Staff WriterJC Ritchie turned the Italian Challenge Open at Golf Nazionale into his personal fireworks display, rattling off seven consecutive birdies from the gun and marching straight into the DP World Tour with all the subtlety of a marching band.
By the time he’d holstered his putter, the South African had not only claimed his third title of the season but also punched his golden ticket to golf’s top tier.
What began as a tight Sunday shootout quickly turned into a masterclass. Starting in a share of the lead, Ritchie birdied holes one through seven like he was on autopilot. By the turn, he had built a five-shot cushion that made the chasing pack—including Sweden’s Robin Petersson and Christofer Rahm, who eventually tied for second—look like they were running in concrete shoes.
“It’s a dream come true,” Ritchie said after lifting the trophy. “It’s the best possible outcome for the season.
“I started off the season not knowing what I was going to do for the year. I planned on playing Sunshine Tour and I didn’t really have a goal for the year.
“I went out to Dubai on the HotelPlanner Tour and finished second there and thought then that I really had to keep playing. Luckily there was a lot of good work that produced those results early in the year and it’s all led up to this.
“All I had to do today was keep myself calm, which got a little tough at the end.”
That “end” was almost theatrical. Despite a triple bogey on the 72nd hole—an untidy bow on an otherwise pristine package—Ritchie still finished two clear on 20 under par. It was his second win in as many weeks, coming hot on the heels of victory at the Open de Portugal, and it launched him to the summit of the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
The 31-year-old, now a seven-time winner on the HotelPlanner Tour, was still shaking his head at his own audacity.
“The little mishap on the 18th took away the celebrations a bit, but this week I felt like I was pretty close to having my a-game,” he admitted. “I knew the first two holes were birdie holes for the day and I felt like if I got those two, I would be on the front foot for the day and I managed to hit it close twice.
“The next five holes were some of the best holes I’ve played in terms of tee to green and execution, and then I made I don’t even know how many feet of putts. They were unbelievable putts that I haven’t made all week. That was a lot of fun.”
Behind him, Englishman Steven Brown, Dutch prospect Lars van der Vight, and American Brendon Kewalramani tied for fourth at 17 under. Denmark’s Jeppe Kristian Andersen snagged solo seventh on 16 under, while the top of the Road to Mallorca leaderboard saw a shuffle: Ritchie at No.1, Scotland’s David Law sliding to second, with Oihan Guillamoundeguy, Filippo Celli, and Daniel Young filling out the top five.
For Ritchie, the Italian Challenge Open was more than just another win—it was validation. A season that began without a plan now has a full-stop exclamation mark, and he’s heading for the DP World Tour with momentum crackling off him like static electricity.
The HotelPlanner Tour now takes a two-week breather before resurfacing in China, where the Hainan Open tees off at Sanya Luhuitou GC from October 9–12. By then, Ritchie will already have one eye on the bigger prize.
