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Marco Penge Claims Challenge Tour Double And Secures 2024 DP World Tour Card

The Englishman produced a near-faultless performance at Club de Golf Alcanada to win the Challenge Tour Grand Final and Road To Mallorca season title

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Marco Penge secured a DP World Tour card for 2024 after comfortably winning the Challenge Tour Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada by six shots and being crowned 2023 Road to Mallorca champion.

Penge began the final day's play on seven-under, just a shot ahead of Frenchman Tom Vaillant, but quickly recovered from an error on the first to pull away as Vaillant's putter went stone cold.

It was a near faultless week for the Englishman, with three rounds of 69 or better, one level-par performance and a final score of 10-under proving his dominance - despite gusty winds throughout on the coastal course.

Victory in Mallorca was the 25-year-old's second Challenge Tour win this season following a four-shot success at the Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos in September.

But speaking about his most-recent double achievement after coming off 18 on Sunday, Penge said: "It's unbelievable. Especially considering where I was about eight weeks ago - I think I was about 83rd on the rankings. 

"To be here saying I've won twice on the Challenge Tour, and I think I've won the overall rankings [competition]... it's hard to imagine. It hasn't quite sunk in yet."

Penge suffered an early wobble at Club de Golf Alcanada when he pulled his second shot at the first out of bounds and could only recover to make bogey. The response was indicative of the Englishman's quality, though, as he strung five consecutive pars together before bagging a couple of birdies prior to the turn.

Three further birdies for The Caversham-based player followed as his French playing partners struggled to create any kind of positive momentum. 

And although there was a late bogey added to the card, Penge was already home and dry and simply relying on the field settling down before he could be confirmed as the season-long champion.

While there was plenty of cause for celebration among Penge's group - with all three booking full-time DP World Tour cards and making up the top-three spots at the season-ending event - 18 other players won playing privileges on the global tour next year.

Casey Jarvis - who missed out on becoming the first South African to claim the Challenge Tour crown by just seven points - Manuel Elvira, brother of DP World Tour pro Nacho, and Brandon Stone were among the notable names to move up next season.

Matteo Manassero and Alex Fitzpatrick were already assured of their rights for 2024, but Welshman Stuart Manley finished around three hours before the leaders on Sunday and faced a painful wait before finding out he had nabbed the 21st and final spot in the 2023 Road To Mallorca Rankings.

That left Brandon Robinson Thompson in the worst spot of them all - 22nd - and one space outside of the magic number, just ahead of Benjamin Follett-Smith, Jamie Rutherford, and Ashley Chesters.

Challenge Tour Grand Final Leaderboard

• -4 Vaillant
• -1 Bairstow, Robinson-Thompson

Updates from

GOOD MORNING ALL!

Good morning and welcome to the final day's play at the Challenge Tour Grand Final where, in around five-to-six hours time, we will learn who will be plying their trade on the DP World Tour next year!

Currently, Marco Penge leads both the event and the Road to Mallorca standings but, with plenty of golf remaining in Spain, every shot will count. The leaders head off in around half an hour and, looking at the early scores, there appears to be a real mix of over and under par rounds taking place.

So, why not strap in for what is set to be an enthralling afternoon of golf, with the top 20 players in the Road to Mallorca standings earning spots on the DP World Tour next year...

THE FINAL MAN

It's early days in Spain but, currently, Brandon Robinson-Thompson is the man occupying the 21st and final spot in the standings. He sits fourth in the tournament and is about to head out on to the course, with the likes of Rolex Series winner, Brandon Stone (20th), and Wales' Stuart Manley (22nd), his nearest rivals!

EARLY MOVERS AND SHAKERS

As the early starters approach and make the turn, only one player has reached three-under for today's play - and that score has been made by Ugo Coussaud, who sits in a tie for 33rd. 

The Frenchman is currently track to end the season third after suffering a disappointing final event so far, but if he can remain upwardly mobile then he will believe anything is possible.

American Julian Suri is at two-under for the day, but he needs to improve still on his T4 position if he is to secure a DP World Tour card - he's currently 24th in the RTM Rankings.

There are a lot of players throughout the field around the turn at two-under, so it seems like scoring will be possible today - even with those gusts still out there.

