Known as the “Pebble Beach of the Alps”, Schladming-Dachstein Golf Club is located in the scenic Ennstal Valley and is consistently ranked as one of the top 15 of the 170-plus courses in Austria.

Schladming-Dachstein was founded in 1987 by Franz Wittmann, a famous rally driver who has won Austria’s national championship on 12 occasions and now operates as Club President.

Designed by two-time Masters winner Bernhard Langer, the course itself sits at 750 metres above sea level and is surrounded by mountains over 2,500 metres tall that are used for skiing through the winter, creating stunning views throughout.

Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner was the victor at the 2025 Interwetten Open, a final round 64 securing a two-shot victory on home soil. It was the defining moment in the 26-year-old’s season, as he went on to secure a DP World Tour card by finishing third in the Road to Mallorca Rankings.

Lukas Nemecz will be hoping an event on home soil can help strengthen his chances of earning a DP World Tour card this year. The Austrian fell out of a graduate spot at the Rolex Grand Final last year, having entered the final week in 18th and with one hand on a life-changing DP World Tour card. Nemecz is once again the leading Austrian on the Road to Mallorca this year, sitting 40th in the rankings, but will be looking this week to improve that position.

Matthias Schwab is also in the field this week, having lost his place on the DP World and PGA Tour through injury. Schwab has struggled this year but will be looking to bounce back at a course just minutes away from his birthplace of Schladming. A host of other homegrown talent will also fly the flag for Austria this week.

Check back on Sunday for the full breakdown.

Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2026 Interwetten Open

1 – €48,000.00

2 – €33,000.00

3 – €21,000.00

4 – €18,000.00

5 – €15,000.00

6 – €12,000.00

7 – €9,600.00

8 – €8,400.00

9 – €7,200.00

10 – €6,600.00

11 – €6,000.00

12 – €5,700.00

13 – €5,400.00

14 – €5,100.00

15 – €4,800.00

16 – €4,500.00

17 – €4,200.00

18 – €3,900.00

19 – €3,600.00

20 – €3,300.00

21 – €3,150.00

22 – €2,940.00

23 – €2,880.00

24 – €2,820.00

25 – €2,760.00

26 – €2,700.00

27 – €2,640.00

28 – €2,580.00

29 – €2,520.00

30 – €2,460.00

31 – €2,400.00

32 – €2,340.00

33 – €2,280.00

34 – €2,220.00

35 – €2,160.00

36 – €2,100.00

37 – €2,040.00

38 – €1,980.00

39 – €1,920.00

40 – €1,860.00

41 – €1,800.00

42 – €1,740.00

43 – €1,680.00

44 – €1,620.00

45 – €1,560.00

46 – €1,500.00

47 – €1,440.00

48 – €1,380.00

49 – €1,320.00

50 – €1,260.00

51 – €1,200.00

52 – €1,170.00

53 – €1,140.00

54 – €1,110.00

55 – €1,080.00

56 – €1,050.00

57 – €1,020.00

58 – €990.00

59 – €960.00

60 – €930.00

61 – €900.00

62 – €870.00

63 – €840.00

64 – €810.00

65 – €780.00

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Modern professional golf looks very different from the game it was 20 years ago. Today’s players travel constantly, train like elite athletes and rely heavily on support teams to stay healthy and competitive throughout a relentless season. At the heart of that support system on the HotelPlanner Tour are Therapy Lead Poora Singh and Strength and Conditioning Lead William Wayland. Between them, they help players manage everything from recovery and rehabilitation to training, sleep and workload management — all while navigating the unique pressures of life on tour.

● ● ●

What does a typical tournament week look like for you both?

Poora Singh: During a typical week on the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour, we’ll usually arrive on the Monday and recce the venue. We’ll find out where the treatment unit is, where access to emergency services is, where the gym and recovery areas are and all those kinds of things. Then we’ll start on Tuesday morning. On the HotelPlanner Tour, players book 30-minute treatment sessions through our booking system, and we’ll usually work from around 10am until 6pm.

Once the tournament starts, the days become much longer. Wednesday is a pro-am day, so we’ll start at 7am and work through until 6pm. That then continues through Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with Sunday usually finishing around lunchtime. On average, we’ll each see around 18 players a day, so it can be very intense.

On the DP World Tour, there are more physios and no booking system because there are usually three physios on at all times. The working day runs from an hour and a half before the first tee time until an hour and a half after the final group comes in. At events like The Open, where tee times can start at 6am, you’re arriving at 4am or 4:30am. The hours are demanding, but that comes with the territory.

William Wayland: I generally arrive on the Monday as well and assess what facilities we have available. Sometimes we’ll have a gym truck on site, but that’s not always the case on the HotelPlanner Tour, so we often have to find local gyms or training facilities nearby and organise access for players during the week.

Typically, I’m there from early Tuesday morning until around 6pm, then the same again on Wednesday.

Most of the work is one-to-one coaching with players. That can include physical testing, training sessions, programming adjustments or rehab support where players have been referred over by the physios.

