Staff WriterJames Morrison capped off a fairytale week at the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A, clinching an emotional victory at Club de Golf Alcanada and booking his ticket back to the DP World Tour for 2026.
The 40-year-old Englishman fired a steady two-under-par 70 to close at 15-under, finishing three shots clear of Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli in Mallorca.
It wasn’t just another win. It was Morrison’s first in years and arguably the most meaningful of his career — a redemption story written with grit, experience, and a little help from his 13-year-old son, Finley, who caddied for him all week.
“When I said this was going to be my last event, it really was going to be, 100 percent. This has completely messed that up,” Morrison said, smiling after the win.
A Calm Head in the Wind
The Rolex Grand Final tested every ounce of Morrison’s experience. After building a three-shot lead on Saturday with a bogey-free 65, he mixed two birdies with two bogeys over the front nine on Sunday but never relinquished control.
Three birdies in four holes from the 11th sealed the deal, and even a bogey at the last couldn’t take the shine off his triumph.
“I played nicely all week. Didn’t play as well today but managed my emotions and dug into my memory bank with my wins on the DP World Tour,” Morrison said. “The wind blowing really helped me today because I knew, the harder it got, the more it would play into my hands a little bit.”
This win marks Morrison’s third on the DP World Tour and makes him the seventh Englishman to lift the Rolex Grand Final trophy, following Marco Penge (2023), Nathan Kimsey (2022), Matt Haines (2010), James Hepworth (2006), Richard Bland (2001), and Ian Garbutt (1996).
As for his young caddie, Morrison was full of pride. “I feel sorry for him really. He’s got a half past six alarm for school tomorrow morning. He’s amazing. I love him. He did so well.”
Ritchie Makes South African History
While Morrison’s fairytale comeback stole the spotlight, JC Ritchie made his own slice of history at the Rolex Grand Final. The 31-year-old became the first South African ever to finish Number One on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, capping an extraordinary season that saw him win three times in five starts on the HotelPlanner Tour.
“It hasn’t really sunk in. I don’t understand what I’ve done,” Ritchie admitted. “It’s been a dream season for me. One of my first coaches told me to try to be the best on every Tour before you level up — and I’ve managed to do that.”
The hard-earned consistency has paid off, with Ritchie now set to make the leap to the DP World Tour in 2026. “I’m not the person I was last year.
I’m happier with my game, I know what I’m doing and I’m glad I’ve managed to prove to myself that I’m good enough to play out here and compete at a higher level.”
The Road to Mallorca Final Standings
Ritchie’s historic season saw him finish ahead of Scotland’s David Law, who took the runner-up spot on the season-long list after two wins of his own. Austria’s Maximilian Steinlechner finished third, with Italy’s Renato Paratore in fourth and 20-year-old French talent Oihan Guillamoundeguy rounding out the top five.
Morrison’s victory catapulted him 30 places up the standings to sixth, while Italian Filippo Celli and Mazzoli followed in seventh and eighth respectively.
South Africa’s Daniel van Tonder, who won the first two events of the year, finished ninth, and Spain’s Sebastian Garcia — champion in the penultimate event — completed the top ten.
Further down the list, Scotsman Euan Walker finally secured graduation in 14th after years of near misses, joined by Spain’s Quim Vidal (15th). Sweden’s Hugo Townsend and Tobias Jonsson, Spain’s Rocco Repetto Taylor, France’s Clement Charmasson, and Swede Albin Bergstrom — who surged 20 places after a tied-third finish at the Rolex Grand Final — rounded out the coveted top 20 promotion spots.
A Season to Remember
Between Morrison’s emotional comeback and Ritchie’s historic rise, the Rolex Grand Final proved a fitting finale to the 2025 HotelPlanner Tour season — a week that celebrated perseverance, talent, and the next wave of stars stepping up to golf’s global stage.
Morrison, now with his Tour card secured and his family cheering him on, summed it up best: “I stayed calm and stayed with it. I couldn’t feel my arms on my swing at the last, it went so far right, but I couldn’t care less. A win is a win.”