LEADERS UNDERWAY

Vaillant, Lacroix, and Penge have fired off their tee shots on one. A hat-trick of decent openers. Penge's was the best, though, rifling a hybrid low and down the middle which came to rest just across a cart path. Lovely stuff.

THE STAGE IS SET

The stage is set for the final day in Mallorca 🇪🇸#RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/Vph7u5w5mb November 5, 2023

LACROIX EAGLE AND PENGE PROBLEM

Despite missing the fairway with his drive way right, Lacroix drilled an absolutely brilliant iron shot into the short side of the green and has left himself maybe five feet  for eagle. That's the start you want to make! 

On the opposite side of the coin, Penge has pulled his approach low and left into the jungle. He's been forced into a drop and must get up and down to secure a par.

CONTRASTING FORTUNES ON ONE

Vaillant faced a lengthy eagle putt from the back of the first green, but his down-hill putt somehow comes up short - even with the greens running at 10.4 today. The quickest they've been all week. An awkward length remaining for birdie. And he's missed. A three putt for par will frustrate anyone, but Tom will be seething about that one.

Penge skuttles his par-putt past, but that's a tap-in for bogey. A decent result, considering. 

And we save the best until last. Frederic Lacroix confidently pushes his ball into the hole for an opening eagle! 

SUPER START BY SURI

American Julian Suri has made an eagle-par-birdie start as he looks to steal one of the final DP World Tour cards. He's currently 23rd in the rankings, but if he carries on this way then he'll be a shoo-in.

The wind is starting to really whip up now, and players are struggling to land approach shots. Brandon Robinson-Thompson has just watched his wedge shot spin back off the green due to getting caught up in the wind. His third shot flew over the green. Nerves and tricky conditions are playing havoc with some.

And that's the curse of the commentator coming true again. Suri found the heart of the green on the par-3 fourth, but went on to three putt and ends with a bogey.

GETTING READY

Here's a photo of some late green-keeping work being completed this morning. I can only presume the dog is there to round up some wayward sheep while the human staff paints and cuts the hole.

NO CHANGE AT THE TOP

All three leaders tidy up on the second to record a hat-trick of pars. Putting in this ever-increasing wind cannot be easy, but the two Frenchman and lone Englishman managed to avoid any damage.

ROBINSON-THOMPSON DISPLAYS FIGHT

Robinson-Thompson endured a pretty torrid third hole, shooting double bogey as he criss-crossed the green. But what a response! Facing a birdie chance on the fourth which he had no real right to make, the Englishman fired a beautiful winding putt over a ridge before crashing into the pin and dropping in.

Robinson-Thompson is one of those just inside the DP World Tour cut line.

GRINDING IT OUT

A lot of gutsy par putts are going in right now. Suri finds a clutch four on five, while Penge slots home on the third to make it two in a row. Unfortunately for Vaillant, though, he watches a close-range shot lip out. The Frenchman falls one back but is still comfortably inside the all-important top-21.

MANLEY MAKING A RUN

Stuart Manley is way down the leaderboard for the tournament, but the Welshman is showing some real grit and determination to make that top-21 on the RTM. He's strung three consecutive birdies together to push himself into the magic zone, but there goes a bogey at 16 to set nerves jangling again. Although he is 14-over for the tournament, his RTM projected ranking is currently 20th.

BirdieBirdieBirdie@stu_manley started the round outside of the graduation places. But after this birdie run he's now on course to get his 2024 Tour card.#RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/J6nvHXWdMj November 5, 2023

LEADERS FAIL TO FIND A BIRDIE

Penge, Lacroix, and Vaillant all had makeable birdie putts off the back of the fifth green, but none of them found the bottom of the cup. Vaillant - who has really struggled with the flat stick so far today - comes closest, but it's a lip-out and no cigar. As you were!

PENGE IN ACTION

The leader has put that early blemish behind him, and he's just been trundling along with pars ever since - that's all he needs to do.

ROAD TO MALLORCA STANDINGS

The top-21 in the RTM Rankings is is an ever-changing situation, but here is how it stands around the bubble right now.