There are also players who work with us regularly throughout the season, while others might only come in occasionally for assessments or specific help.

● ● ●

How physically demanding is modern professional golf compared to what people might expect?

WW: The sport has become increasingly physically demanding and you can see that in the players themselves. They’re taller, heavier, more muscular, more explosive and generally much stronger than golfers were 20 years ago. That tells you something fundamental has changed in the nature of the game.

In the past, there wasn’t a huge physical gap between golfers and athletes in other sports. Now, the physicality of elite golfers has changed dramatically, particularly over the last two decades, and that’s reflected in the style of golf they play.

● ● ●

What are the most common injuries or issues you deal with?

PS: If we’re talking purely about areas of the body, lower back issues are the most common, followed closely by hips, necks, shoulders, wrists and knees.

A lot of what we see are fatigue-based injuries. Players might have been on the road for six or seven weeks straight, not recovering properly, not sleeping well enough or not maintaining good nutrition and training habits.

You have to remember they could be hitting 200 to 300 balls a day, then playing tournament rounds, finishing late in the evening, trying to recover and eat properly, then waking up at 5am for another early tee time. It’s incredibly demanding physically. If those recovery habits aren’t in place, eventually the body struggles to keep up.

Then there are also the more unpredictable injuries. A player can hit a hidden root or a heavy divot and hurt their wrist, elbow or shoulder. We’ve had players tear calf muscles or Achilles tendons after slipping on hills. But generally, I’d say the biggest risk comes from repetition and volume rather than the sport itself.

● ● ●

Is the growing emphasis on speed in golf contributing to those injuries?

PS: Absolutely. Everybody wants to hit the ball further now, but to create speed you also need the ability to control and decelerate that speed safely. That only comes from proper conditioning, training and understanding how the body works.

WW: To tolerate those forces, you need a certain level of physical robustness. If players don’t have that — or if they’re constantly chasing more speed — eventually tissue tolerance breaks down somewhere and that’s usually when injuries happen.

● ● ●

So a large part of your work is injury prevention rather than simply treatment?

PS: Definitely. A huge part of what we do is education. We try to teach players good habits and help them understand that while manual therapy and treatment have their place, you can’t beat good athletic habits, sensible training and proper nutrition.

Those things are what keep players healthy and available to compete week after week.

● ● ●

What recovery methods are players relying on most during tournaments?

WW: The biggest thing for us is what we call performance lifestyle planning. At the top of that is sleep. Everything is downstream from sleep. If players aren’t sleeping properly, injury risk goes up, illness risk goes up, fatigue increases and performance suffers. We spend a lot of time talking about sleep hygiene — keeping rooms cool and dark, avoiding screens and stimulants before bed and creating a proper environment for recovery.

Nutrition is another huge factor. One thing we often see during the season is players unintentionally losing weight because they underestimate how many calories they’re burning. If they lose muscle mass and strength across the season, injury risk increases and performance can drop.

Then there’s training itself. We want players following well-rounded strength and conditioning programmes that support what they’re trying to achieve physically.

One thing we always say is to avoid making dramatic changes during the season. Introducing too much novelty mid-season can create problems.

There’s also the mental side of tour life. It can be lonely and mentally draining, so having strong relationships with friends, coaches and family is incredibly important.

Finally, we encourage players to monitor how much golf they’re actually playing. Golfers often manage their own workloads and sometimes they’re not very good at recognising when they’re doing too much.

● ● ●

Poora, you’ve been around the game for nearly two decades. How have you seen golfers change during that time?

PS: Massively. When I first came into golf, player support was incredibly basic. You’d have a treatment table in the locker room and maybe a few resistance bands.

I came from a high-performance athletics background where sports science and conditioning were already standard, so when I joined golf I was shocked by how little of that existed. A lot of it was cultural. Golf had this old-school mentality where people believed weights would make golfers slower and that players only needed to practise golf itself.

Over time, through the work of the European Tour Performance Institute and the support systems on the HotelPlanner Tour and DP World Tour, we’ve helped re-educate players and coaches about the athletic side of performance.

Now, players understand that if they want to compete consistently across six or seven events in a row, they need to treat themselves like elite athletes. I’m genuinely very proud of how far things have come.

● ● ●

What separates the players who stay healthy all year from those who struggle physically?

PS: The players who stay healthy are usually the ones with the best habits and routines. Some younger players still come from environments where they’ve been told to just play golf and everything else will take care of itself. But once they experience life on tour, they realise very quickly that isn’t enough.

The standard on the HotelPlanner Tour and DP World Tour is incredibly high. If you can win on the HotelPlanner Tour, you’re good enough to compete at the very highest level. The players who succeed long-term are the ones who look at what elite players are doing and adopt those same professional habits around training, nutrition and recovery.

● ● ●

You also seem to create a relaxed and supportive environment for players. How important is that?

PS: It’s a very conscious part of what we do because tour life can be lonely. We want players to feel comfortable coming into our space, whether that’s for treatment, recovery or simply to switch off mentally for a while. Sometimes a player just wants to sit in recovery boots, listen to music and relax. Sometimes they need somewhere quiet to sleep for an hour. It’s about creating an environment where players feel safe and supported.

