With just five events remaining on the Road to Mallorca, it is all to play for as we head to Morocco for the Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour. We run through all you need to know before the tournament gets under way from October 3-6.
The Magic Number
The European Challenge Tour makes its long-awaited return to Morocco following a nine-year hiatus, heading back to Royal Golf Dar Es Salam for the first time since 2003.
The North African nation hosted eight Challenge Tour events between 2002 and 2010, with the 2006 edition best remembered following an extraordinary 59 by Frenchman Adrien Mörk, the first sub-60 round ever recorded at a European Tour sanctioned event.
Unbelievably, the round included a double bogey, on Mörk’s 11th hole, which he duly followed with seven consecutive birdies over his final seven holes to become Europe’s first Mr. 59. He remained the only man in Europe with a 59 on his card until Nicolo Ravano carded golf’s magic number during the second round of the 2017 Challenge de España.
All to play for
With just two events remaining before the Challenge Tour heads to China, the fight is on for a place on the two-week Chinese swing, with only the top 53 on the Road to Mallorca Rankings securing their place in the field for both events.
With back-to-back tournaments in China before the Road to Mallorca reaches its climax at the season ending Challenge Tour Grand Final, the Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour and the Stone Irish Challenge provide the final opportunities for those on the bubble to ensure they are still in the mix come the season finale.
Rhys returns
Rhys Davies will return to action this week, almost a year after he last teed it up in a competitive round.
The Welshman, who rose to 44th in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2010, decided to take a break from the game last November, citing mental fatigue, but returns refreshed as he looks to replicate the form that saw him capture his maiden European Tour victory at the inaugural Trophée Hassan II at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam almost a decade ago.
Familiar surrounds
The Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour will be the second European Tour sanctioned event to be staged at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam this year, following the Trophée Hassan II on the Race to Dubai in April. The Moroccan club, one of the most prestigious venues in North Africa, is also home to the Lalla Meryem Cup on the Ladies European Tour which, uniquely, is staged in the same week as the European Tour event.
While the Trophée Hassan II is contested on the Red Course, the Challenge Tour players will tackle the Blue Course, which has recently been renovated by order of His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid.
Spanish reign
Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez will be looking to make it triple Spanish delight at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam this week, following victories for compatriots Jorge Campillo on the European Tour and Nuria Iturrios at the Lalla Meryem Cup earlier this season.
The 30-year-old comes into the event following back-to-back top three finishes, but will be far from the only Spanish player set to challenge, with countryman Carlos Pigem looking to replicate that form that saw him record a top ten finish at the venue on the European Tour in 2017.
