John Parry secured automatic promotion to the DP World Tour after earning a third victory of the season in the Italian Challenge Open at Argentario Golf Club.
The Englishman started the day two strokes clear and remained in front on another low scoring day in Tuscany, carding a three under par round of 68 to reach 18 under par for the week and win by one shot from South African Justin Walters who finished in solo second.
The 35-year-old joins Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen as the second three-time winner this season and will tee it up on the DP World Tour for the remainder of 2024 and the full 2025 Race to Dubai.
Parry overtakes Neergaard-Petersen at the top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings for the first time this season with this win, and he was delighted to add this week’s victory in Italy to his Delhi Challenge and Blot Open de Bretagne titles earlier this year.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “I’ve got a free hit on the DP World Tour now for the rest of the season where you never know what can happen, and I’ve obviously got next year as well.
“Since I took the lead on day three, it’s been a bit of a grind but I’m obviously really happy.
“I wanted to try to get to 20 under par, and I thought if I got there someone would have to do very well to catch me. I wasn’t quite able to do that, and it was only really Justin that was pushing me at the end, so I could keep an eye on his score and play to that.”
Parry, who prior to this season last tasted victory in 2010, admits his Road to Mallorca campaign has reignited a belief that he can challenge each week when he returns to the DP World Tour.
“Because it’s been a while since I’ve won before this year, it gives you that little spark that you can still do it.
“The other thing this season has done is help me to find that consistency. I’ve never won more than once before in a season so to win three times is a goal that I didn’t think was achievable. I’m over the moon.”
German Nicolai von Dellingshausen fired a six under par round of 65 on the final day to climb into solo third on 16 under par, with Spaniard Angel Ayora producing a round of 65 himself to end the week one shot further back in fourth.
Parry climbs to first place in the Road to Mallorca Rankings on 1,499 points with Neergaard-Petersen dropping to second on 1,442 points. Ayora moves to a season-high sixth in the Rankings with his fourth place finish in Italy, while Von Dellingshausen catapults ten places to 19th.
The Road to Mallorca now heads to Golf Saint Apollinaire for the Swiss Challenge, taking place from September 26-29, 2024.