WW: It becomes a kind of third space for players. They spend all day around competitors, either on the course or in the clubhouse, so having somewhere they can properly relax and let their guard down makes a huge difference.

Some players don’t even come in to train — they just want to sit down and talk. That in itself can be really valuable during a long season.

● ● ●

Is it difficult stopping players from overtraining?

WW: It depends on the individual because golfers tend to be very process-driven people. A lot of them want to optimise everything — sleep, diet, routines, recovery — and because golf is such a technical and psychological sport, players can become very analytical about performance. We encourage them to take a balanced, holistic approach rather than becoming obsessed with any one method. But generally, if players overdo anything, it’s usually golf itself.

One of the biggest injury mechanisms in golf is simply too much golf. We rarely see injuries caused by sensible strength and conditioning work. It’s usually the repetitive volume of golf practice and competition that creates problems.

● ● ●

How important is it for the two of you to work closely together?

WW: We work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, so we’re constantly referring players between each other. A player might come to Poora with an issue and then be referred to me because there are underlying strength or movement deficiencies that need addressing.

Likewise, if I feel something is more medical or rehab-focused and outside my expertise, I’ll refer the player back to Poora. It’s a very collaborative relationship.

PS: The medical team is involved as well. If we feel a player needs scans or medical assessment, we’ll bring the doctor in and make decisions together. The players are always looked after collectively.

WW: It also helps that me and Poora genuinely like each other. That makes the whole environment work better because there’s trust within the team.

PS: I trust Will completely and I know the players are in world-class hands with him.

That’s a huge part of building a successful multi-disciplinary team — making sure everyone is highly skilled, experienced and working together towards the same goal.

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Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2026 Swiss Challenge

Southgate’s winning moment #HotelPlannerTour | #SwissChallenge pic.twitter.com/NkdxR3yNYu

— HotelPlanner Tour (@HPlanner_Tour) June 7, 2026

The Englishman finished the day with an eight-stroke advantage over a chasing pack which included English duo Geroge Bloor and Tom Sloman, Hamish Brown, Julian Perico, Tadeas Tetak, Martin Vorster and Marc Warren.

The 37-year-old was quick out of the blocks with back-to-back birdies to start and made four more gains before the turn to reach 20 under par for the week, moving five shots clear of Warren and Bloor at the halfway point.

Starting the day one shot behind overnight leader Bloor, Southgate closed the gap to his compatriot with a birdie on the par four first. He continued that momentum with two more birdies in his next three holes before making three more gains; on hole six, seven and eight to pull five shots clear of the chasing pack.

Three back nine gains saw Southgate reach 23 under par, ending his day with back-to-back birdies to close out a memorable week in Lucerne.

“I played exactly how you would dream of playing,” he said. “I wanted to get off to a hot start, I felt very comfortable this morning.

“I knew that all I could do was stick to the plan. I expected something to go wrong at some point, and it didn’t, I putted fantastically well.

“It has been a great week. When I arrived on Monday, I really liked the look of the course with the longer rough, I knew it would catch a few players out, I made a plan and stuck to it.”

“I was so focused on my own game, I didn’t really look at any leaderboard until the big one at the back of the 11th green, I expected to be in front and when I saw I was five in front, I didn’t know how to respond to it, I’ve never been in that position many times in my career.”

Southgate has over 300 DP World starts to his name and with nine top ten finishes already on the HotelPlanner Tour, he was pleased to get over the line for his maiden title.

Starting the week in 94th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, Southgate is aware of the impact the win will have on his promotion chances.

“I’m immensely proud,” he added. “There are so many people I should be thanking. A lot of people around the world know how much I love this game.”

Australian Haydn Baron, American Alex Goff, Indian Veer Ahlawat and Dane Sebastian Freidrichsen settled for a share of ninth with South African Louis Albertse finishing the week in solo 13th.

The win moves Southgate to ninth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with MJ Daffue remaining at the top with his two wins.

The Road to Mallorca heads to Austria for the Interwetten Open taking place at Schladming-Dachstein Golf Club in Oberhaus from June 11-14.

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The winner of the 20th Swiss Challenge joined a list of illustrious past champions that included four-time DP World Tour winner and European Ryder Cup star Rafa Cabrera Bello, home favourite Joel Girrbach (who remained the only Swiss player to win the event), DP World Tour winner Dan Hillier, Scotsman Euan Walker and two-time HotelPlanner Tour winner Felix Mory.

Nick Bachem was among the DP World Tour winners in the field in Lucerne, and he was looking to boost his chances of returning to Golf’s Global Tour with a victory.

The previous week’s champion Ryan van Velzen and Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen, who had won the Danish Golf Challenge two weeks earlier, teed it up in a bid to build on their recent form alongside past Swiss Challenge champions Benjamin Hébert and Alexander Knappe.

Golf Sempach was situated in the heart of Switzerland and was surrounded by stunning mountains such as Mount Pilatus, Mount Rigi and Mount Titlis, which formed the perfect backdrop.

