Tom Vaillant continued his rapid rise through the golfing ranks in 2023 by securing a second promotion in the space of two years, with the DP World Tour now on the agenda.
Tom Vaillant continued his rapid rise through the golfing ranks in 2023 by securing a second promotion in the space of two years, with the DP World Tour now on the agenda.
The Frenchman powered to a second place finish at the season-ending Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by the R&A, to catapult himself up 21 spots into 12th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and guarantee promotion.
Vaillant, who 12 months previous had finished third in the Alps Tour Order of Merit to graduate to the Challenge Tour, is now set for a maiden crack at golf’s Global Tour.
“It’s the accomplishment of a kids dream but also my family’s dream,” he said. “My goals and aims are pretty simple. To grind and do what I need to do to progress and reach the level that I want to.
“It was a really long season in which I played the most tournaments ever for me. I had some good weeks at the beginning and especially at the end, and I learned a lot on the pro golfer life. You need patience and having that long term vision is very important.”
The 21-year-old began the season in fine form, recording a third place finish in just his second start of the year at the Nelson Mandela Bay Championships. He would go on to make 16 of 22 cuts during the season with another highlight coming at the British Challenge presented by Modest! Golf Management where he shared second.
Vaillant finished in a share of eighth at the Hainan Open in China - the penultimate event of the season - to boost his chances of promotion, but arrived in Mallorca for the Grand Final knowing that he needed a strong performance in order to secure one of the life-changing DP World Tour cards on offer.
Vaillant did just that, finishing in solo second following rounds of 69-68-73-74 in Alcúdia to conclude his maiden Challenge Tour season in the perfect way.
“It was an amazing week,” he added. “It was my first time at a Rolex tournament, so even on the Monday when I arrived on the course, I was fascinated about everything and just enjoyed being there.
“That week was for sure the best mental performance I’ve ever had when it mattered the most. It showed that I have the game to compete at the highest European level. I just love that because that’s why I’m doing it.
“There was no specific pressure that week because I wanted to win the tournament like I do every week. I had all of my routines that helped me to stay focussed on the right things.”
Vaillant made his DP World Tour debut at last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, where he failed to make the cut, but will be hoping to make his mark at this week’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
