Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen is a full member of the DP World Tour. As of this Sunday, the Danish player has secured full rights to play in the top continental category thanks to a masterstroke.
Neergard-Petersen has won the Big Green Egg German Challenge which is his third victory of the season and, therefore, his direct promotion to the DP World Tour. He did it in a big way, with an impressive round of 64 strokes. The Dane didn’t care about being six strokes behind the leader. After his two victories this year in Emirates and in India he already had one of the twenty cards that gave him access to the European Circuit. Why wait if it could be achieved in September at Wittelsbacher Golfclub.
At 25, Rasmus becomes the 13th player in the history of the Challenge to promote through this route. Since the Finnish Koivu achieved a similar feat in 2018, no player had managed to do it again. The Nordic closes that streak. He needed fifteen tournaments this season to achieve success. He adds his name to a spectacular list of players who won three times in a single season and promoted directly. Big names like Brooks Koepka, Dodo Molinari, Nacho Elvira or Aaron Rai appear there. He is already Danish golf history by becoming the first Danish player in history to achieve it.
There is a feat that none of the previous twelve have achieved: to win in the DP World Tour that same campaign after having promoted. Will Rasmus be the first to achieve it?
The Scotsman Daniel Young (-14) was very close to preventing it. He arrived at the last hole tied with the Dane who was already in the clubhouse. He had a par five ahead in which he had achieved the birdie in the previous two rounds. If he repeated those results his first victory in the Challenge would be a reality. Not only did he not make the birdie, but he was also unable to make the par and served the victory to Neergaard-Petersen on a silver platter. Along with Young, the also Dane John Axelsen (-14) finished in second position.
As for the Spaniards, Quim Vidal (-10) has recovered from the tough final stretch that yesterday took him away from victory. He signed a final round of 69 strokes that allowed him to brush the final top ten. With this result, the Catalan is placed 40th and consolidates himself within the positions that give access to the Final of the Road to Mallorca.
David Borda (-1) who was fighting this Sunday for a great result has seen his week tarnished with a final round of 76 strokes that relegate him to the fortieth position. Better luck has had Víctor Pastor (-4) who has finished within the top 30 after a final round of 70 strokes. Borja Virto (+1) and Emilio Cuartero Blanco (+3) have not closed the weekend in the way they wanted.
