James Morrison was on the cusp of calling it quits.
The 40-year-old entered this week’s HotelPlanner Tour finale in Mallorca, Spain, six spots outside the points cutoff needed for a return to the DP World Tour. After 15 straight seasons on Europe’s main circuit before losing his card last year, Morrison faced a stark reality: perform well at the Rolex Grand Final or end his professional career.
“That was going to be my last event, 100%, and this has completely messed it up,” an emotional Morrison said Sunday after his convincing three-shot victory vaulted him all the way to sixth in the developmental tour’s points race.
The win secures Morrison a full DP World Tour card for next season, as the top 20 players in the HotelPlanner Tour standings earn promotion. He’ll now resume a DP World Tour career that spans 438 starts and includes two victories.
Morrison first graduated from the Challenge Tour (now HotelPlanner Tour) in 2009 and won in Portugal as a rookie. His second win came at the 2015 Spanish Open, but he went winless until earlier this season when he broke through on the HotelPlanner Tour.
Despite that victory, Morrison arrived in Mallorca at No. 36 in the standings. With his 13-year-old son Finley on the bag, he fired a 7-under 65 on Saturday to build a three-shot lead. Sunday’s final round tested his nerves immediately with a three-putt bogey on the par-5 first hole followed by another dropped shot at the second.
But Morrison steadied himself, making three birdies in a four-hole stretch starting at the par-5 11th to pull away from the field.
“That swing on the last, I couldn’t feel my arms. It went so far right,” said Morrison, who closed with a bogey to shoot 70 and finish at 15 under. “I’m glad it’s over with, let’s put it that way. But no, I played nicely all week. Didn’t play as well today, but kind of managed my emotions, dug into my memory bank and my wins on the DP World Tour, and the wind blowing really helped me today because I knew the harder it got, the more it would play into my hands.”
Stefano Mazzoli finished solo second, which moved him up 10 spots to No. 8 in the final standings, also securing his DP World Tour card.
Now Morrison faces a new set of challenges with the 2025-26 DP World Tour season beginning November 27 at the BMW Australian PGA.
“I haven’t got a tour bag. I haven’t got a caddie,” Morrison said. “I’m going to have to figure some stuff out.”
South Africa’s J.C. Ritchie topped the HotelPlanner Tour standings after winning three times this season. Ritchie, who made just 11 cuts in 28 DP World Tour starts in 2023, pushed his career total of HotelPlanner Tour wins to seven.
“It hasn’t really sunk in,” Ritchie said. “I don’t understand what I’ve done. I think I’ve had an unbelievable season. When I fly back home, or maybe even tonight, I’ll sit down and have a think. It’s been a dream season for me.”
Ritchie credits his improvement to a change in mindset. “I’m not the person I was last year. I’m happier with my game, I know what I’m doing and I’m glad I’ve managed to prove to myself that I’m good enough play out here and compete at a higher level.”
HotelPlanner Tour Graduates
NOS. 1-20 (CATEGORY 15)
1. J.C. Ritchie
2. David Law
3. Maximilian Steinlechner
4. Renato Paratore
5. Oihan Guillamoundeguy
6. James Morrison
7. Filippo Celli
8. Stefano Mazzoli
9. Daniel Van Tonder
10. Sebastian Garcia
11. Daniel Young
12. Felix Mory
13. Joshua Berry
14. Euan Walker
15. Quim Vidal
16. Hugo Townsend
17. Tobias Jonsson
18. Rocco Repetto Taylor
19. Clement Charmasson
20. Albin Bergstrom
NOS. 21-30 (CATEGORY 20)
21. Jovan Rebula
22. Lukas Nemecz
23. Per Langfors
24. Jamie Rutherford
25. Anton Albers
26. Julian Perico
27. Victor Sidal Svendsen
28. Jonathan Goth-Rasmussen
29. Calum Fyfe
30. Palmer Jackson
