Yannik Paul has climbed into the top 20 of the DP World Tour Rankings in partnership with Rolex after a dramatic victory at the Mallorca Golf Open.
The German rookie carded a final-round 72 to finish on 15 under par which proved just enough to claim the first victory of his career.
The 28-year-old had to birdie the final hole to secure the title, finishing one shot clear of fellow countryman Nicolai Von Dellingshausen and England’s Paul Waring.
Along with the trophy and improved playing privileges, Paul won 460 valuable points to boost himself 23 places in the Rankings from 43rd to 20th.
“I’m speechless, honestly, I’m just so happy,” said Paul. “My girlfriend and I, we worked a lot on my mental side and we were dreaming that she would be here for my first win, and she’s here now, it’s unbelievable.
“It was really hard today. My ball-striking was unbelievable all week. I hit it really close at the first couple of holes and couldn’t make any putts.
“So that was really hard to just stay in the moment. But luckily none of the other guys really made a lot of putts.
“I saw after nine holes that I was in the lead and then Marcus (Armitage) obviously hit a great shot on 15 and holed a great putt so I was two shots away and I thought ‘OK, now it’s going to get close’.
“I couldn’t have dreamt of a better ending so I’m over the moon.”
Along with Paul, a total of 46 other players secured a rise in the Rankings following important finishes at Mallorca’s Son Muntaner Golf Club.
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox had to settle for a share of fourth place alongside England’s Dale Whitnell despite being tied for the 54-hole lead.
The 35-year-old Kiwi still earned 126.5 more vital points to ensure a pivotal rise in the Rankings from third to second.
The two-time winner this season remains in the hunt for the Harry Vardon Trophy, and now trails leader Rory McIlroy by just 908.1 points.
The Northern Irishman enjoyed some success of his own at the weekend with his PGA Tour victory at the CJ Cup propelling him back to World Number One.
The four-time Major winner is likely to remain in top spot ahead of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai on November 17-20.
Elsewhere, both Von Dellingshausen and Waring enjoyed much-needed rises with the latter moving into the all-important top 50 in the Rankings.
The Englishman secured a 33-place move from 82nd to 49th, while Von Dellingshausen jumped from 121st to 77th.
The top 50 players at the conclusion of the Nedbank Golf Challenge qualify for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The only other player alongside Waring to move directly into the top 50 bracket in Mallorca was England’s Eddie Pepperell who edged from 51st to 48th.
The DP World Tour moves on this week to the $2 million Portugal Masters at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura, Portugal. The event is set to take place on October 27-30.
