The 2025 HotelPlanner Tour season drew to a close last weekend as James Morrison sealed a fairytale return to the DP World Tour after cruising to victory at the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A. Amid the 40-year-old’s memorable win, here are some key storylines you might have missed…
Bergstrom earns last-gasp promotion
Sweden’s Albin Bergstrom was 64th on the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings heading into last month’s Hangzhou Open at Hangzhou West Lake Golf Club and facing an uphill battle to make the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A, let alone earn promotion to Golf’s Global Tour.
However, following a fourth place finish in the penultimate event of the season, Bergstrom arrived in Mallorca 20 spots outside the promotion places and in need of a top three finish to give himself any hope of earning playing privileges on the DP World Tour. Starting the final round five shots back of leader Morrison, Bergstrom found himself at the heart of a tense battle for the last promotion place, which also included South African Jovan Rebula, Swede Per Längfors and Lukas Nemecz from Austria.
Having signed for a three under par closing round of 69, Bergstrom was in a tie for third and the right side of the dotted line on 11 under par, however, the 26-year-old faced a nervous wait. With South African Daniel van Tonder and Scot Euan Walker both lining up birdie putts on the 72nd hole, there was a chance Bergstrom would fall into a tie for fourth and outside the promotion places, with Rebula instead taking the last spot. However, after Van Tonder and Walker both missed, the Swede was free to celebrate earning his first DP World Tour card.
Bergstrom’s strong end to the season sees him join his countrymen Hugo Townsend and Tobias Jonsson in earning playing privileges on Golf’s Global Tour for 2026.
Rookie success
Whilst Bergstrom, Rebula, Nemecz and Längfors battled for the all-important 20th place, Frenchman Clement Charmasson and Spaniard Rocco Repetto Taylor, occupying 19th and 18th positions, became the latest rookies to finish inside the promotion places.
The duo, both embarking on their first full season on the HotelPlanner Tour, had done enough throughout the course of 2025 and during the first three days in Mallorca to steer clear of any final day drama. Charmasson, who graduated from the Pro Golf Tour last year, earned his maiden HotelPlanner Tour victory at the Challenge de España in May and went on to post three further top ten finishes before the Rolex Grand Final in Mallorca. Charmasson will join his compatriots Félix Mory and Oihan Guillamoundeguy on Golf’s Global Tour as the trio add to the strong crop of French players impressing at the top of the game.
Repetto Taylor, who started the year playing on the Alps Tour, tasted victory in only his second HotelPlanner Tour start at the Challenge de Cadiz before going on to impress on numerous occasions throughout 2025. The Spaniard would add four more top tens following his breakthrough victory to cement his position inside the promotion places.
Sweden’s Jonsson, another rookie, ended the year 17th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings having started the season relying on invites. Despite still waiting for his breakthrough win, Jonsson’s season, including four top tens and one runner up finish, saw him in a strong position heading into the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A and the 25-year-old’s position inside the top 20 was never properly under threat.
Trio of Scots
Before last week’s HotelPlanner Tour finale in Mallorca, Scots Daniel Young and David Law were all-but assured of promotion to Golf’s Global Tour. Law, a two-time winner on the HotelPlanner Tour this year, was battling JC Ritchie for the Number One spot during Sunday’s final round while Young, who started the week eighth in the Rankings, closed out his breakout season with an 18th place finish. All eyes, therefore, were focussed on their countryman, Euan Walker, who started the week just inside the promotion places and eyeing his first ever DP World Tour card.
Having come close in each of the past three seasons, the 30-year-old delivered when it mattered most this time around, carding rounds of 65-71-70-71 to finish in a tie for third on 11 under par. Walker’s promotion brings to an end his six year stay on the HotelPlanner Tour which began at the 2020 Limpopo Championship in South Africa. The Scotsman has tasted victory twice over the past six seasons, coming at the British Challenge presented by Modest! Golf Management in 2020 and the Swiss Challenge in 2024.
Walker, Law and Young become the first Scots to finish inside the top 20 since Ewen Ferguson and Craig Howie earned promotion back in 2021.
Bouncing back
Of the 20 players to earn promotion this year, five returned at the first time of asking after losing playing privileges on Golf’s Global Tour 12 months ago. Morrison, of course, is the eye-catching story, having started the week 16 places outside the top 20 and in need of a near-perfect 72 holes to ensure his DP World Tour return, however, four others who lost playing rights last year have shown immense consistency on the HotelPlanner Tour over the past ten months.
Scotsman Law has been one of the standout performers, winning the D+D REAL Czech Challenge in July before adding the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge supported by Finnish Golf Union to his trophy cabinet one month later. Two runner-up finishes and five top tens means Law returns to the DP World Tour confident of following in the footsteps of his countrymen who have starred on Golf’s Global Tour in 2025, including Calum Hill, Connor Syme and Grant Forrest.
Spaniard Sebastian Garcia and Italian Filippo Celli, who lost their DP World Tour cards 12 months ago, return at the first time of asking having both secured breakthrough HotelPlanner Tour wins this year. Celli cruised to victory at the Dutch Futures while Garcia won the penultimate event of the season at the Hangzhou Open.
Renato Paratore, a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, dropped down to the HotelPlanner Tour following a disappointing 2024. The Italian, however, has resurrected his career and following three victories this season, returns to Golf’s Global Tour having ended the year fourth on the season-long Rankings.