The Lucerne club had a rich history on the HotelPlanner Tour, with this being the 12th time an event had been staged there. The Swiss Challenge, albeit under different guises, made its first appearance on the schedule in 2000 and returned in 2001 before a five-year break. It had been an ever-present fixture on the Road to Mallorca schedule since its return in 2006.

England’s Matthew Southgate claimed his first HotelPlanner Tour win at the 2026 Swiss Challenge with a final round of 62.

Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2026 Swiss Challenge

1st – Matthew Southgate – €48,000.00

T2nd – George Bloor – €16,714.29

T2nd – Hamish Brown – €16,714.29

T2nd – Julian Perico – €16,714.29

T2nd – Tom Sloman – €16,714.29

T2nd – Tadeas Tetak – €16,714.29

T2nd – Martin Vorster – €16,714.29

T2nd – Marc Warren – €16,714.29

T9th – Veer Ahlawat – €6,375.00

T9th – Haydn Barron – €6,375.00

T9th – Sebastian Friedrichsen – €6,375.00

T9th – Alex Goff – €6,375.00

13th – Louis Albertse – €5,400.00

T14th – Christofer Blomstrand – €4,200.00

T14th – Barclay Brown – €4,200.00

T14th – Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon – €4,200.00

T14th – Callum Farr – €4,200.00

T14th – Marc Hammer – €4,200.00

T14th – Sam Locke – €4,200.00

T14th – Ryan Lumsden – €4,200.00

T21st – Bradley Bawden – €2,841.43

T21st – Tobias Edén – €2,841.43

T21st – Jhared Hack – €2,841.43

T21st – Kristian Krogh Johannessen – €2,841.43

T21st – Cooper Musselman – €2,841.43

T21st – Alfie Plant – €2,841.43

T21st – Robin Sciot-Siegrist – €2,841.43

T28th – Javier Calles Roman – €2,490.00

T28th – Chase Hanna – €2,490.00

T28th – Sam Jones – €2,490.00

T28th – James Meyer de Beco – €2,490.00

T32nd – Christian Braeunig – €2,250.00

T32nd – Tomas Gouveia – €2,250.00

T32nd – Lorenzo Scalise – €2,250.00

T32nd – Borja Virto – €2,250.00

T36th – Anton Albers – €1,830.00

T36th – Jannik de Bruyn – €1,830.00

T36th – Will Enefer – €1,830.00

T36th – Filip Mruzek – €1,830.00

T36th – Robin Petersson – €1,830.00

T36th – Will Porter – €1,830.00

T36th – Mark Power – €1,830.00

T36th – Jamie Rutherford – €1,830.00

T36th – Jan Schneider – €1,830.00

T36th – Santiago Tarrio – €1,830.00

T46th – Calum Fyfe – €1,410.00

T46th – Per Längfors – €1,410.00

T46th – Adam Wallin – €1,410.00

T46th – Andrew Wilson – €1,410.00

T50th – Christoffer Bring – €1,192.50

T50th – Aymeric Laussot – €1,192.50

T50th – Pierre Pineau – €1,192.50

T50th – Lauri Ruuska – €1,192.50

54th – Victor Bjorlow – €1,110.00

T55th – James Allan – €1,065.00

T55th – Dimitrios Papadatos – €1,065.00

T57th – Christian Jacobsen – €1,005.00

T57th – Ronan Mullarney – €1,005.00

59th – Varun Chopra – €960.00

60th – Martin Eriksson – €930.00

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Isla Canela Links represented one of the only links-style tests on the 2026 Road to Mallorca schedule and made its HotelPlanner Tour debut as a tournament venue.

The course meandered along the banks of the Guadiana River, offering views towards the Portuguese Algarve and the Gulf of Cadiz. Despite being one of the flatter venues on the 2026 schedule, Isla Canela Links provided a stern examination throughout the week, with strong winds and undulating greens testing the field.

A host of homegrown talent teed it up at Isla Canela Links hoping to follow in the footsteps of rising star Pablo Ereno, who had triumphed on home soil at the Challenge de Catalunya two weeks earlier. Ereno was back in action as he looked to strengthen his position in the race for one of the coveted DP World Tour cards awarded to the top 15 players at the end of the season.

The Challenge de España continued its long-standing place on the Road to Mallorca schedule, having first been played in 1999 when Carl Suneson became the inaugural champion. Since 2006, the tournament has been an ever-present fixture and has crowned a number of notable winners.

DP World Tour winner Matthew Baldwin claimed his maiden professional victory at the 2011 edition, while five-time Major Champion Brooks Koepka secured his third HotelPlanner Tour title in 2013, finishing ten strokes clear of the field. DP World Tour winners Adrien Saddier, Antoine Rozner, Victor Perez and Martin Couvra have also lifted the trophy, along with home favourite Joel Moscatel, who returned to Isla Canela looking to secure a second Challenge de España title in three years following his victory at Real Club Sevilla Golf in 2024.

