The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A, the pinnacle of the 2022 Road to Mallorca, is finally here and this is everything you need to know before the action begins on Thursday.
And it’s live!
For the first time in the Tour’s history, all four days of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final will be broadcast live around the world. Golf fans across the globe will be able to follow the rollercoaster of the season finale as it happens, before the 2022 Road to Mallorca Number One is crowned on Sunday evening. Check your local listings for when and where to watch.
Nice to see you again, Alcanada
The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final returns to Club de Golf Alcanada after the Alcúdia venue previously hosted the event’s maiden visit to Mallorca in 2019. Alcanada, named after the nearby island containing the iconic lighthouse, was designed by legendary course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr and opened in 2003. It is considered one of the finest courses in Mallorca and boasts world class practice facilities and first-rate amenities, including the island’s only Toptracer-equipped driving range.
All to play for
Even for those players guaranteed to graduate to the DP World Tour, there is still plenty to play for at the Grand Final. All 20 graduates will be placed in Category 14 on the DP World Tour’s exemption list however the higher a graduate finishes on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, the greater they will be ranked next season, which could be the difference between playing in some of the DP World Tour’s bigger events, such as the Rolex Series. Additionally, the top five on the Road to Mallorca Rankings will be eligible to receive the John Jacobs Bursary Award.
Every. Shot. Counts.
In golf, every shot always counts. But there are not many places where it matters more than at the Challenge Tour Grand Final, with the margins for error so, so small. Both in 2019 at Alcanada and last year at T-Golf and Country Club, players have seen final green drama decide their fate. In 2019, Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez was left with an anxious wait to see if he would earn the 15th and final DP World Tour card for the following year. When Robin Sciot-Siegrist’s birdie putt slid by, it meant he had to settle for a tie for second and therefore missed out on his card by only 1,300 points. Then, last year, Andrew Wilson produced a fine finish to secure his playing privileges.
Anyone can graduate
While some players, like Road to Mallorca Rankings leader Jeremy Freiburghaus, will be graduating to the DP World Tour regardless of how they play at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final, there are some players, like last-man-in Benjamin Rusch, who will need to produce some magic to break into the top 20. Still, it is possible for any player in the field to earn a DP World Tour card by winning the €500,000 event, every player should – and will – have victory in their sights.