• 16 - Tom Vaillant
• 17 - Francesco Laporta
• 18 - Brandon Stone
• 19 - Max Rottluff
• 20 - Stuart Manley
• 21 - Brandon Robinson-Thompson
• CUT-OFF LINE
• 22 - Sam Bairstow
• 23 - Julian Suri
• 24 - Benjamin Follett-Smith
• 25 - Jamie Rutherford

VAILLANT PUTTER WOES CONTINUE

The Frenchman is really struggling with his putter. He's missed a handful of short efforts already so far, but he rolls a close one in to save bogey on six. As a result of that dropped shot, Vaillant has slipped to 21st in the RTM standings...

Lacroix and Penge tap in for par - they're nice and settled in the top-two positions on the leaderboard.

CLUB DE GOLF ALCANADA

In case you were wondering what Club de Golf Alcanada is like to play, the location for this week's Challenge Tour Grand Final, we've got you covered. Have a look at the link above to find out all the key details.

BUBBLE BOYS THREATEN TO POP

Suri (27th) makes bogey on eight courtesy of a missed short putt and loudly curses before tapping in. Moments later, Robinson-Thompson (21st) slings one out of bounds left off the tee and is forced to drop ahead of his third shot. The Englishman now needs to chip in from off the front of the green if he is to not drop back.

Having dropped out of the top-21 for the first time today, Vaillant (22nd) has a birdie chance to recover on the seventh via a wonderful iron approach.

PENGE AND VAILLANT BAG BIRDIES

Penge finally finds a birdie! A tricky right-to-left slider puts him three shots clear at the top. He's back to level par for the day and looking all-but home and dry already.

And now Vaillant secures a birdie too! They're all at it. Robinson-Thompson has just recorded his second double bogey of the day and has dropped out of the top-21. Both of those incidents mean the Frenchman is back up to 16th. What drama!

.@PengeMarco leads by three shots and is projected to win the Road to Mallorca Rankings 🙌 #RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/2sd8MnU87a November 5, 2023

FOUR PLAYERS UNDER PAR

The pressure appears to be mounting on everyone as Lacroix sends a wild drive out of bounds left off the tee on the 8th. Only a quartet of this field are under par for the entire event. Penge, Lacroix, Vaillant, and Sam Bairstow. Tough sledding.

VAILLANT ON THE SLIDE

Penge produces a lovely bunker shot to escape from the 8th with a par. He popped the ball back in his stance, leant slightly forward, and whipped his ball up into the air before watching it rip to the right and stop a couple of feet away.

Lacroix does well to only drop a single shot via a two-putt from range, but Vaillant misses a painfully-close tap in and also falls back to three-under. This putting performance is the stuff of nightmares for Vaillant.

CASEY JARVIS ON THE HUNT

Even though Penge holds a four-shot lead in this final event of the campaign, Casey Jarvis is lighting it up on the back nine and is currently projected to win the season title. The South African has managed four birdies in his past five holes to fire himself up to sixth on the leaderboard at one-over.

LEAD OUT TO FIVE

Penge rolls home an eight-foot birdie putt with ice in his veins. He looks like he's playing a different course today. That would appear the case, especially in relation to his playing partners as Lacroix bogeys the ninth.

Meanwhile, Tom Vaillant's nightmare day continues as he sees a horrible lip-out. His puppy-dog eyes after tapping in for bogey tell their own story. He wants the ground to swallow him up after a fifth bogey on the front nine. But he's still 21st in the RTM Rankings and he has the scoreable back nine to come. Come on, Tom. Keep going.

OFF-COLOUR PENGE LEADS BY SEVEN

On the TV coverage, they have just revealed that Penge is drinking Coca Cola as he's been struggling with cramp and feeling a little unwell so far this week. He's now out to nine-under and leads by seven after draining a winding putt from his left. 

Elsewhere, good news for Vaillant! He rolls in a mid-range par putt to remain at two-under for the tournament. The Frenchmen are still fighting here - both Vaillant and Lacroix escape with pars thanks to a pair of class bunker escapes.

YOUNG, WILD, AND CASEY

The youngest player in the field, Casey Jarvis, fires in a massive par putt - both in length and meaning - to remain top of the RTM Rankings. Despite carding an 80 on Thursday, the 20-year-old has ended the week one-over thanks to a final round of five-under. There had never been a South African Challenge Tour winner, until 2023. Casey Jarvis has a strong chance to do it.