The Road to Mallorca Rankings continued to take shape, with Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen arriving on the back of his second HotelPlanner Tour victory of the season in Denmark, a result that had propelled him to fourth in the standings.

However, with both Pulkkanen and Rankings leader MJ Daffue absent from the field, home favourite Ereno had an opportunity to make further ground. Englishman Chris Wood, who sat seventh in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, also featured after winning the Italian Challenge Open earlier in May and looked to bounce back from a missed cut at the Challenge de Catalunya.

Ryan van Velzen overcame a difficult start to his final round to seal a maiden HotelPlanner Tour title at the Challenge de España.

Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2026 Challenge de España

1st – Ryan van Velzen – €48,000.00

2nd – Wil Besseling – €27,000.00

T2nd – Dan Erickson – €27,000.00

4th – Pedro Figueiredo – €18,000.00

5th – Charles Huntzinger – €13,500.00

T5th – Jamie Rutherford – €13,500.00

7th – Matteo Cristoni – €8,400.00

T7th – Pablo Ereño – €8,400.00

T7th – Liam Nolan – €8,400.00

10th – Barclay Brown – €5,925.00

T10th – Aymeric Laussot – €5,925.00

T10th – Filip Mruzek – €5,925.00

T10th – Kieran Vincent – €5,925.00

14th – Victor Bjørlow – €4,950.00

T14th – Matt Gilchrest – €4,950.00

16th – Julien Brun – €3,900.00

T16th – Alex Goff – €3,900.00

T16th – Jhared Hack – €3,900.00

T16th – Justin Harding – €3,900.00

T16th – Frank Kennedy – €3,900.00

21st – Haydn Barron – €2,910.00

T21st – Albert Boneta – €2,910.00

T21st – Wouter de Vries – €2,910.00

T21st – Lauri Ruuska – €2,910.00

T21st – Santiago Tarrio – €2,910.00

26th – George Bloor – €2,580.00

T26th – Benjamin Hébert – €2,580.00

T26th – Liam Johnston – €2,580.00

T26th – Aron Zemmer – €2,580.00

T26th – Jiri Zuska – €2,580.00

31st – Jean Bekirian – €2,130.00

T31st – Steven Brown – €2,130.00

T31st – Emilio Cuartero Blanco – €2,130.00

T31st – Bryce Easton – €2,130.00

T31st – Will Enefer – €2,130.00

T31st – Marc Hammer – €2,130.00

T31st – Julien Quesne – €2,130.00

T31st – Julien Sale – €2,130.00

T31st – Tadeas Tetak – €2,130.00

T31st – Jacopo Vecchi Fossa – €2,130.00

41st – Javier Barcos Garbayo – €1,740.00

T41st – Fiorino Clerici – €1,740.00

T41st – Charlie Forster – €1,740.00

44th – Deon Germishuys – €1,470.00

T44th – Chase Hanna – €1,470.00

T44th – Sam Hutsby – €1,470.00

T44th – Christian Jacobsen – €1,470.00

T44th – Mark Power – €1,470.00

T44th – James Sugrue – €1,470.00

50th – Veer Ahlawat – €1,176.00

T50th – Matthis Besard – €1,176.00

T50th – Christian Braeunig – €1,176.00

T50th – Maxence Giboudot – €1,176.00

T50th – Lars van Meijel – €1,176.00

55th – Bailey Gill – €1,050.00

T55th – Wilco Nienaber – €1,050.00

T55th – Andrew Wilson – €1,050.00

58th – Asier Aguirre – €990.00

59th – Callan Barrow – €915.00

T59th – Javier Calles Roman – €915.00

T59th – Max Kennedy – €915.00

T59th – Alfie Plant – €915.00

63rd – John-Ross Galbraith – €825.00

T63rd – Corey Shaun – €825.00

65th – Quinnton Croker – €765.00

T65th – Clément Sordet – €765.00

67th – Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon – €720.00

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Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2026 Challenge de España

The moment Ryan van Velzen became a HotelPlanner Tour winner #HotelPlannerTour | #ChallengeEspana pic.twitter.com/s7IZwcFk9d

— HotelPlanner Tour (@HPlanner_Tour) May 31, 2026

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The South African, who was two over par through the first five holes of his final round at Isla Canela Links, battled to a two under 69 to reach 17 under par for the week, two shots clear of Dutchman Wil Besseling and American Dan Erickson who shared second place.  

Starting the day one shot ahead of Erickson and Englishman Jamie Rutherford, the 24-year-old appeared to settle well with a birdie on the opening par five. However, three bogeys in his next four holes dropped the South African back down the clustered leaderboard.  

Two birdies before the turn steadied the ship before two back nine gains saw Van Velzen regain his position at the summit, with a routine par on the last closing out a memorable week.  

“This feels amazing,” he said. “I started off badly today and thought I’d blown it but I kept myself composed and made a couple of birdies to keep myself in it and then was super solid on the back nine. 

“It was a bit of a shock to this system on the front nine; that nine has caught me out a couple of times this week. Level is normally a good score on that side, I think it’s a tougher nine. 

