James Morrison (-6) has claimed victory at the Blot Play9, one of the most classic events on the HotelPlanner Tour. This year marked the 18th edition, played continuously since 2007 with the only exception being the year of Covid 19. Morrison defeated Irishman Max Kennedy on the first playoff hole, who had dominated the tournament since Thursday and thus falls just short of his first victory in the second division at only 23 years old. Morrison only needed par in the playoff to take the tournament.
It was a clash of generations. Morrison is 40 years old. He has been in this since Kennedy was just five years old. His victory can only be described as a huge surprise, at least for those who still have the capacity to be surprised by these kinds of things. It’s true that it’s not the first nor will it be the last time this happens in golf, but Morrison had shown practically no sign that he could win a tournament. Until this week, he had played ten weeks between the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour and had only made one cut, curiously at the Challenge de Cádiz, in Sancti Petri, where the conditions were difficult.
Therefore, it cannot be said that he was at his best. He was very low in the Road to Mallorca and didn’t even appear in the Race to Dubai. Moreover, his last victory was in 2015, exactly ten years ago, at the Open de España. Before that, in 2010, he achieved his first victory on the European Tour. He had to wait five years for the first, ten for the second, and if he continues with this progression, the next will be on the Legends Tour. We will see how this victory affects him. It might serve as a springboard to lift his game again. For now, he is among the top 20 in the Road to Mallorca, which will at least help him set a target. From here to the end of the year, we will see him playing a lot of Challenge… or all of it.
Kennedy will have to keep waiting to secure his first victory in the Challenge, although he has the consolation of also being among the top 20 with his second place in solo. He does not leave empty-handed from Brittany, France.
Another who has gained a good haul is Spaniard Rocco Repetto (-1). The Malaga native was the second-best of the weekend with rounds of 68 and 67 strokes, only behind Chilean Gabriel Morgan (-2) and tied with Scotsman Daniel Young (-5), who today delivered an incredible round of 60 strokes that almost served him to win or at least get into the playoff. The two good rounds by Repetto, who has three cuts made, one victory, and another top 10 in just the three tournaments he has played in the Challenge, have allowed him to make another good leap in the Road to Mallorca and place himself in thirteenth position. Today he made four birdies, an eagle, and three bogeys.
Additionally, Lucas Vacarisas (+1) and Santi Tarrio (+2) secured a spot among the top 25, which helps to continue adding points in the ranking. Both managed to play under par this Sunday. Vacarisas remains in the top 45, while Tarrio took advantage of the absence of the main Tour players to climb a couple of positions and move into fifteenth.
The rest of the Spaniards who made the cut did not have the best Sunday. They all played over par and ended up far back in the standings: Borja Virto (+9), Luis Masaveu (+14), David Borda (+15), and Javier Calles (+16).
