The European Challenge Tour has announced its global 2023 Road to Mallorca schedule but the venue for the Irish Challenge has yet to be confirmed.

The event, which was held at The K Club’s South Course this year and is scheduled to be played there again in 2024 and 2026, will take place the week after The Open at Hoylake from July 27-30 and clash with the South of Ireland Amateur Open at Lahinch (July 26-30).

This could leave the “South” without several leading amateurs as top Irish internationals Mark Power, Hugh Foley, Robert Moran and Matthew McClean all played at The K Club this year.

The 2023 schedule features a record overall prize fund of €8.2 million and a minimum of 29 tournaments, staged across three continents in 18 different countries.

The 2023 Road to Mallorca will begin with the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open in February, the first of four co-sanctioned events with the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.

It will conclude with the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A, at Club de Golf Alcanada from November 2-5, as the top 45 players on the Rankings battle it out for one of the life changing 20 DP World Tour cards.

The 20 players who benefit from this formal pathway to the DP World Tour will then be eligible for the DP World Tour’s Earnings Assurance Programme, guaranteeing them minimum earnings of $150,000 for the 2024 season if they play in 15 or more events.

The top five graduates will also benefit from the John Jacobs Bursary, similarly designed to provide security and a strong platform for their first season on the European Tour group’s top tier.
 

2023 Challenge Tour schedule

February 2-5 Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open, Royal Cape Golf Club, Cape Town, South Africa $350,000

February 9-12 Dimension Data Pro-Am, Fancourt Golf Estate, George, South Africa ZAR 7,000,000

February 16-19 SDC Open Zebula Golf Estate & Spa, Limpopo, South Africa $350,000

February 23-26 Nelson Mandela Bay Championship, Humewood Golf Club, Port Elizabeth, South Africa $350,000

March 23-26 Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge Karnataka Golf Association, Bangalore, India $300,000

March 28--31 The Challenge presented by KGA Karnataka Golf Association, Bangalore, India $300,000

April 27-30 Abu Dhabi Challenge, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE $300,000

May 4-7 UAE Event Confirmed, TBC, UAE $300,000

May 11-14 Challenge de España, TBC, Spain €250,000

May 18-21 B-NL Challenge Trophy, TBC, Netherlands €250,000

May 25-28 Copenhagen Challenge, Royal Golf Club, Copenhagen, Denmark €250,000

June 1-4 D+D REAL Czech Challenge, Panorama Golf Resort, Kácov, Czech Republic €250,000

June 8-11 Andalucía Challenge de Cádiz Iberostar Real Golf Novo Sancti Petri, Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain €250,000

June 15-18 Kaskáda Golf Challenge, Kaskáda Golf Resort, Brno, Czech Republic €250,000

June 22-25 Open de Bretagne Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André, Pléneuf, France €270,000

June 29 - July 2 Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge, Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil, Le Vaudreuil, France €260,000

July 6-9 Italian Challenge Open, Golf Nazionale, Viterbo, Italy €350,000

July 13-16 Euram Bank Open, GC Adamstal, Ramsau, Austria €250,000

July 20-23 Big Green Egg German Challenge powered by VCG, Wittelsbacher Golfclub, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany €250,000

July 27-30 Irish Challenge TBC, Ireland €250,000

August 3-6 British Challenge, St. Mellion Estate, Cornwall, England £230,000

August 10-13 Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A, Newmachar Golf Club, Aberdeenshire, Scotland £230,000

August 17-20 Vierumäki Finnish Challenge, Vierumäki Resort, Vierumäki, Finland €250,000

August 24-27 Dormy Open, Askersunds Golfklubb, Åmmeberg, Sweden €250,000

August 31 - September 3 Indoor Golf Group Challenge, Landeryds Golfklubb, Vesterby, Brokind, Sweden €250,000

September 14-17 Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos, Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort, Vau Óbidos, Portugal €250,000

September 21-24 Swiss Challenge Golf, Saint Apollinaire, Folgensbourg, France €250,000

October 5-8 Hopps Open de Provence, Golf International de Pont Royal, Mallemort, France €260,000

November 2-5 Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A, Club de Golf Alcanada, Mallorca, Spain €500,000

ENDS