What a finish Casey Jarvis! A four under par back nine sees him projected to number one on the Road to Mallorca Rankings. #RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/knXruGAEM5 November 5, 2023

MANLEY WON'T WATCH

Based on the current projected rankings, Welshman Stuart Manley is set to be the final man to secure a full-time DP World Tour card. The 44-year-old, speaking to Sky Sports, says he won't be watching the coverage this afternoon. Maybe he'll be reading this instead? Hi Stuart! Fingers crossed for you! 

All @stu_manley can do now is wait. #RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/b7PqpUlymT November 5, 2023

ELVIRA JOINS HIS BROTHER ON TOUR

Manuel Elvira signs off on seven-under par and will join his brother Nacho on the DP World Tour next season. A Fitzpatrick v Elvira foursomes would be good to watch at some point...

VAILLANT PULLS ONE BACK

While Penge and Lacroix are unable to find a four on the par-5 11th, Tom Vaillant does roll a putt in to move back to three-under. He's now second on his own and finally has a much-needed shot of confidence.

Elsewhere, one of the players who could move back to level par and potentially cost Jarvis the Challenge Tour title - Robinson-Thompson - has scrambled a par and continues to play with a smile on his face. What a great attitude BRT appears to have.

We are coming down the closing stretch in Mallorca. This is how the current season standings lie around the all-important mark.

• 18th - Brandon Stone
• 19th - Max Rottluff
• 20th - Stuart Manley
• 21st - Sam Bairstow
• 22nd - Benjamin Follett-Smith
• 23rd - Jamie Rutherford
• 24th - Ashley Chesters
• 25th - Euan Walker
• 26th - Brandon Robinson-Thompson

PENGE LEADS BY SEVEN WITH SIX HOLES TO GO

After the Englishman pars the 12th, he is back up to first in the RTM standings as well due to a handful of birdies by the field, dropping Casey Jarvis back into a tie for seventh. Meanwhile, Vaillant succumbs to a sixth bogey of the day, immediately after finding his second birdie. 

MANASSERO IS BACK ON TOUR

From an almost identical spot to Jarvis earlier, Matteo Manassero sends in a magnificent putt to finish off his season in style.

A birdie on the last for @ManasseroMatteo 🙌 He will finish inside the top 20 on the Road to Mallorca to claim a 2024 DP World Tour card!#RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/dgZN9SvmRd November 5, 2023

VAILLANT RESPONDS AS PENGE KICKS ON

The Vaillant fist-pump is back. The Frenchman pops a lovely chip onto the green at 13 and watches on as it releases to about a foot away from the hole. He's back to three-under via a birdie.

Lacroix can't even find the green with his first chip and he will throw away a chance to take a shot from the course. He remains at two-under.

Guess who's slotted home another birdie, though? Penge pushes his ball up the hill and tumbling into the cup for 10-under par. Four birdies in seven holes for Marco.

ROBINSON-THOMPSON FIGHTS ON

Just before Penge escaped with a par on 14, Brandon Robinson-Thompson found another birdie to move back to level par for the tournament. As things stand, the Englishman is projected 23rd on the RTM. He probably needs one more birdie to make it, although that would be bad news for Stuart Manley.

PENGE CLOSES IN ON VICTORY

Vaillant rolls in a brilliant birdie on 15 to continue his upward turn, and he is closely followed by compatriot, Lacroix. They are four-under and three-under, respectively.

But Penge upstages both of them via yet another birdie, and he is seven shots clear with only three holes to play. This has been an outstanding performance by the Englishman.

OUTSTANDING VIEWS IN MALLORCA

What a backdrop to play golf against...

STUNNING FROM BRT

Robinson-Thompson needed two birdies on his final two holes to usurp Manley into the final RTM spot, and he's completed the first half of his task in some style! After pushing his tee shot right on the par-three 17th, BRT faced some 50 feet of straight putt before the hole. In truth, it looked in all the way. The Englishman is one-under for the event and within a shot of booking his DP World Tour card.

