The 2026 HotelPlanner Tour season gets under way later this month, with the SDC Open in South Africa marking the first event in the 28-tournament schedule.
The leading 15 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings at the season’s end will earn promotion to the DP World Tour. Ahead of the first ball being struck, here are ten players to keep an eye on…
Kristian Hjort Bressum
Kristian Hjort Bressum is one of three players to earn full playing status on the HotelPlanner Tour after finishing fourth on the Global Amateur Pathway Ranking, powered by the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®). The Dane makes the switch to the paid ranks having tasted victory on home soil at the Danish International Amateur Championship last year, before finishing second at the 2025 European Amateur Championship.
Maxence Giboudot
Maxence Giboudot could be the next promising talent to emerge from France, as he bids to follow in the footsteps of 2024 graduate Martin Couvra, and Oihan Guillamoundeguy from the class of 2025. At just 21 years old, Giboudot already has a wealth of experience on the HotelPlanner Tour, having teed it up in each of the past two seasons. Could 2026 be third time lucky?
Jovan Rebula
Jovan Rebula spent last year’s Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A inside the promotion places, then outside, then in, before dropping out, missing graduation agonisingly by a single spot. The South African, who is the nephew of golfing great Ernie Els, started 2025 with four impressive finishes in the opening four events on home soil, and will be hoping to kick-start another promotion campaign by doing the same 12 months on.
Lars van der Vight
Lars van der Vight topped the Pro Golf Tour Order of Merit in 2025, racking up two wins, two runner ups and four further top five finishes to secure a first promotion to the HotelPlanner Tour. The 23-year-old received invites into four events on the Road to Mallorca last term, registering his best finish to date in his last appearance, with a tied fourth in the Italian Challenge Open.
Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen
Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen knows how to win, having done so in each of the past two seasons on the HotelPlanner Tour. Victory in 2024 in the Challenge de Cadiz was followed with a memorable triumph on home soil in the Danish Golf Challenge last term. The 27-year-old ended the 2024 campaign 36th on the Road to Mallorca, and improved on that in 2025 to finish 28th. Another win in 2026 would go a long way to securing DP World Tour playing status.
Palmer Jackson
Palmer Jackson was the highest-ranked American on the 2025 Road to Mallorca, eventually finishing 30th following a season which included a maiden victory at the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge. After finishing the year well at the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A, where he ended the week in a tie for eighth, Jackson could be poised to become the first player from the United States to earn promotion since Chase Hanna achieved the feat in 2021.
Liam Johnston
Scotsman Liam Johnston returns to the Road to Mallorca following a consistent season on the Tartan Pro Tour, one of the HotelPlanner Tour’s Official Satellite Tours, where he ended the year second on the Order of Merit. The 31-year-old has three career victories on the HotelPlanner Tour, most recently at the Empordà Challenge in 2022, and earned promotion to the DP World Tour back in 2018. With the Scot’s game seemingly trending back in the right direction, another promotion charge could be on the cards.
Nick Carlson
American Nick Carlson enjoyed an impressive debut season on the Road to Mallorca last year after reaching the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A and eventually finishing 38th on the season-long Rankings. Carlson, who was working as a substitute teacher just three years ago, registered seven top 15s during the 2025 season and teed it up in the final group at the SDC Open and the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge supported by Finnish Golf Union. With one HotelPlanner Tour season under his belt, the 29-year-old could go from strength to strength in 2026.
John Gough
Englishman John Gough will tee it up on the 2026 Road to Mallorca after finishing fourth on three occasions last season. The 27-year-old, who enjoyed an illustrious amateur career which included representing GB & Ireland at the Walker Cup, appears to be improving year on year in the professional ranks and a maiden victory, following his string of positive performances last season, feels like a matter of time. Having ended the year 37th in the Rankings, Gough threatening the promotion places is likely.
Anton Albers
German Anton Albers narrowly missed out on securing a DP World Tour card last year, however, there’s every chance he bounces back from his near-miss at Club de Golf Alcanada. Albers found form towards the closing stretch of the 2025 season, notching a second place at the GAC Rosa Challenge Tour and a top ten at the Hangzhou Open. Playing under category 7 and with more starts in the pipeline, particularly towards the start of the year, the German will be looking to take advantage and continue his upward trajectory.
