Challenge, the king of the tour is Neergaard-Petersen

Golf, results

Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan prevailed in the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by the R&A, the final race of the 2024 Challenge Tour where the twenty “cards” for the DP World Tour were awarded to the best in the Road To Mallorca (order of merit).

Reitan, 26, of Lørenskog, carded a score of 265 (65 64 68 68, -23) strokes and with his first career success, rising from 36° to seventh place in the rankings, earned one of the “cards” for the major circuit along with a check for 85,000 euros out of a prize pool of 500,000 euros. He was one stroke ahead of Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Spain’s Angel Ayora, second with 266 (-22).

The only Italian competing was Gregorio De Leo, who offered a good showing by finishing ninth with 275 (68 70 70 68, -13), but it wasn’t è enough to enter the twenty promoted.

The winner, third at three strokes behind leader Neergaard-Petersen after 54 holes, climbed back with a 68 (-4, one eagle, four birdies, two bogeys), but it took its toll on the Dane, who, leading after four birdies and one bogey in eleven holes, made three mistakes in the next seven, with the final bogey at the 18thª denying him a playoff. Still, he è graduated as the best player on the 2024 tour, an accolade he richly deserved, underscored by an early move onto the DP World Tour with his third title of the season won in early September.

In fourth with 271 (-17) is Finland’s Oliver Lindell, in fifth with 272 (-16) are Denmark’s Nicolai Kristensen and England’s Frank Kennedy, and in seventh with 273 (-15) is France’s Martin Couvra.

In the Road to Mallorca, as mentioned above, Neergaard-Petersen prevailed (pts. 1,826), edging out England’s John Parry (p. 1595), Lindell (p. 1,497), Ayora (p. 1,487), and fellow Dane Hamish Brown (p. 1,477). Among others scratched with the ‘card’ transalpine Alexander Levy (12°9, who exited the DP Tour at the end of 2023 after years of militancy and five victories. De Leo è finished 33°.