“I back myself on that back nine. You can go low there, and I was surprised nobody went low. It was nice to see where I was, I like seeing where I am on the leaderboard.” 

Van Velzen is a two-time Sunshine Tour winner having triumphed at the 2023 Limpopo Championship and 2024 Mediclinic Invitational, as well as topping the Order of Merit the same year.  

This win marks Van Velzen’s first victory outside the Rainbow Nation and the 24-year-old believes his game is now ready to compete more regularly on European soil. 

“The game is close to something really good and I’m excited to play next week in Switzerland and the rest of the season.  

“This gives me a bit of leeway where I can maybe go and play some DP World Tour events if I have a few more good weeks out here, which will be good.” 

Portugal’s Pedro Figueiredo ends the week in solo fourth on 14 under, one stroke clear of Rutherford and American Charles Huntzinger who share fifth. 

The win sees Van Velzen rise 20 places to fourth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with his countryman MJ Daffue still occupying the Number One berth. Spain’s Pablo Ereno retains second place, with Englishman Will Enefer in third. 

The Road to Mallorca now heads to Switzerland for the Swiss Challenge at Golf Sempach, Lucerne, taking place from June 4-7.

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Following Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen’s narrow victory over Calum Fyfe at Bogense Golf Club last year, the Danish Golf Challenge returned to the 2000 and 2024 venue, Odense Eventyr Golf Club, some 20 miles down the road. Odense, the third largest city in Denmark, had previously seen Andreas Halvorsen emerge victorious in 2024, winning by three shots.

Scandinavians continued to dominate the list of past winners, with Swede Fredrik Henge having shot ten under par at Odense Eventyr in 2000, before Norwegian Halvorsen posted 19 under par in 2024. Gøth-Rasmussen’s victory last year continued the trend, with the Dane also finishing on 19 under par for the week, meaning low scoring was expected once again. DP World Tour winner Matteo Manassero had also been crowned champion in recent years.

It proved to be a long week for some players, with U.S. Open Final Qualifying having taken place at Walton Heath Golf Club on May 18, the Monday of the Danish Golf Challenge. Tapio Pulkkanen, Callum Farr and Jhared Hack all competed before flying out to Denmark, with Pulkkanen coming closest to qualifying after shooting eight under par across two rounds, finishing two shots short. Road to Mallorca leader MJ Daffue also performed well, shooting five under par, but did not feature in the field that week as players battled it out for the €300,000 prize pool.

Tapio Pulkkanen claimed his second HotelPlanner Tour title on Sunday, winning the Danish Golf Challenge in a dramatic play-off at Odense Eventyr Golf.

Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2026 Danish Golf Challenge

1 Tapio Pulkkanen €48,000.00

2 Maxence Giboudot €33,000.00

3 Algot Kleen €18,000.00

3 Juan Salama €18,000.00

3 Adam Wallin €18,000.00

6 Liam Nolan €10,800.00

6 Martin Simonsen €10,800.00

8 Javier Barcos Garbayo €7,050.00

8 Haydn Barron €7,050.00

8 Tom Lewis €7,050.00

8 Clément Sordet €7,050.00

12 Jeppe Kristian Andersen €5,250.00

12 Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen €5,250.00

12 Lars van der Vight €5,250.00

12 Marc Warren €5,250.00

16 Anton Albers €4,050.00

16 Bastien Amat €4,050.00

16 Pedro Figueiredo €4,050.00

16 Ryan van Velzen €4,050.00

20 Matteo Cristoni €2,898.75

20 Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon €2,898.75

20 Tobias Edén €2,898.75

20 Pablo Ereno €2,898.75

20 Christian Jacobsen €2,898.75

20 Wilco Nienaber €2,898.75

20 Jan Schneider €2,898.75

20 Chris Wood €2,898.75

28 Björn Åkesson €2,430.00

28 Nick Carlson €2,430.00

28 Alex Goff €2,430.00

28 Clement Guichard €2,430.00

28 Kristian Krogh Johannessen €2,430.00

28 Anton Karlsson €2,430.00

34 Jean Bekirian €2,070.00

34 John-Ross Galbraith €2,070.00

34 David Horsey €2,070.00

34 Alexander Knappe €2,070.00

34 John Murphy €2,070.00

34 Baard Skogen €2,070.00

40 Wil Besseling €1,680.00

40 Jannik de Bruyn €1,680.00

40 Chase Hanna €1,680.00

40 Sam Hutsby €1,680.00

40 Saptak Talwar €1,680.00

40 Joseba Torres €1,680.00

40 Borja Virto €1,680.00

47 Bailey Gill €1,252.50

47 Gregor Graham €1,252.50

47 Michael Hirmer €1,252.50

47 Palmer Jackson €1,252.50

47 Joel Moscatel €1,252.50

47 David Nyfjall €1,252.50

47 Mark Power €1,252.50

47 Aron Zemmer €1,252.50

55 Javier Calles Roman €1,080.00

56 Sam Jones €1,005.00

56 Dermot McElroy €1,005.00

56 Benjamin Rusch €1,005.00

56 Albin Tiden €1,005.00

60 Barclay Brown €885.00

60 Charles Huntzinger €885.00

60 Haraldur Magnus €885.00

60 Corey Shaun €885.00

64 Robert Foley €795.00

64 Max Kennedy €795.00

66 George Bloor €705.00

66 Hamish Brown €705.00

66 Frederik Eisenbeis €705.00

66 Will Porter €705.00

70 Loïc Naas €630.00

71 August Thor Host €600.00

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Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2026 Danish Golf Challenge

