therefore the last man in. He is on 40,228 points – just six points ahead of Italy’s Lorenzo Scalise. Despite being the man mathematically furthest away from earning his European Tour playing rights, the three-time graduate is still in with a shot. Only a win or solo second would be enough for Manley to jump into the top 20, while a third place finish would mean just missing out. Four-time European Tour winner Matteo Manassero played his way into the season finale with a tie for third place at the Challenge Costa Brava, and he will arrive at T Golf in 44th. Victory or a second place would do the business for the Italian, as would a third place with other results going his way.
