Julien Sale delivered a commanding performance in the final round to win the HotelPlanner Tour's Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca, finishing at 22 under par. According to Sky Sports, the Frenchman's victory came with a four-stroke margin over Hamish Brown, who nonetheless claimed the season-long Road to Mallorca title.
Sale had already secured promotion to the DP World Tour before arriving in Mallorca for the season finale. His closing round of 65 matched his best score of the week and propelled him to victory. According to The Golf News Net, Sale's winning total of 266 came from rounds of 66, 65, 70 and 65, and he earned €85,000 from the €500,000 purse.
The 29-year-old ended the year second in the Road to Mallorca rankings and will make his debut on golf's DP World Tour. He becomes the fifth French player to win the Grand Final, following Clément Sordet (2017), Benjamin Hebert (2014), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (2007) and Nicolas Joakimides (1997).
Sale began the day holding a one-stroke lead and took command early with four birdies on the front nine. A birdie on the par-five 12th extended his advantage further, though he dropped his only shot of the day on the 13th. He recovered impressively with three birdies across his final six holes to secure his second HotelPlanner Tour victory of 2026, adding to his earlier triumph at the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge on home soil.
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 claimed the Road to Mallorca title despite finishing second at the Grand Final. The 27-year-old carded a closing 67 to reach 18 under par for the week and held onto solo second place when South African MJ Daffue's birdie attempt on the 72nd hole slid past the cup. Brown becomes the fifth Danish player to win the Road to Mallorca, joining Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (2024), Marcus Helligkilde (2021), Joachim B Hansen (2018) and Thomas Bjørn (1995).
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.
Brown reflected on the mental challenge of watching a rival pull away during the final round.
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.
The Danish golfer expressed confidence about his return to the DP World Tour, having struggled during his previous stint on the circuit.
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.
Top 15 secure DP World Tour cards
According to Golf Monthly, the 15 players earning full DP World Tour status for 2027 are Hamish Brown, Julien Sale, Lars Van Der Vight, Christofer Blomstrand, MJ Daffue, Pablo Ereño, Tapio Pulkkanen, Adam Wallin, Liam Nolan, John Gough, Sebastian Friedrichsen, Will Enefer, Marc Warren, Andrew Wilson and Maxence Giboudot.
Dutchman Lars van der Vight, who won twice on the HotelPlanner Tour this season, finished the year in third place on the Road to Mallorca rankings. Sweden's Christofer Blomstrand, another two-time winner during the campaign, claimed fourth position.
MJ Daffue, who secured two victories earlier in the year in South Africa and India, rounded out the top five. Spaniard Pablo Ereño finished in sixth place.
Tapio Pulkkanen secured seventh position and returns to the DP World Tour at the first time of asking. Adam Wallin finished eighth, with Liam Nolan in ninth and John Gough in tenth.
Sebastian Friedrichsen claimed 11th place after securing his breakthrough victory in Portugal. Englishman Will Enefer finished in 12th position.
Marc Warren delivered a significant performance during the back nine on Sunday, with a tied-for-fifth finish at the Grand Final helping him climb seven places to finish 13th in the final Road to Mallorca standings. According to Golf Monthly, Warren became the only player to break into the top 15 during the finale itself.
Andrew Wilson ended the year in 14th position, while Frenchman Maxence Giboudot held onto the crucial 15th spot to confirm his DP World Tour status for the first time.
Players finishing 16th to 20th in the final rankings receive DP World Tour Category 19 status for 2027, with some starts expected to be confirmed closer to the season.
What happens next
The 2027 Road to Mallorca season is scheduled to begin in South Africa, marking the start of a new campaign for players seeking DP World Tour promotion.
