JC Ritchie (-20) launched his rocket on 17 July and today, 21 September, he has landed it on the DP World Tour. The South African has achieved his third victory in just 66 days on the HotelPlanner Tour and has secured direct promotion to the first division. He did it at the Italian Challenge Open. Simply spectacular.
He will be able to play the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship the week after the Ryder Cup, although it remains to be seen if he does so through his category (triple winner in the second division) or by invitation. For now, with his newly acquired distinction, he would be the sixteenth reserve. It’s a tough spot. However, it would be surprising if Mr Johann Rupert, the South African billionaire owner of the Dunhill Links, doesn’t reserve a spot for him. Out of the 26 invitations the tournament has at its disposal, 11 have been used. Nine, by the way, to LIV Golf players. One should go to Richie. We will also see him at the Open de España.
Ritchie’s victory this Sunday at the Golf Nazionale in Sutri, very close to Rome, was so comfortable that he allowed himself the luxury of finishing with a triple bogey on the 18th. Yes, he started with a five-shot lead on the last hole and finished with laughter due to the mishap, but we can assure you they were nervous laughs. His triumph was built on a supersonic start to the round. He made seven birdies in the first seven holes, leaving the rest of the competitors without a response. Checkmate. Ritchie arrives at the DP World Tour in grand style.
The 31-year-old South African, named Joan Carlo and accustomed to moving between the European Tour and the Challenge, won by two strokes over Robin Petersson (-18) and Christofer Rahm (-18). The second place is enough for the first of the two Swedes to secure his presence in the Grand Final of the circuit in Mallorca and for the second to guarantee his card for the next year and, incidentally, give himself a chance to play the tournaments in China and keep dreaming of more.
Remember that the next two tournaments of the HotelPlanner Tour, once the Ryder Cup is over, will be held in China. They are reduced field events, so only the top 68 available players qualify. We’ll see if Rahm makes it, as he is currently in 72nd place. For now, almost certainly, he will reach 69th, as Ritchie will not play in China unless there is a major surprise. Three more players ahead of him would need to drop out.
As for the Spaniards, the best news is precisely that Borja Virto (-13) has secured his presence in the tournaments in China and, therefore, will have two more opportunities to get into the Final in Mallorca and, incidentally, fight for one of the 20 cards at the end of the season. The Navarrese finished with a good card of 69 strokes to climb to 13th place in Italy. With Virto’s inclusion, we will have nine Spaniards in China, a splendid figure: Vidal, Repetto, Arnaus, Sebas García, Boneta, Pastor, Tarrio, Vacarisas, and the aforementioned Virto.
Regarding the tournament, another solid performance from Rocco Repetto (-13), tied in 13th place with Virto. However, he surely won’t be completely satisfied, as he started the day with even a chance of victory. The final round of 72 strokes made him lose ground and fall out of the top 10. Even so, he maintains the twelfth position in the Road to Mallorca. It’s another step towards achieving the DP World Tour card, although it cannot be taken for granted yet.
On the other hand, it is confirmed that Luis Masaveu is left without the HotelPlanner Tour card for next year. By missing the cut, he has lost the chance to get into the top 77 of the ranking, who maintained the category. Masaveu is in 84th place. Joseba Torres is also out, although the Gipuzkoan couldn’t play in Italy because he didn’t qualify by category. They will have to regain the card through the School, with the option of even obtaining the DP World Tour card.