The moment Tapio Pulkkanen secured his second HotelPlanner Tour victory a 30-foot bomb for eagle!#HotelPlannerTour | #DanishGolfChallenge pic.twitter.com/JhDX6aY7sg

— HotelPlanner Tour (@HPlanner_Tour) May 24, 2026

The 36-year-old birdied the par-five 18th in regulation play to force extra holes against Frenchman Maxence Giboudot, who closed with a par having held a one-stroke lead on the tee.

The pair then had 30-foot putts for eagle on the first play-off hole, with Pulkkanen pouring his in first, to which Giboudot could not respond.

“It’s a great feeling,” Pulkkanen said. “It was a rollercoaster day. I started okay with a birdie on four but then I made the triple and I was shocked.

“I played the next holes really badly. But it was a nice finish with the eagle on 15, birdie on 18 and eagle in the play-off so I’m happy right now.”

An early birdie on the par-five fourth had given Pulkkanen a four-stroke lead, before a triple bogey on seven and another bogey on nine meant the Finn made the turn at 16 under par and two back of the lead.

Playing partner Giboudot made two birdies to end his front nine, including an inch perfect chip in on the ninth, to lead at 18 under par.

But Pulkkanen fought back, making an eagle three on the 15th, before his birdie at the last and eagle in the play-off secured his first title since 2017.

The winner said he never felt out of it on the day, even when he found himself behind.

“No one really got away from me,” Pulkkanen added. “I think the lead was three shots at one point so I kind of felt like I could still do it, and I just trusted myself and it worked out.

“I had to check a couple of times what was happening elsewhere, so I knew it was still do-able.

“It’s almost a ten-year anniversary from my last win on the HotelPlanner Tour so it was good that I won now. I’m trying to chase for another one.”

Pulkkanen says this win will change his focus more on to the HotelPlanner Tour, despite his eligibility to play some DP World Tour events, in the hopes of boosting his Road to Mallorca Ranking.

“I’m still getting in a couple of DP World Tour events, but I think I’m going to focus more on the HotelPlanner Tour for this year,” he said.

Spain’s Juan Salama and Swedish duo Algot Kleen and Adam Wallin finished at 16 under par in a tie for third, while Ireland’s Liam Nolan and Denmark’s Martin Simonsen finished a shot further back. Spain’s Javier Barcos Garbayo, England’s Tom Lewis, France’s Clement Sordet and Australia’s Haydn Barron rounded out the top ten.

The win moves Pulkkanen up 21 spots to fourth in the Road to Mallorca, with Giboudot also moving to fifth.

The HotelPlanner Tour now heads to Spain for the Challenge de Espana at Isla Canela Links in Huelva, from May 28-31.

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 Working in partnership, the two organisations will bring the tournament back on the HotelPlanner Tour this year and in 2027, with the aspiration to have the English Open feature on the DP World Tour schedule in 2028.

The ‘English Open supported by HotelPlanner’ will take the place of the existing England Golf Challenge this year and will be played at The Vale Golf Club in Worcestershire from June 18-21, the tournament also featuring an increased prize fund of £300,000. Details of the tournament’s staging on the 2027 HotelPlanner Tour and the staging on the 2028 DP World Tour will come at a later date.

Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, said: “We are delighted with today’s announcement that, together with England Golf, we will be returning one of golf’s most prestigious titles to the global stage. It is a title with great resonance, hence this is a significant moment for us.

“This is also a new era for the relationship between our two organisations and we look forward to working together to help progress all aspects of the game in England.

“For over 50 years national Opens have been a cornerstone of our international schedule, tournaments rooted in tradition and ones which shine a spotlight on the countries we play, the relationships we have fostered in these countries over decades, and on the communities that host them. The English Open’s return reflects that heritage.”

Jeremy Tomlinson, Group Chief Executive Officer of England Golf, said: “All of us at England Golf are excited to be entering into this new partnership with the DP World Tour to promote and deliver the English Open. Our player development pathway has a proud heritage of producing some of the finest golfers in the world, and we are committed to maintaining that record.

“By reinstating the English Open and partnering with the DP World Tour and the HotelPlanner Tour, many of our young squad players will have the opportunity to not only experience professional tournament golf, but also begin to acclimatise to life in the professional ranks.

“With clear ambitions to elevate the English Open back onto the main tour, this will provide another inspiring national platform to showcase everything that is great about our game in England.”

The announcement is particularly timely coming, as it does, in the aftermath of Aaron Rai becoming the first Englishman in 107 years to win the US PGA Championship at Aronimink in Philadelphia at the weekend.

