2021 Road to Mallorca Number One Marcus Helligkilde became the third Challenge Tour Number One to hail from Denmark, after 2018 Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn in 1995 and 2018 Rankings winner JB Hansen.
Bjørn makes his mark
Thomas Bjørn finished in eighth place in the inaugural edition of the Challenge Tour Grand Final to secure his spot as Challenge Tour Number One. The event was established in 1995, with Spain’s Francis Valera securing a one-stroke victory over Frenchman Thierry Planchin at Quinta do Peru, Portugal. Bjørn secured DP World Tour playing rights for the 1996 season and did not look back, going on to win 15 events on the top tier and captain Europe to victory at the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Hansen shines through
JB Hansen became the second Danish player to be crowned Challenge Tour Number One after topping the 2018 Rankings. Hansen secured two victories at the Made in Denmark Challenge and Turkish Airlines Challenge, along with three runner-up finishes and nine top tens that year.
The Dane has since won twice on the DP World Tour at the Joburg Open and Aviv Dubai Championship.
Heroic Helligkilde
Marcus Helligkilde became the third Dane to win the Road to Mallorca Rankings after securing his third victory of the season at the 2021 Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A.
The 25-year-old posted a closing one over par round of 72 to move to eight under par and clinch an emotional victory at T Golf & Country Club. Helligkilde parred the last hole of the 2021 Road to Mallorca after a miraculous shot from under a tree to claim victory in Mallorca, one stroke ahead of Porugual’s Ricardo Gouveia, German Yannik Paul and French duo Julien Brun and Frederic Lacroix who shared second place on seven under par after a tight final day, full of twist and turns.
