Copyright scotsman
As he bids to cap a brilliant bounce-back year by trying to become just the second Scot to win what is now called the Road to Mallorca, David Law reckons he is returning to the DP World Tour next season as a better player than he was when managing to land a breakthrough win in just his fifth start as a rookie in 2019. The Aberdonian heads into this week’s HotelPlanner Tour season-ending Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A at Club de Golf Alcanada in Port d’Alcudia sitting third on the points list behind South African JC Ritchie and Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner. Helped by wins in both the D+D Real Czech Challenge in July and the Vierumaki Finnish Challenge the following month, Law has already achieved his goal of winning back his seat at the top table after finishing 119th in last season’s Race to Dubai. It’s now just a case of seeing where he finishes up in the battle for 20 DP World Tour cards and, if he can sign off with one more big performance, then the 34-year-old will be in with a chance of becoming the first Scot to be crowned as No 1 on what was formerly called the Challenge Tour since Marc Warren achieved the feat 20 years ago. “Yeah, that is definitely an exciting goal to be chasing,” said Law, speaking to The Scotsman on a glorious autumn afternoon in the Balearics after playing in the pro-am on Tuesday. “The points are top heavy this week, so a really good week would give me a great chance and a win, of course, would secure that. But anything in the top four, five or six would probably give me a chance as well depending on other results.” Of the 20 players who secured step ups at the end of the same event 12 months ago, 11 have retained their cards for the 2026 campaign while eight, including last year’s Grand Final winner Kristoffer Reitan, are currently in the top 50 in this season’s Race to Dubai Rankings. That impressive return has come on the back of Englishman Marco Penge triumphing in the season finale two years ago and now being Rory McIlroy’s closest challenger on the DP World Tour points list as the Masters champion bids to land the Harry Vardon Trophy for a fourth year in a row and seventh time in total. Law, who graduated along with Bob MacIntyre, Grant Forrest and Liam Johnston at the end of the 2018, will definitely make the step up on this occasion with Daniel Young, who, on the back of his Farmfoods Scottish Challenge win, sits eighth in the Road to Mallorca Rankings coming into this event, with Euan Walker also currently in a card-winning position but facing another stressful week here while Calum Fyfe, the fourth Scot in the 45-man field, is 26th. “Yeah, I think so,” replied Law, a two-time Scottish Amateur champion, in reply to being asked if he feels a more complete player now compared to the one who got off to a flying start as a DP World Tour card holder when winning the ISPS HANDA Vic Open in 2019. “Obviously, I’ve got quite a lot more experience than I had back then and, yeah, golf-wise, I feel like I am a better player and I am better equipped for going back on the main tour than I was in 2018, when I got my card. I feel like that’s kind of where I belong out there rather than here. Whereas when I got my card in 2018, you never know how you are going to do out there. “There was always that unknown of whether you are good enough or not, so I am looking forward to getting back out there and playing those tournaments again. But, at the same time, it has been great to see how much the tour has come on since I was last on it.” All seven of the Scots who started out with DP World Tour cards this season have retained their full playing privileges for next year, when Cameron Adam will also be part of the Caledonian contingent after securing his card by winning the Global Amateur Pathway. Delighted to be locked in as well, Law said: “I think you go back on to the main tour with a slightly different mindset and I think that is just natural off the back of the results you’ve had this year. Good golf results train your brain to think positively and practising being in contention is really important. I think that’s why you probably see a lot of boys coming off this tour and doing really well on the main tour. Because they are used to being up at that end of golf tournaments and dealing with it well.” Three years after being on Nathan Kimsey’s bag as the Englishman won both the prizes up for grabs in this event - this is the tournament’s 30th staging - St Andrews man Alan Tulleth is caddying for Law at the stunning venue designed by Robert Trent Jones jnr for Hans-Peter Porsche, the grandson of car company founder Ferdinand Porsche. “Yeah, he’s probably the only player in the field this week with a win round here,” observed a smiling Law, who is being supported for his final push by wife Natasha. “I had him on the bag for the Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links as well on the main tour earlier in the year, so it is nice to have a friend on the bag as well as a good caddie. He’s excited for the week as well.” As Law pointed out, it’s a week he can enjoy more than some, but, helped by displaying a brilliant attitude about having to take a step back this season, he’s earned that position.
