Road to Mallorca Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Saddier and Baldwin ride the storm at Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in Mallorca

Matt Smith — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 04:45:32 +0000

By Matt Smith
Adrien Saddier and Matthew Baldwin were the last men standing on a storm-battered Day 2 in Mollorca at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final on Friday.

Frenchman Saddier managed to card a seven-under 65 for a share of the lead with Baldwin after 36 holes.

Saddier, who came into this week in 43rd position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, sits on a total of five-under, while England’s Baldwin carded a three-under 69 including a bogey-free back nine as the winds started to pick up.

The high winds forecast for the afternoon at Club de Golf Alcanada meant tee times were brought forward, with Saddier part of the first group of the day from the 10th and he took advantage of the benign early conditions.

The weather worsened as the day wore on and, at one point, it looked like the final groups may not be able to finish, with the balls rolling on the greens. As it transpired, it was only Baldwin who was able to match Saddier.

Germany’s Nick Bachem is third on four-under, while Frenchman Jeong weon Ko posted a level-par 72 to remain on three-under in fourth place. Englishman John Parry is at two-under to complete the top five.

Road to Mallorca No. 1 Jeremy Freiburghaus is one of five players in a tie for sixth and he is still projected to finish the season on top of the Rankings, while Saddier or Baldwin would earn a spot in the top 20 — and earn a DP World Tour card — if they win in Mallorca.

“It’s a really nice round. I was a bit lucky because we didn’t have much wind for the first six holes so I just took advantage of that. I started really nicely and I just kept going with hitting good shots.

“The pressure for me is quite different because I know I need to win but I really want to be at home next week for my son’s first birthday. I don’t really care about the top 20 because I just want to be at home next week with him, so it’s a different kind of pressure.”

Baldwin added: “It’s been quite blustery so it was nice to get out before the big winds arrived. The gusts, they’re pumping at times, so to judge the right shot is tough but it’s tough for everyone and you’ve got to do the best you can.

“We’re only halfway so there’s still a lot to play for. I’ll try not to get ahead of myself and keep trying to do what I’ve been doing so far.”

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Walker and Sainz share the advantage in Mallorca at Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 06:05:43 +0000

By GolfDigestME.com
Javier Sainz and Euan Walker made the perfect start in their quest for a DP World Tour card by each posting four-under rounds of 68 on day one of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final.

The duo lead by one at Club de Golf Alcanada as they look to climb into the top 20 on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and secure DP World Tour playing rights for 2023.

Both men earned their maiden European Challenge Tour titles in 2022, with Sainz, the Road to Mallorca No. 36, claiming the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge title in May, while Scotsman Walker, currently ranked 21st, won the British Challenge last month.

Should either player win this week they would be guaranteed a spot in the top 20, however they have a host of players chasing them down.

Alexander Knappe, the current Road to Mallorca No. 3, is in a share of third place after round one, with England’s Todd Clements and Frenchman Jeong weon Ko joining him on three-under.

A group of seven players, including Rankings leader Jeremy Freiburghaus are in a share of sixth place on two-under. Should the leaderboard remain as it is, the 26-year-old is projected to become the Challenge Tour’s first Swiss No. 1.

The weather is expected to turn on Friday with strong winds forecast to arrive in Mallorca, resulting in an implementation of an early two-tee start.

“I did some good work with my caddie,” said Sainz. “I missed two shots today and was always on the right side of the course. This is the key when you play this course with how the course is prepared.

“We had two weeks off and I think it was good for me to rest before playing the Grand Final. I did some good work last week and that came through today. I need to be patient and see what the rest of the week brings.”

Sensational putt from @euanwalkergolf ?

He moves into a tie for the lead!#RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/zoeC40dk9L

— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) November 3, 2022

Walker added: “It’s about as well as I could have hoped for really, I hit the ball really nicely and I had a few breaks go my way so I can’t hope for anything better than that.

Walker added: “I have been playing nicely for about three months now, I think its just a culmination of lots of things now, but its been going really well. The trick in golf is to keep doing well, I’m not saying it’s easy to play well one day but to play well consistently over a longer period of time is that’s what I want to do and hopefully I can do over the next couple of days.”

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McKibbin targeting No. 1 spot in Mallorca at Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 07:03:45 +0000

By GolfDigestME.com
Tom McKibbin will look to become the youngest Road to Mallorca No. 1 in history when he tees it up in the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada this week.

The Grand Final is the 28th and final event on the Road to Mallorca, a season which has featured 16 different countries, where the top 45 players on the Rankings will battle it out for one of the 20 coveted DP World Tour cards.

The 19-year-old McKibbin is currently placed 15th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and he would move to the No. 1 spot should he triumph at the season finale and current Rankings leader Jeremy Freiburghaus finishes no higher than fourth, while JC Ritchie, Alexander Knappe and Mikael Lindberg would also have to finish no higher than third.

Englishman Tommy Fleetwood became the youngest Challenge Tour No. 1 when he topped the Rankings in 2011 at just 20 years old after finishing second at the Challenge Tour Grand Final in Italy, and McKibbin now has the opportunity to write his name into the history books.

Freiburghaus will himself look to make history by becoming the first Swiss player to win the Rankings, while current No. 2 Ritchie would also become the first South African winner should he triumph this week.

Another piece of history could be made by Frenchman Clément Sordet, who is looking to become the first man to win this event on two separate occasions following his victory at the 2017 NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.

Any player in the 45-man field can mathematically graduate, with the likes of Ireland’s John Murphy (42nd) and Switzerland’s Benjamin Rusch (45th) requiring strong performances to break into the all-important top 20.

The 27th edition of the Grand Final, which has been the season-ending event since 1995, will be broadcast live around the world for the first time in the Tour’s history.

“I’m just going to focus on my own game and hopefully I can produce some solid golf and everything else will take care of itself,” said McKibbin. “If I play the same way I have all season I’m confident I can get the job done and secure my DP World Tour card.

“I’m focused on securing my card but obviously it would be fantastic to win the tournament because I know I still have a chance to win the Rankings.

“My game has developed so much this year. The courses have been fantastic, and the fields have been so strong that I have naturally had to up my game and make my misses a lot smaller because any mistakes get punished out here on the Challenge Tour. I’ve definitely grown as both a player and a person this year.

“The course is lovely this week and I think it will be a good test of golf. It looks generous off the tee but once you get up there you realise how narrow the fairways are and if you miss the fairway, the rough can be quite thick which means the ball sits right down.

“It’ll be great to have my family with me this week. They don’t get to see me play that much so hopefully I can put on a show for them.”

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