Additionally, following the recent commemoration around the 15th anniversary of the passing of Seve Ballesteros, today’s announcement is also an appropriate one for the legendary Spaniard was the first winner of the English Open when it featured on the then European Tour back in 1979.

Then the tournament was staged at The Belfry, the venue for nine of its first ten stagings – aside from Royal Birkdale in 1988 – before the Forest of Arden course hosted the last ten stagings of the event from 1993 until 2002.

Aside from Ballesteros, the illustrious list of past champions of the English Open features several other European Ryder Cup Captains, namely; Mark James (1989 and 1990), Ian Woosnam (1993), Colin Montgomerie (1994) and Darren Clarke (1999, 2000 and 2002).

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The Challenge de Catalunya marked the second of ten consecutive weeks on the continent, after the Italian Challenge Open kickstarted the European leg as Chris Wood sealed an emotional victory at Golf Nazionale. Fontanals Golf Club hosted last year’s Challenge de España and, with the historic event moving to Isla Canela Links, Fontanals hosted the inaugural edition of the Challenge de Catalunya this year, with a prize fund of €300,000.

A regular stop on the DP World Tour Qualifying School schedule, the Girona-based club hosted Second Stage in each of the last two years, and will do so again later this year, with several of the players in the field having previously teed it up on the parkland layout. The club is situated near the borders of both Andorra and France and provided an interesting test as it sits 3,000 feet above sea level, with the 156-strong field needing to dial in their yardages at altitude. The closing holes also proved pivotal, with holes 16 and 18 ranking among the toughest on the course.

A number of HotelPlanner Tour members teed it up on the DP World Tour at the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship before making the short journey from Barcelona to Girona. Road to Mallorca Number One MJ Daffue returned to HotelPlanner Tour action hunting his third win of the season, alongside former BMW PGA Championship winner Chris Wood, who looked to build on his success in Italy.

Pablo Ereno was crowned the Challenge de Catalunya champion after defeating Denmark’s Hamish Brown in a play-off at Fontanals Golf Club.

Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2026 Challenge de Catalunya

1 – Pablo Ereno – €48,000.00

2 – Hamish Brown – €33,000.00

3 – MJ Daffue – €18,000.00

3 – Gary Hurley – €18,000.00

3 – Frank Kennedy – €18,000.00

6 – Jacob Worm Agerschou – €10,000.00

6 – Bryce Easton – €10,000.00

6 – Adam Wallin – €10,000.00

9 – Will Enefer – €6,600.00

9 – Jhared Hack – €6,600.00

9 – Clément Sordet – €6,600.00

12 – Canon Claycomb – €5,550.00

12 – Tobias Edén – €5,550.00

14 – Calum Fyfe – €5,100.00

15 – Charlie Forster – €4,050.00

15 – Ronan Kleu – €4,050.00

15 – Per Längfors – €4,050.00

15 – Logan Perkins – €4,050.00

15 – Carlos Pigem – €4,050.00

15 – Robin Williams – €4,050.00

21 – Sam Jones – €2,875.00

21 – Luis Masaveu – €2,875.00

21 – Joel Moscatel – €2,875.00

21 – Filip Mruzek – €2,875.00

21 – Matthew Southgate – €2,875.00

21 – Ryan Van Velzen – €2,875.00

27 – Christofer Blomstrand – €2,460.00

27 – Julien Brun – €2,460.00

27 – Maxence Giboudot – €2,460.00

27 – Will Porter – €2,460.00

27 – Jamie Rutherford – €2,460.00

27 – Lauri Ruuska – €2,460.00

27 – Lars van Meijel – €2,460.00

34 – Anton Albers – €2,160.00

34 – Sam Hutsby – €2,160.00

34 – Liam Nolan – €2,160.00

37 – Nick Bachem – €1,890.00

37 – Jannik de Bruyn – €1,890.00

37 – Sebastian Friedrichsen – €1,890.00

37 – Max Kennedy – €1,890.00

37 – Linus Lang – €1,890.00

37 – Victor Sidal Svendsen – €1,890.00

43 – Bastien Amat – €1,470.00

43 – Barclay Brown – €1,470.00

43 – Matteo Cristoni – €1,470.00

43 – Bailey Gill – €1,470.00

43 – Will Hopkins – €1,470.00

43 – Eduard Rousaud – €1,470.00

43 – Lorenzo Scalise – €1,470.00

43 – Joseba Torres – €1,470.00

51 – Björn Åkesson – €1,095.00

51 – Daan Huizing – €1,095.00

51 – Kim Koivu – €1,095.00

51 – Tapio Pulkkanen – €1,095.00

51 – Julien Sale – €1,095.00

51 – Tadeas Tetak – €1,095.00

51 – Fabrizio Zanotti – €1,095.00

51 – Jiri Zuska – €1,095.00

59 – MJ Viljoen – €960.00

60 – Dan Erickson – €930.00

61 – Andres German Gallegos – €900.00

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