Marc Warren ready to embrace 'crazy thoughts' in last-day card battle in Mallorca
Scot sets up oppprtunity to regain DP World Tour status on final day of HotelPlanner Tour season
Strap yourself in because it’s going to be a hell of a roller-coaster ride on the final day of the season on the Hotel Planner Tour. In the words of Marc Warren, players will have “crazy thoughts” and be “worried, excited and everything in between”.
Up for grabs in the final round of the Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca are 15 DP World Tour cards for 2027, with Dane Hamish Brown, Swede Christofer Blomstrand, Dutchman Lars van der Light, Spaniard Pablo Ereno, Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen, South African MJ Daffue and Frenchman Julien Sale having all arrived in the Balearics knowing it was mission accomplished as far as their season-long goal was concerned.
With a circuit to go at the end of a marathon journey that has taken in 20 countries, Sale is up to first on the projected points list after following opening scores of 66-65 with a third-round 70 for a 15-under-par total and one-shot lead over Daffue, American John Catlin and Englishman Charlie Foster in the season finale.
The battle for the remaining eight cards up for grabs, though, is as wide as Alcudia bay, with Warren, a four-time DP World Tour winner and bidding to add to his 500 appearances on the main circuit, among those who have a lot to play for in the concluding circuit.
The 45-year-old has been a model of consistency so far, signing for three 68s. At one point on Saturday, he was up to 15th in the projected positions. By the end of play, he was 18th, where he’d started the day after setting out on Thursday in 20th position.
“I think you’ve got to think about it,” Warren, the most experienced player in the 45-man field told Scotland n Sunday in reply to being asked if he’d be trying to block out what is on the line for him, having lost his seat at the top table at the end of the 2023 season. “If you don’t, then I think you would drive yourself crazy. Part of it is accepting the challenge of what is ahead.
“Yeah, I think if you don’t accept where you are then you are not going to perform your best. It is what it is. I’ve played under stressful situations and pressure before. It;s nothing new. We do it most weeks; it’s just that this time it obviously has a bit more of a spotlight on it.”
Playing in the same marquee group as Brown and Pulkkanen, Warren swung the club beautifully most of the day, as acknowledged out on the course by Brown’s dad Marcus, a Scot who is a club professional in Denmark after moving there around 30 years ago, and Brown’s manager, former British Boys’ champion Rhys Davies.
On Friday, Warren had struggled with his driver but dug deep to keep himself in the tournament. On Saturday, he hit one of the best opening tee shots witnessed by this correspondent in this event here and, though delighted to save a par at the 16th with his only wayward tee shot of the day, it was a classy display from the only Scot to have topped the points list, as he did on his only other appearance in this event in 2005, on what was formerly called the Challenge Tour. “A little bit better tee to green today than yesterday,” admitted Warren, smiling. “It was the same score but two very different rounds of golf.”
Before heading out, the former World Cup winner alongside Colin Montgomerie joked to his dad, Bobby, that he’d be hitting first most of the day when it came to second shots due to Brown and Pulkkanen being big-hitters. Not all the time but on a good few occasions, he was actually the last to hit from the fairway. “I was definitely hitting it further than yesterday,” he admitted, laughing. “Yeah, I’d say that just through feeling comfortable I was getting the club in a better position, so it was a bit quicker today.
“Obviously Hamish and Tapio can shift it when they need to. I’ve played with Tapio enough over the years and it was a good grouping today. We had some good conversations. They are obviously in a slightly different position than I am, but they obviously understand the job we are all trying to do this week.”
It will be job done for Warren if he finishes either first or second. He needs to be eighth or better to be in with a chance and is certainly heading into the final round with more of a spring in his step than others. Englishman Matthew Southgate, who started the week sitting in the 15th and final card spot, is down to 19th on the projected list while young Frenchman Maxence Giboudot, who came here sitting 16th, has little chance of improving on that position after reaching the 54-hole stage sitting in a tie for 37th.
“I think it is pressure for everyone here and knowing you can do it and have done it is obviously a massive plus,” said Warren. “Yeah, I have been good with myself so far this week in terms of trying to stay patient with everything that is going on. Everything was pretty solid today andI’ll need that and maybe a bit more tomorrow. You are looking to win and that would take care of everything. But, first and foremost, I’ve got to play a good front nine tomorrow to be in with a chance of winning anything.”
Catlin, last week’s Hong Kong Open winner, is on course to climb into the card zone but Joseba Torres, Jose Olazabal’s 24-year-old nephew and the centre of attention with home fans after showing he could be a new Spanish star in the making, sits 20th.
Calum Fyfe, the other Scot to make it all the way to the end of the season, has slipped from 24th to 27th in the card battle. “I’m gutted, to be honest, as I’ve played really well from tee to green but just not holed enough putts and also had a couple of bad breaks, including my second shot at the 18th today hitting a sprinkler head and going through the green,” he reported.
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