With the 2026 edition of the Grand Final taking place next week, take a look back at one of the strongest graduate classes of all time, ten years on from their promotions to the DP World Tour…
German Bernd Ritthammer secured his third win of the season at the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, meaning 16 players were promoted ten years ago. Take a look at how their careers have panned out since…
Jordan Smith – 2016 Road to Mallorca Number one
Englishman Jordan Smith topped the Rankings ten years ago and has since gone on to have excellent success throughout his career. Smith earned promotion to the DP World Tour at the age of 23, with two wins, two second placed finishes, a third place and three further top tens in 2016. Following his promotion, Smith won the Porsche European Open on his rookie year on Golf’s Global Tour, and has since won the Portugal Masters, in 2022. Smith made his FedExCup Playoff debut on the PGA Tour earlier this year after earning dual membership upon the conclusion of the 2025 Race to Dubai.
Bernd Ritthammer – 2016 Road to Mallorca Number two
Bernd Ritthammer earned his DP World Tour card with his third win of the season at the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, after his earlier wins at the Made in Denmark Challenge - presented by Ejner Hessel and the Volopa Irish Challenge hosted by Mount Wolseley Hotel Spa and Golf Resort. After promotion, the German couldn’t find a win on the DP World Tour, but three top ten finishes, including a second-place finish at the Porsche European Open in 2019, was the highlight of his five-year spell on the DP World Tour. Ritthammer has since retired as a touring professional but has since worked across the media and coaching space in the game.
Alexander Knappe - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number three
Another two-time winner from 2016 is Alexnader Knappe. A fantastic 2016 saw the German finish second and third on four occasions and earned a further four top ten finishes to catapult himself to the third on the Rankings. The now 37-year-old earned promotion again in 2022 after struggling to find his feet on the DP World Tour and finished in a share of fifth place at the English Open supported by HotelPlanner this year.
Ryan Fox - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number four
New Zealander Ryan Fox earned promotion after a solid 2016, where he claimed his second HotelPlanner Tour win of his career, at the Tayto Northern Ireland Open in Partnership with Ulster Bank. The 39-year-old has enjoyed a successful career with four wins on the DP World Tour, including at the 2023 BMW PGA Championship and two PGA Tour wins in 2025. Fox was crowned the Champion Golfer of the year as he won the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale earlier this year.
Sam Walker - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number five
Two wins for Sam Walker saw the Englishman earn promotion back to the DP World Tour at the age of 37. Unfortunately, Walker only made the cut nine times on the DP World Tour in 2017, and his last appearance on the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour came in 2018.
Matthieu Pavon - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number six
Despite not finding a win in 2016, Matthieu Pavon enjoyed a fruitful year on the Road to Mallorca. Three runner-up finishes, a third-place finish and three further top tens saw the Frenchman earn promotion to the DP World Tour at the first attempt. Since his promotion at the age of 23, Pavon has made over 200 starts on the DP World Tour, securing his solo win on Golf’s Global Tour at the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid in 2023. Pavon then went on to earn his first PGA Tour win the following year at the Farmers Insurance Open, becoming the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour since 1907.
Alexander Björk- 2016 Road to Mallorca Number seven
A consistent year for Alexander Björk was enough for the Swede as he earned his career changing DP World Tour card in 2016. Bjork won the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in July, as he secured a one-stroke victory at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil. This wasn’t a surprise though, as the Swede had already secured four top ten finishes that season, and went on to add four more top tens to see out the season. After making the cut in 23 of his 30 starts on the DP World Tour in 2017, the following year was his most fruitful of his career. A win at the Volvo China Open was complimented by two second placed finishes, a third place finish and two more top ten finishes as he established himself on Golf’s Global Tour. After earning dual PGA Tour membership in 2023, he announced his retirement two years later, in 2025.
Dylan Frittelli -2016 Road to Mallorca Number eight
The highest ranked South African in 2016, Dylan Fittelli was another player who found peak form in 2016. Missing the cut just three times in 18 starts, Frittelli found his solitary win in Switzerland at the Rolex Trophy, almost guaranteeing his promotion after having two third placed finishes and a runner up finish already to his name that season. The following year on Golf’s Global Tour was equally as enjoyable for the South African who won the LYONESS OPEN powered by ORGANIC+ in Austria, before winning the second event on the 2018 schedule, at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December 2017. Frittelli’s most recent win came at the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies in 2024 and he still features regularly on the DP World Tour.
