Palmer Jackson cruised to a maiden HotelPlanner Tour title at Golf Resort Kaskáda with a six stroke victory at the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge.
The American fired an exceptional seven under par round of 64 to reach 21 under par for the week, with Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung and Sweden’s Tobias Jonsson sharing a distant second place.
Jackson entered the final round in a share of the lead alongside Englishman Joshua Berry but quickly raced clear thanks to three birdies in his first four holes.
A bogey on the par four fifth was followed by an eagle on the drivable par four seventh before a gain on the ninth put the 24-year-old in complete control. He bogeyed the 12th hole but extended his winning margin with three birdies over the closing seven holes to cruise to a first professional win.
“I didn’t really let myself feel anything until the last putt went in and when it did it was one of the best feelings of my life,” he said.
“I was just trying to take it one shot at a time. I wanted to get to 20 under and I knew that number would win at the end of the day. Each hole was a battle, and I wanted to try and stay present.”
With the likes of Cheung and Jonsson putting strong rounds together, Jackson knew he had to go low during the final day in Brno.
“I knew with the way the leaderboard was somebody was going to have to go out and probably win this,” he added.
“Being in the lead is something I’ve experienced before in different tournaments but it’s so difficult to get a win over the line.
“I knew unless someone was doing something crazy, I was probably in the lead, and it was about making as many birdies as I could.”
Jackson, who arrived in the Czech Republic having missed cuts at his previous two HotelPlanner Tour events, jumps 142 places on the Road to Mallorca Rankings to 15th as he looks to secure promotion to the DP World Tour.
“It’s definitely a boost,” he added.
“To this point I was not playing well. I know what my standards are, and I wasn’t reaching them. This week might have succeeded them, and I am so grateful to have won this event.
“It’s obviously Father’s Day out in the USA and he’s a big influence for me. My mum has been battling some health problems recently and she told me to win a tournament for her, and I am glad I did.”
Cheung and Jonsson finished the week in a tie for second on 15 under par, one stroke clear of Czech Filip Mruzek, who held solo fourth. Denmark’s Christian Jacobsen, Spaniard Sebastian Garcia and England’s Will Enefer shared fifth on 13 under par.
After ending the week inside the top 30, two-time HotelPlanner Tour winner Renato Paratore jumps to the top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings, replacing South African Daniel van Tonder, who drops to second. Berry, who carded a final round 74 to drop to tied ninth position, remains third in the rankings, while Englishman Jamie Rutherford moves up one spot to fourth.
The Road to Mallorca now heads to France for the Blot Play9, taking place at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val Andréfrom June 19-22, 2025.