How important is that! @BRTtoursauce birdies the 17th and needs one more birdie to take the final place in the projected Road to Mallorca Rankings. #RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/t7Hb2DQtTu November 5, 2023

ONE PUTT TO CHANGE IT ALL

Bairstow and Robinson-Thompson have played strong approach shots into the 18th green. The former is in a stronger position, in terms of a top-21 finish, while the latter effectively faces one shot to decide whether he makes it or not. This is incredible drama!

ROBINSON-THOMPSON MISSES BIRDIE PUTT

That looks like it could be it, then! Robinson-Thompson is projected to end 22nd while Stuart Manley holds onto the final card. The putt from BRT just slid to the right from 15 feet. Moments later, Sheffield's Sam Bairstow taps home to finish 18th.

A par at the last for a round of 71 👏 Sam Bairstow has clinched his 2024 DP World Tour card, having started the week outside the graduation spots. #RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/D4madGRawg November 5, 2023

PENGE MAKES BOGEY

Well, goodness me! Marco Penge has missed a putt. That seven-shot lead reduces slightly after the Englishman misses right from eight feet on 17. He's still six shots in front going down the last, mind...

Tom Vaillant has been a rollercoaster ride to watch this afternoon. He will be superb on the DP World Tour. The Frenchman pops a 100-foot putt slightly into the air upon contact, but the ball still trickles its way down to hole-side. He gives several smaller fist pumps in a row. He loves it!

Lacroix just about misses from range, but he's still in for par. 

One hole to go...

CLASSY APPROACHES FROM FINAL GROUP

After all three in the final group find the fairway on 18, Penge sticks it on the right side of the green, Lacroix finds the left portion, but Vaillant flicks a superb approach just behind the flag and will have a straightforward birdie chance.

The trio bask in a warm round of applause as they make their way onto the green, and they can all take a huge sigh or relief - it's almost a done deal.

PENGE WINS CHALLENGE TOUR GRAND FINAL AND SECURES NUMBER ONE RANKING IN ROAD TO MALLORCA

That was outstanding form Marco Penge. The whole day - after the first hole - has featured simply stunning golf. Penge taps in for par and a final round of 69, clinching the Challenge Tour Grand Final title and the number one spot on the Road To Mallorca.

Tom Vaillant ends on four-under in second after a final-day 74, while Frederic Lacroix shot 71 on Sunday to finish third on three-under.

Final Road To Mallorca Rankings to follow...

FINAL ROAD TO MALLORCA RANKINGS

• 1st - Marco Penge
• 2nd - Casey Jarvis
• 3rd - Manuel Elvira
• 4th - Ugo Coussaud
• 5th - Jesper Svensson
• 6th - Adam Blomme
• 7th - Lorenzo Scalise
• 8th - Andrea Pavan
• 9th - Matteo Manassero
• 10th - Ricardo Gouveia
• 11th - Alex Fitzpatrick
• 12th - Tom Vaillant
• 13th - Frederic Lacroix 
• 14th - Francesco Laporta
• 15th - Will Enefer
• 16th - Ivan Cantero
• 17th - Joel Girrbach
• 18th - Sam Bairstow
• 19th - Brandon Stone
• 20th - Maximillian Rottluff
• 21st - Stuart Manley
• 22nd - Brandon Robinson Thompson
• 23rd - Benjamin Follett-Smith
• 24th - Jamie Rutherford
• 25th - Ashley Chesters
• 26th - Euan Walker
• 27th - Oliver Farr
• 28th - JJ Senekal
• 29th - Conor Purcell
• 30th - Julian Suri
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European Challenge Tour Announces 2022 Schedule

Road to Mallorca comprises 31 tournaments in 18 different countries in 2022. Biggest total prize fund of more than €8.2m, an increase of €2m from 2021.

• Post author By Elena Sinde
• Post date December 20, 2021
• No Comments on European Challenge Tour Announces 2022 Schedule

The European Challenge Tour has today 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 first 20 players will earn DP World Tour cards for the 2023 season.

The 2022 Road to Mallorca will consist of 31 tournaments staged across three continents in 18 different countries.

It 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 comeback of the Road to Mallorca to China in the Challenge Tour Schedule 2022.

