With only six events remaining before the Road to Mallorca reaches its climax at the Challenge Tour Grand Final, it is all to play for when the European Challenge Tour heads to Portugal this week.
As the race to secure one of the 45 spots in the field for the Mallorca showcase continues to heat up, we take a look at the key storylines emerging following the conclusion of the Open de Bretagne.
Shifting gears
Sebastian Heisele may have pipped Josh Geary to the Open de Bretagne title following his closing round of 65, five under par, at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André but the pair both enjoyed meteoric climbs on the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
The German moved up an impressive 54 spots to 32nd place following his maiden Challenge Tour victory, with the season ending Challenge Tour Grand Final and a return to the European Tour now firmly in his sights.
Meanwhile, Geary is one step closer to earning his European Tour card after jumping up 22 places into 12th position following his second-place finish in France. The New Zealander closed with a flawless six under par round of 64 and despite falling just short of his maiden Challenge Tour victory now occupies one of the 15 coveted spots in the Rankings.
At the top
Despite his run of five consecutive top ten finishes coming to an end in Brittany, Calum Hill maintains his narrow advantage over Richard Bland at top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings. In fact, there was no change among the top six players last week, with Hill, Bland, Antoine Rozner, Ricardo Santos, Matthew Jordan and Cormac Sharvin all maintaining their respective positions at the top of the Rankings.
Flying Dutchman
The steady rise on the Road to Mallorca continues for Dutchman Darius van Driel who recorded his third consecutive top ten finish last week. The recent Rolex Trophy champion, who has not finished outside the top 25 in seven weeks, continues to trend in the right direction, jumping up two places into seventh as he eyes one of the 15 European Tour cards up for grabs following the season climax.
His compatriot, Daan Huizing, also remains firmly in the mix to earn his European Tour card, with a closing three under par round of 67 at the challenging Brittany venue enough to maintain his 13th place. He will be one to watch as the Road to Mallorca hits the final stretch.
