Scottish golfer buoyed by impressive DP World Tour card retention

The list, of course, is headed by Italian Matteo Manassero, who, after returning to winning ways on the main tour in South Africa in March, is on course to be among the latest batch of ten DP World Tour players to secure PGA Tour cards, while Swede Jesper Svensson and Frenchman Freddie Lacroix also landed victories on the top circuit this year after stepping up from the Challenge Tour.

Though leaving it late - it wasn’t until last week’s Genesis Championship in Korea, the final regular event of the season, in fact - 2023 Challenge Tour No 1 and Rolex Grand Final winner Marco Penge, as well as Spaniard Ivan Cantero and Portugal’s Ricardo Gouevia are among the others who will still be sitting at the top table next year.

Compare the return rate with just six out of the 33 players to secure cards through last year’s DP World Tour Qualifying School retaining their status for 2025 and it’s easy to see why Walker, for example, believes he’s been doing the right thing by putting all his eggs in the Challenge Tour basket in a bid to eventually be flying the Saltire on the main tour.

“The level out here is really good and every year it is preparing you better and better,” the 29-year-old told The Scotsman at Club de Golf Alcanada in Port d’Alcudia, where he is competing in this week’s Grand Final supported by The R&A along with compatriot Daniel Young, the duo playing their final practice round together with Englishman Brandon Robinson Thompson, winner of this year’s Farmfoods Scottish Challenge at Newmachar.

“Obviously the Challenge Tour category is slightly better than the one for the Qualifying School, so they get more advance warning where they are playing,” added Walker, winner of the Swiss Challenge at the end of September. “But, at the end of the day, I think it goes down to the quality of the players being good enough to compete at the highest level in Europe.

“Basically, it goes to show if you do come through the Challenge Tour, you are well prepared. Although some of the courses we play are maybe a bit more forgiving, the fact is you’ve competed for a season and beat a lot of good players to finish in the top 20.”

The magical number on this occasion is actually the top 22. Two players - Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and South African Robin Williams - have already secured DP World Tour cards through the Race to Dubai points list, meaning their spots from the Road to Mallorca rankings are being re-distributed. Walker heads into the £420,000 finale sitting 24th, with Young just three spots below his compatriot.

“It absolutely helps that it will go down to 22nd this year and I am very much aware of that,” declared Walker, who, as was the case at the same venue two years ago, has Edinburgh man Tim Poyser caddying for him. “I’m hardly behind 22nd at all. In fact, I think it is only four points and, going into this week (when double points are on offer across the board), that is nothing.”

It’s a feeling of deja vu for Walker, who has arrived at the same venue in an almost identical position for the last two years only to end up just short as he finished 24th in the standings in 2022 then 26th last year.

“I think my mindset is that I know I have been here twice before and the only thing I can do this year is to relax and try and play the best I can,” said the Ayrshireman, who will once again have his parents, Eric and Rhona, rooting for him in the Balearics. “I’m not going to go out with any objective of trying to finish fifth, tenth or whatever. I’ve just got to try and enjoy being here this week, though I am not saying I didn’t do that the last two years.

“There’s been lots of positives from the last two years. I’ve played really nicely and I can definitely do it again. I’ve played nicely all season, even though I’ve not had some of the really high results that I felt I could achieve. But that doesn’t hide the fact that I’ve felt in control of my game and hopefully that will come to the fore this week.”

On the back of three wins this season, Englishman John Parry leads the Road to Mallorca rankings, with Neergaard-Petersen, who has decided to tee it up, in hot pursuit, followed by fellow Dane Hamish Brown and Irishman Conor Purcell. This is the 29th edition of the Grand Final, which now supported by The R&A, with David Drysdale and Peter Whiteford landing Scottish successes in it in 2004 and 2009.

“I’m really proud actually that I am here for the third year in a row,” admitted Walker of his latest change to add a third tartan triumph and earn his reward for adopting a tunnel vision for the Challenge Tour.

“It shows that I have played consistently well over a long stretch and last week at Barassie (his home club) everyone was coming up to me and wishing me well. It’s great to know I have that sort of support and that people will be following my progress and, in some cases, shot-by-shot on the app.” Live on TV, too, with Sky Sports screening the event once again.