James Morrison arrived in Majorca with a decision made: if he didn’t secure the DP World Tour card, this would be his last tournament as a professional. That clear. At 40 years old, after a season of doubts and fatigue, the Englishman had accepted that perhaps golf owed him nothing more. Fate, fickle as it is, had a final twist in store for him. The scenario was more than likely as he landed in 36th place on the Road to Mallorca.
On the 18th green at Alcanada, with his son Finley, his caddie this week, Morrison broke down in tears after holing the final putt. He is the winner of the HotelPlanner Tour Final and, with it, secures his return to the DP World Tour. “I have no idea what I feel. This was going to be my last tournament. Obviously, this has changed everything,” he acknowledged with a broken voice.
As we say, the Englishman started the week in 36th place in the ranking, right on the edge. He has repeated exactly what Kristoffer Reitan did twelve months ago, arriving in that same position and also winning the tournament.
The 2015 Spanish Open champion needed a great result and delivered a massive one: victory with -15, three strokes ahead of Stefano Mazzoli. The tension was felt until the end —bogey on the 18th included— but nothing could overshadow what was achieved. “I couldn’t feel my arms when hitting the shot on the last hole. I just wanted to finish. I didn’t care… a win is a win,” he admitted with relief. Despite his triumph in France back in June, Morrison hadn’t made any other top ten. The year needed a big hit like this week.
“I don’t even have a caddie or a tour bag. Finley has to get up at half past six to go to school tomorrow. He’s done incredible,” he joked amid laughter and tears.
Beyond the great story of the week, JC Ritchie has confirmed himself as the winner of the Road to Mallorca 2025. The experienced golfer thus becomes the first South African in history to achieve such a feat. Three victories in 2025 endorse the final prize. Completing the podium of the year are David Law and Maximiliam Steinlechner. None of his rivals could trouble him this week in the fight for the annual ranking. He succeeds Rasmus Neergaard Petersen in the honour.
The great comeback of the day was led by Albin Bergstrom (-11). The Swede sneaked in at the last minute and in the last available spot, finishing the year in twentieth place. The fight for that spot seemed to be decided between Lukas Nemecz and Jovan Rebula. Depending on what the South African was doing, the spot was going back and forth, but Bergstrom had other plans. Birdie on the 13th and 16th to finish tied third and move from 40th to exactly 20th.
The big casualty was Rebula, Ernie Els‘ nephew finished tenth in Majorca and saw himself just missing out on the elite of the European circuit. Additionally, Jamie Rutherford has completed the anticipated tragedy. For the third consecutive year, he misses out on the first division, 23rd in 2023, 24th last year, and has fallen from 20th to 23rd this time. He broke down in tears on the way to sign the scorecard for the fourth round.
