Waitrose job can wait for James Morrison after fairytale win as Euan Walker also secures DP World Tour card

Pride of place went to 40-year-old Englishman Morrison, who, with his 13-year-old son Finley caddying for him, pulled off a fairytale win in the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A, rounding off a polished performance at Club de Golf Alcanada with a closing 70 for a 15-under-par total and a three-shot success.

Morrison, the oldest player in the 45-man field, had started the week sitting 36th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings and needed to finish in the top four to catapult himself into a card-winning position in the battle for 20 tickets on the main tour. If he’d come up short, it would have been career over but not now. He finished eighth in the standings and can now look forward to adding to his 438 appearances on the top circuit.

“It will take a lot of time to sink in,” Morrison admitted to The Scotsman after creating one of the best stories in golf this year. “Yeah, it’s funny that all week I had that attitude of ‘right, this could be the last one and I don’t really care’. But then this morning I started to care a little bit and I was like ‘hang on a minute, this is not where I want to be’. I just tried to dig into the memory bank of years gone by and managed to do that.”

Three shots ahead at the start of the day, it suddenly became tight as a posse of players tried to deny him but, after showing a mixture of his class and experience to pick up important birdies at the fifth and seventh and then adding three gains in four holes from the 11th, the outcome was never really in any doubt. Even a bogey to finish didn’t take the shine off a stunning performance, one that Morrison admitted was in that very special category due to the role his son played in it.

“He did great,” admitted a proud dad and it was clear that wife Jessica felt that way, too. “I holed a birdie putt on 11 and he let out a massive sigh. I was like ‘you nervous mate’ and he said ‘not really’ but I think he was feeling, as we all were. He did great and giving him a hug on the 18th green was the most special thing in the world.”

As Morrison did a live TV interview on the 18th green, it was a lovely touch when Law took Finley over to take the flag off the pole, as is customary. “I saw that and it was a great touch,” admitted Morrison. “It shows what a great bloke Davy is and to go back to the tour along with him is something I feel very proud about.”

So, will it be full throttle for Morrison again back on the DP World Tour? “I don’t know,” he admitted, smiling. “I haven’t got a caddie. I haven’t got a tour bag, nothing. I can cancel my email to Waitrose applying for a job. But we’ll have to wait and see.”

It had already been mission accomplished for both Law and Daniel Young as they came into the last event with cards already secured and, to the delight of so many people, the graduates on this occasion also included Walker. After missing out by a narrow margin three years in a row, the Ayrshireman can finally now say he is a DP World Tour card holder.

It was just reward, in fact, that he jumped three spots to end up 14th after playing really solid golf from start to finish to end up four shots behind Morrison in joint-third. “It feels great,” admitted Walker of his new status. “That’s why I’ve been out there all year - so that I don’t have to be here again next year.”

Had there been times in the last three years when he doubted he’d ever make the step up? “Yeah, I think there were moments where you think ‘maybe I should do something else’” he added. “But each year when I’d not finished in the top 20 I thought to myself ‘what am I going to do?’ And, ultimately, I’ve committed to playing for the next season.”

Law, who started the week in third spot after winning twice this season, finished second behind South African JC Ritchie in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with Young dropping three spots to 11th after a weekend that left him feeling a bit “huffy” as nothing seemed to go his way.

Three Scots securing cards marked the best season for the Caledonian contingent since four players - Law, Bob MacIntyre, Grant Forrest and Liam Johnston - were among the ‘Class of ‘18’ graduates. With all seven players who held DP World Tour cards this reason retaining them and Cameron Adam also earning an opportunity next season after winning the Global Amateur Pathway, it means that the number of players flying the Saltire in 2026 will be up to 11 and the Final Stage of the Qualifying School is still to come. “I think it has been a very good year for Scottish golfers in general,” noted Law. “We’ve had a few wins and I think we are in a good spot.”

As Morrison prepares to restart his DP World Tour career, no wonder Walker was elated that he’ll be opening that chapter in his journey in a few weeks’ time. “It was a brilliant day for him,” said the 30-year-old of being in the same group as Morrison and seeing what winning with Finley at his side meant to him, “and, yeah, it was a brilliant day for me as well!”