Romain Lagasque - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number nine
Romain Lagasque announced his arrival on the HotelPlanner Tour with a runner-up finish in the 2016 season-openening Barclays Kenya Open, while playing as an amateur. The young Frenchman then became the first active HotelPlanner Tour player to tee it up at the Masters after winning the 2015 Amateur Championship at Carnoustie. An outstanding maiden HotelPlanner Tour season saw him finish runner-up three times and notch up three further top five finishes. Lagasque returned to the HotelPlanner Tour in 2018 where he won his first title as a professional on home soil at the Hopps Open de Provence and went on to regain his DP World Tour card by finishing inside the top 25 at DP World Tour Q School Final Stage and earned a maiden DP World Tour title at the ISPS Handa Wales Open in 2020. a five-stroke deficit in the final round.
Duncan Stuart - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number ten
After spending nearly ten years on the HotelPlanner Tour, Scotland’s Duncan Stuart earned his maiden title in May 2016 at the Challenge de Madrid. Five further top ten finishes meant the Scotsman would earn his DP World Tour card for the first time, but would only make the cut 12 times in 28 starts in 2017 and returned to the HotelPlanner Tour, but couldn’t quite find the form of 2016.
Marcus Armitage - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number 11
Late season form was enough for Marcus Armitage in 2016, who didn’t register a top ten finish until September of that year. Three out of four missed cuts proceeded a second placed finish Volopa Irish Challenge hosted by Mount Wolseley Hotel Spa and Golf Resort. The Englishman would go on to win the Foshan Open in China to climb to 11th on the Rankings, where he remained for the rest of the season.
Jose-Filipe Lima - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number 12
Already accustomed to life on the DP World Tour, with a win to his name already on Golf’s Global Tour, Jose-Filipe Lima sprung no surprises when he earned promotion in 2016. Lima found his third HotelPlanner Tour win at the Najeti Open before gaining a fourth win on tour three years later, at the 2019 Vierumäki Finnish Challenge.
Damien Perrier - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number 13
After graduating from the Alps Tour in 2015, Damien Perrier was not looking to stick around on the HotelPlanner Tour for long. Golf & Spa Kunětická Hora was the site of Damien Perrier’s D+D Real Czech Challenge victory in May 2016, as the Frenchman fired a 24 under par week in Dříteč to secure his maiden HotelPlanner Tour victory. After graduating to the DP World Tour, the Frenchman struggled to find his feet and returned to the HotelPlanner Tour for the 2018 season.
Pep Angles - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number 14
Despite not finding a win in 2016, Pep Angles did enough to secure his DP World Tour card for 2017, with two runner up finishes and a third placed finish, at home, at the Challenge de Madrid. The Spaniard did enough in 2017 to retain playing rights for the following year, but returned to the HotelPlanner Tour for the 2019 season before winning the Andalucía Challenge de Cádiz in 2020 which took him to third on the covid-disrupted Rankings ensuring his return to Golf’s Global Tour.
Thomas Detry - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number 15
Thomas Detry’s win at the Bridgestone Challenge took the Belgian to 13th on the season-long Rankings, as he put himself in touching distance of a DP World Tour card. Two further top-ten finishes cemented his place further and the Belgian ensured a positive end to the season as he made the cut in all 14 of his starts. Despite earning his card in 15th spot, Detry has enjoyed one of the most fruitful careers of those that were promoted in 2016, and despite not securing a win on the DP World Tour, he has five runner up finishes, five third placed finishes and 24 more top tens to his name on Golf’s Global Tour, and later stormed to a seven-shot victory at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour.
Joel Stalter - 2016 Road to Mallorca Number 16
It looked as though Joel Stalter’s Swedish Challenge hosted by Robert Karlsson win could have been enough to secure his 2017 DP World Tour card at the start of the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final but a poor showing from the Frenchman saw him drop to 16th on the Rankings. Stalter, however, found a stroke of fortune after he completed his final round in Oman as Ritthammer’s win ensured his promotion to Golf’s Global Tour. Ritthammer parred his way home to a one-stroke victory, his third of the season, meaning an additional DP World Tour card became available, which Stalter gladly accepted. He went on to have a successful career on the DP World Tour, claiming a win at the Euram Bank Open.
