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Julien Sale produced a dominant final round to secure victory at the HotelPlanner Tour’s Grand Final, while Hamish Brown topped the Road to Mallorca rankings.
Tournament Victory for Sale
Frenchman Sale, who was guaranteed promotion to the DP World Tour before the season finale in Mallorca, posted his second 65 of the week to finish 22 under par. He finished four strokes clear of Brown, who narrowly held onto solo second to capture the season-long title. Sale ends the year second in the rankings and will now step up to golf’s DP World Tour for the first time in his career. He becomes the fifth player from France to win the Grand Final after Clément Sordet in 2017, Benjamin Hebert in 2014, Mike Lorenzo-Vera in 2007, and Nicolas Joakimides in 1997.
The 29-year-old started the day with a one-stroke advantage and fired four front-nine birdies to take control at Club de Golf Alcanada. A gain on the par-five 12th further extended his advantage before he dropped his only shot of the day on the next hole. He responded well with three birdies in his final six holes to claim his second HotelPlanner Tour triumph of 2026, following his win on home soil at the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge earlier in the year.
Sale said, “Coming this week, I didn’t have much stress because I knew I was inside the top 15 and the goal was to win the tournament and obviously try to finish number one on the ranking. I was going to have fun already tonight but now I’m going to enjoy it even more with my family here.”
Brown Claims Season-Long Crown
Brown becomes the fifth Dane to win the Road to Mallorca after Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen in 2024, Marcus Helligkilde in 2021, Joachim B Hansen in 2018, and Thomas Bjørn in 1995. The 27-year-old posted a closing five-under 67 in Alcúdia to reach 18 under par for the week and held onto solo second after South African MJ Daffue saw his birdie putt slide by on the 72nd hole.
Brown said, “It means a lot. It’s been a proper grind again. Ultimately, I couldn’t win today thanks to a good Frenchman who played extremely well. It’s just a day where you can’t really control your thoughts. All you’re thinking about is what they need to do or what’s going to happen. It gives me a lot of confidence. I had a tough year last year on the DP World Tour, but I wasn’t too far away, I thought. It’s just moments throughout a season that need to go your way and I’m not scared of it for next year. I’m quite looking forward to it because I know what it what it is now. I know what I need to do and not to do. I’m trying to just expect more of myself.”
Final Rankings and DP World Tour Cards
The top 15 players on the Road to Mallorca earned DP World Tour cards. Dutchman Lars van der Vight, a two-time HotelPlanner Tour winner this season, ended the year as No 3, with another two-time victor, Sweden’s Christofer Blomstrand, in fourth. MJ Daffue rounded out the top five with Spaniard Pablo Ereño in sixth.
Tapio Pulkkanen finished seventh to return to the DP World Tour at the first time of asking, joined by Adam Wallin in eighth, Liam Nolan in ninth, and John Gough in 10th. Sebastian Friedrichsen ended the year in 11th position after sealing his breakthrough win in Portugal, alongside Englishman Will Enefer in 12th.
Marc Warren delivered during the back nine on Sunday with a tied-for-fifth finish helping him climb seven places to 13th. Andrew Wilson ended the year in 14th, while Frenchman Maxence Giboudot held onto the 15th position to confirm his spot on the DP World Tour for the first time.
