The 2025 Challenge Tour is a little over one month away and is gearing up for its most exciting season yet.

With a record €9,000,000 prize fund on the line and 29 global tournaments across 18 different countries, a big part of this year’s action will once again be in the United Arab Emirates, where the UAE Challenge and Abu Dhabi Challenge are set to be pivotal events for the region.

These two tournaments are not only key moments on the Road to Mallorca, but also highlight the growing importance of the UAE in the global golf scene.

Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 2024 UAE Challenge Champion – Octavio Passos / Getty Images

Between April 10–13, the UAE Challenge returns, this time at the new venue of Al Zorah Golf Club in Ajman, marking a new chapter for professional golf in the emirate.

This will be the first time the Challenge Tour visits the Jack Nicklaus design layout. Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen claimed the 2024 edition of the tournament at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi, one of three victories that season, which earned him automatic qualification onto the DP World Tour.

England’s Garrick Porteous – 2024 Abu Dhabi Challenge Champion – Octavio Passos / Getty Images

But that’s not all! The Abu Dhabi Challenge follows the week after, once again at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, continuing the UAE’s tradition of hosting world-class golf events. Having hosted the Challenge Tour event in 2024, the club has also played host to the Faldo Junior Tour Europe Grand Final and the UAE Cup this year.

As part of the European Tour Group’s long-term partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation, both events in the United Arab Emirates will offer another exciting chance for up-and-coming golfers to shine.

UAE’s Joshua Grenville-Wood – Octavio Passos / Getty Images

For all the players on the Road to Mallorca, these two tournaments offer more than just valuable ranking points—they’re a chance to showcase their skills in one of the most prestigious golf destinations in the world.

After an 11-month-long stretch of 28 events, the end-of-season Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final will take place in Mallorca from October 30 – November 2, as the top 45 players on the Rankings battle it out for one of the life-changing 20 DP World Tour cards.

Those 20 players who benefit from this formal pathway to the DP World Tour will then be eligible for the DP World Tour’s Earnings Assurance Programme, guaranteeing them minimum earnings of $150,000 for the 2026 season if they play in 15 or more events.

Ivan Cantero Gutierrez – Octavio Passos / Getty Images

The top five graduates will also benefit from the John Jacobs Bursary, similarly, designed to provide security and a strong platform for their first season on the European Tour group’s top tier.

Jamie Hodges, Challenge Tour Director, said: “I am incredibly proud to unveil our 2025 Road to Mallorca schedule, which boasts the biggest total prize fund since the Challenge Tour’s inception in 1989.

“The Challenge Tour continues to go from strength to strength and our 2025 schedule celebrates the truly global nature of the Tour and showcases the diversity of our membership and the places and cultures we visit.

“I would like to thank all our promoters, national Federations, tournament sponsors and partner Tours for their commitment to the Challenge Tour and for helping us to make this global schedule possible.

“We are also very grateful for the commitment of Rolex, The R&A, and DP World through their title partnership of the DP World Tour, all of which has helped us raise prize funds and increase playing opportunities for our members.

“The Challenge Tour continues to produce the next generation of golfing talent, and we were delighted with the success of our graduates on the 2024 Race to Dubai. We are looking forward to nurturing the stars of the future once again in 2025.”

Matteo Manassero – 2024 Jonsson Workwear Open – Getty Images

Last season, 16 of the 21 Challenge Tour graduates kept their DP World Tour card and three of them, Matteo Manassero, Jesper Svensson and Frederic Lacroix, earned victories on the 2024 Race to Dubai.

Six of the 2023 Challenge Tour graduates also finished inside the top 50 on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, while Manassero and Svensson earned dual membership with the PGA TOUR for 2025.

The full 2025 Road to Mallorca International Schedule can be viewed by clicking here.

Main Image: Supplied