The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A took place last week at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca, with 20 players securing playing privileges on the DP World Tour at its conclusion.
Across four rounds, where Marco Penge secured a Rolex Grand Final and Road to Mallorca Rankings double, here are some of the stories you may have missed…
A record margin
Penge’s emphatic six stroke victory is the biggest winning margin in Challenge Tour Grand Final history. Leading be one shot going into the final round, the Englishman posted a closing 69 to go with rounds of 69-68-72 to reach ten under par for the week with his nearest challenger, playing partner Tom Vaillant, six strokes back on four under par. It was an outstanding performance from the 25-year-old who won two of the final five events of the season to guarantee his promotion to the DP World Tour.
Making the latest of moves
Four players started the week outside of the top 21 on the season-long Rankings, but ended it with a DP World Tour card. The winner, Penge, catapulted himself 23 places to the Number One spot to cap a remarkable week. Frenchmen Vaillant and Frederic Lacroix played alongside Penge on the final day, finishing second and third respectively at the season finale to earn one of the life-changing cards on offer. Sam Bairstow, winner of the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A earlier this year, held his nerve down the stretch to finish in a share of fourth and climb five places from 23rd in the Rankings to 18th.
Staying in the hunt
Casey Jarvis was the youngest in the field at Club de Golf Alcanada and looked to have put himself in pole position to end the season as the Rankings Number One after a stellar performance on day four. The South African opened the week with an eight over par round of 80 in brutal conditions, but fought his way back in impressive fashion over the remaining three rounds. Back-to-back 71s followed before four birdies in five holes on the back nine on Sunday saw him sign for a five under par round of 67. Jarvis may not have won the Rankings but ended the season as the Road to Mallorca Number Two, the youngest graduate in 2023, and with a bright future ahead on the DP World Tour.
3,400 trees to be planted
During the tournament week there were a range of sustainability initiatives in place to make the event as green as possible. Working in conjunction with the DP World Tour’s Green Drive, one of those initiatives took place on the par four 15th hole, where each time a player drove the green, 100 trees would be planted in Spain. After four rounds, a total of 34 players drove the green, meaning 3,400 trees will now to be planted in the country.
