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Two-time DP World Tour winner James Morrison revealed in 2019 that he had considered giving up golf entirely, admitting he was struggling to cope with the pressures of the professional game. Today, that seemed a distant memory with the 40-year-old Englishman turning to embrace his son and caddie, Finley, on the 18th green at the Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca after tapping in a putt to win the Hotel Planner Tour Grand Final and secure his return to DP World Tour after a year-long absence. Even ahead of this weekend’s Grand Final, Morrison was weighing up the possibility that this could be his last-ever professional tournament if he couldn’t secure his DP World Tour card for 2026. But it was a prospect that he seemed at peace with. ‘I actually have got no clue to be honest,’ Morrison told Sky Sports, as he welled up when asked what this victory meant to him. ‘When I said this was going to be my last event, that was going to be my last event, one hundred per cent. ‘This has completely messed it up.’ It was a weekend to remember for Morrison, who strode through the field to finish three shots ahead of his nearest challenger, Stefano Mazzoli, and top the Hotel Planner Tour’s season-ending showpiece at 15-under-par. With his son Finlay on his bag, Morrison needed a high finish in Mallorca to become one of 20 golfers to qualify for the DP World Tour, having started the week ranked 36th on the Hotel Planner Tour. But it was an incredible finish for Morrison, who earlier this year, broke a 20-year wait for a win on the professional tours, after securing victory at the Blot Play9 in France. ‘I’m glad it’s over with - put it that way,’ he said, adding that he couldn’t even feel his arms on the tee box at the 18th, ultimately going down for a bogey on the last. Morrison will now return to the DP World Tour next season following a year-long hiatus, something that he had not foreseen at the beginning of the week, revealing that he doesn’t have a caddie or a bag. ‘I’ve got no clue. I haven’t got a tour bag. I haven’t got a caddie,’ he said in disbelief. Instead, in what he thought was going to be his last-ever pro event, Morrison's son Finley was on his bag in Mallorca, with the Surrey-based golfer joking that Finley has an early start on Monday. ‘He’s [Finley’s] got a half-past six alarm for school tomorrow morning...' Morrison said. ‘It’s amazing. I love him. He did so good,' he added. The two-time DP World Tour winner got off to a slow start on day one in Mallorca, carding a one-under par 71. He’d follow that up with a 67 on day two, before opening up a three-shot lead heading into the final round. It was a nervy start for Morrison who posted a bogey on the second before recovering with birdies on the fifth and seventh holes. Gains would be made again on the 11th and 12th holes, with Morrison draining a sweeping long putt from right-to-left on the latter to post back-to-back birdies. High on momentum, Morrison moved five shots clear of the field with another birdie on the 14th hole, and it was at this point that he seemed destined to secure his card for next year. ‘I’ve played nicely all week. Didn’t play as well today but kind of dug into my memory bank from my wins on the DP World Tour. ‘The wind blowing really played into my hands a little bit because I knew the harder that it got, the more I could get away from the field a little bit. had a three-putt par at the first but stayed calm. ‘Swinging on the last I couldn’t feel my arms. Five or six on the last, I couldn’t care. A win is a win. Behind him, Italian star Stefano Mazzoli continued to push cutting the deficit to three shots, wrapping up his weekend 12-under par. Four other Brits would qualify for the DP World Tour this weekend, with Scottish stars David Law, Daniel Young and Euan Walker all winning cards for next season, while Joshua Berry joining Morrison as the second Englishman to secure a berth on the sister tour for next season. Morrison’s story is an inspiring tale. The Surrey-born golfer turned pro in 2006 and went on to play 15 successive seasons on the DP World Tour before losing his card in 2024, missing 14 cuts throughout that season. However, back in 2019, he revealed in an interview with Sky Sports that issues in his personal life and his obligations to the tour were starting to take their toll. ‘It's my 10th year out here in a row now and this has been not about golf, it's about everything else,’ He told Sky Sports back in 2019. ‘Tour life’s getting a chore, travelling’s getting hard. ‘I've got a little boy (Finley) at home, my wife's having some health problems and had surgery two days ago, so there's stuff at home going on that's taken my attention away from the game. ‘I really questioned whether that was it. Scotland [July's Scottish Open] was close to being my last-ever event but that's just the way it goes, that's life and you've got to deal with it.’ Now, things will be much different for the 40-year-old, who admitted he couldn't comprehend the magnitude of his win. ‘I’m glad it’s over with - put it that way,’ he said.
