Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen arrives at the HotelPlanner Tour’s season finale with a goal no golfer has achieved before: becoming the first two-time winner of the Road to Mallorca season-long Rankings. He topped the standings in 2017. Nine years later, he enters the 2026 Grand Final in fifth place, with a mathematical route to another title.
What would history require? In its official Grand Final guide published on 27 October, the tour explains that a top-three finish this week would give Pulkkanen an opportunity to finish the season No. 1. It would not, however, guarantee the honour. His fate also depends on how the four competitors above him perform. A strong finish in the event and a season-long Rankings victory are two different achievements.
The case for his challenge. Pulkkanen won the Danish Golf Challenge in May 2026, claiming his second HotelPlanner Tour title. He defeated France’s Maxence Giboudot in a playoff by making eagle on the first extra hole. He then finished runner-up at the Abu Dhabi Challenge and third at the Hainan Open. Two further top-ten finishes added to a solid campaign. Crucially, because the top seven players have already secured DP World Tour promotion for 2027, fifth-placed Pulkkanen is not fighting merely to retain a card. He is chasing the distinction of finishing No. 1 for the second time.
The men to catch. Denmark’s Hamish Brown goes into the finale with 1,262 Road to Mallorca points, following his victory at the Hangzhou Open. Sweden’s Christofer Blomstrand is 85 points behind, and Dutch golfer Lars van der Vight is 116 back. The latter two have already recorded two victories each in 2026. The tour says 17 players can still mathematically win the overall Rankings. A total of 4,000 points is available at the Grand Final, including 640 for its winner, making significant movement possible.
A familiar but difficult setting. Forty-five competitors will play the 29 October–1 November 2026 Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca, where the leading 15 on the season-long list will receive DP World Tour cards. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the coastal course can become especially demanding when wind sweeps in from the sea. Pulkkanen previously earned promotion here in 2024; now he returns to pursue a much rarer honour.
As of 27 October, the tournament has not started. There is no current round score or tournament leader to report. Pulkkanen’s ambition and ranking position are confirmed by the organiser, but the outcome will depend on all four rounds and the results of the players ahead of him.
Sources: official 2026 Grand Final guide; official field and player profiles; Pulkkanen’s official player profile.
