The European Challenge Tour has announced a record-breaking global schedule for the 2022 season which will see the Road to Mallorca’s total prize fund surpass the €8,000,000 mark for the first time.

The 2022 Road to Mallorca will consist of 31 tournaments staged across three continents in 18 different countries. including the €250,000 Irish Challenge at a venue to be confirmed.

It also includes a return to Scotland for the first time in four years when the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A takes place in the final week of May. The event, which will be held in association with 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie, will be the first of 19 tournaments in consecutive weeks where the Road to Mallorca will weave through 15 countries and end in France, from September 29 – October 2.

The Challenge Tour also returns to China for the first time since 2019 with back-to-back events, including the Foshan Open, where players will be given a final chance to earn their spot in the season-ending Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A.

The finale of the 2022 Road to Mallorca will return to Club de Golf Alcanada, the setting for the 2019 Grand Final, where the top 45 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings will compete for one of 20 life-changing DP World Tour cards for the 2023 season. The top five graduates will also receive the John Jacobs Bursary, announced last month as part of DP World’s title partnership of the European Tour group’s main Tour.

The 2022 schedule includes seven co-sanctioned events with the Sunshine Tour, including a maiden visit to Tanzania for the Mount Kilimanjaro Klassic at Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate with Tanzania set to become the 52nd country to stage a Challenge Tour event.

Jamie Hodges, Head of Challenge Tour, said: “I am incredibly proud to unveil our schedule for the 2022 Road to Mallorca season, which boasts the biggest total prize fund since the Challenge Tour’s inception in 1989.

“This expansive global schedule would not be possible without the incredible support of our promoters, national federations and tournament sponsors, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank them.

“We are also very grateful for the commitment of Rolex and The R&A, as well as DP World through their title partnership of the DP World Tour, all of which has helped us raise prize funds and increase playing opportunities for our members, further strengthening the Challenge Tour’s reputation as the perfect platform for players to achieve global success.”

In 2021, 19 former Challenge Tour players won on the European Tour – now called the DP World Tour - including nine first time winners, while three finished inside the top ten on the Race to Dubai Rankings. Garrick Higgo became the 500th former Challenge Tour player to win on what is now the DP World Tour, while Bernd Wiesberger became the 33rd member of the Challenge Tour’s alumni to play in the Ryder Cup.

2022 Road to Mallorca Challenge Tour schedule

February 10-13 Dimension Data Pro-Am Fancourt Golf Estate, George, South Africa

February 17-20 Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open Royal Cape GC & Rondebosch GC, Cape Town, South Africa

February 24-27 Jonsson Workwear Open Durban CC & Mount Edgecombe CC, Durban, South Africa

March 3-6 Manguang Open Bloemfontein Golf Club and Schoeman Park Golf Club, Bloemfontein, South Africa

March 24-27 SDC Open Zebula Golf Estate & Spa and Elements Private Golf Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa

March 31-April 3 Limpopo Championship Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate and Koro Creek Bushveld Estate, Limpopo, South Africa

April 7-10 Mount Kilimanjaro Klassic Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate, Arusha, Tanzania

May 5-8 Challenge de España TBC

May 12-15 Czech Republic Event Confirmed TBC

May 26-29 Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A Newmachar GC, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

June 2-5 Czech Republic Event Confirmed TBC

June 9- 12 Spain Event Confirmed TBC

June 16-19 Czech Republic Event Confirmed TBC

June 23-26 Open de Bretagne Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André, Pléneuf, France

June 30-July 3 Italian Challenge TBC

July 7-10 Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil, Le Vaudreuil, France

July 14-17 Euram Bank Open GC Adamstal, Ramsau, Austria

July 21-24 Big Green Egg German Challenge powered by VcG Wittelsbacher Golfclub, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany

July 28-31 Irish Challenge TBC

August 4-7 Vierumäki Finnish Challenge Vierumäki Resort, Vierumäki, Finland

August 11-14 Made in Frederikshavn Challenge Frederikshavn Golfklub, Denmark

August 18-21 Dormy Open Österåkers Golfklubb, Stockholm, Sweden

August 25-28 Indoor Golf Group Challenge Allerum Golfklubb, Helsingborg, Sweden

September 1-4 B-NL Challenge Trophy by Hulencourt Hulencourt, Genappe, Belgium

September 8-11 English Trophy TBC

September 15-18 Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort, Vau Óbidos, Portugal

September 22-25 Swiss Challenge Golf Saint Apollinaire, Folgensbourg, France

September 29 -- October 2 France Event Confirmed Golf International de Pont Royal, Mallemort, France

October 13-16 China Event Confirmed TBC

October 20-23 Foshan Open Foshan GC, Guangdong, China

November 3-6 Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A Club de Golf Alcanada, Port d'Alcudia, Mallorca, Spain