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 Grand Finale of the Challenge Tour 2022 takes another bite from the venue of 2021.

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 about the 2022 schedule:

“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.”

The full 2022 Road to Mallorca International Schedule:

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2024 Challenge Tour schedule over €8,000,000 for second successive year

The European Challenge Tour today announced its global 2024 Road to Mallorca schedule, featuring 29 tournaments, staged across three continents in 18 different countries.

Players will compete for total prize money of more than €8,000,000 for the second consecutive year and the 2024 Road to Mallorca will begin with the SDC Open at the start of February, the first of four co-sanctioned events with the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.

The Challenge Tour returns to India in March with the Delhi Challenge and Kolkata Challenge, the latter of which will be played at Royal Calcutta Golf Club – the oldest golf club in India and the first outside of Great Britain.

The Road to Mallorca heads to the United Arab Emirates in April with back-to-back events, the Abu Dhabi Challenge at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club followed by the UAE Challenge once again at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, as part of the European Tour group’s long-term partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation.

The Challenge Tour will head to Spain in May for the Challenge de España, which will kick-start a run of 18 tournaments in 21 weeks and see the Road to Mallorca travel through 14 countries in Europe, including Poland for the Rosa Challenge Tour and Ireland for the Irish Challenge at The K Club, the 2006 Ryder Cup venue, which hosted the Irish Open in 2023 and will do so again in 2025 and 2027.

The Road to Mallorca returns to China for back-to-back events in October, the Hainan Open followed by the Hangzhou Open, which offers a final opportunity to tee it up in the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A.

The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final returns to Club de Golf Alcanada for the third successive year for the end-of-season showpiece from October 31 – November 3, as the top 45 players on the Rankings battle it out in Mallorca for one of the life changing 20 DP World Tour cards.

Those 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 2025 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.

Jamie Hodges , Head of Challenge Tour, said: “I would like to thank all our promoters, national Federations and tournament sponsors who are absolutely integral to the success of the Challenge Tour and have helped make this global schedule possible.

“The number of different countries we are visiting, the variety of courses and conditions, in addition to the overall experiences the players get on the Challenge Tour will ensure they are fully equipped to make the step up to the DP World Tour.

“The success of our graduates on the DP World Tour in 2023, as well as the impressive start made by our graduates so far in 2024, highlights the calibre of golfer that the Challenge Tour continues to produce. Their careers benefited from our formal pathway to the DP World Tour and following in their footsteps is a great incentive for our members competing on the Challenge Tour in 2024.

“We are also very grateful for the commitment of Rolex, The R&A, and 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.”

Last season, 25 former Challenge Tour players won on the DP World Tour – including 2022 graduates Matthew Baldwin, Tom McKibbin, Daniel Hillier and Todd Clements, while six finished inside the top ten on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.

Matthieu Pavon became the 213th former Challenge Tour player to win on the DP World Tour when he secured a four-shot triumph at the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid, while the total number of wins by Challenge Tour alumni is now 570.

Six former Challenge Tour players helped Team Europe to their dominant 16½-11½ victory against the United States in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, including debutants Robert MacIntyre and Nicolai Højgaard, who went on to win the DP World Tour Championship last month to finish second on the Race to Dubai.

Image: Challenge Tour

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Challenge Tour announces 2023 global schedule

12/14/2022 by Elena Reiter

The Challenge Tour announces its tournament schedule for the coming year. Even more tournaments and a record prize money are waiting for the players.

Challenge Tour schedule 2023. (Photo: Getty)

The European Challenge Tour today announced its global 2023 Road to Mallorca schedule, featuring a record overall prize fund and a minimum of 29 tournaments, staged across three continents in 18 different countries.

Players will compete for total prize money of €8,200,000 on the 2023 Road to Mallorca, which 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.

India returns as a host country for the first time since 2013 with two events in March, the Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge followed by The Challenge presented by KGA.

The Challenge Tour also returns to the United Arab Emirates in April for the first time since 2018 with back-to-back events, including the Abu Dhabi Challenge, as part of the European Tour group’s long-term partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation.

The Challenge Tour will head to Spain in May for the Challenge de España, which will kick-start a run of 20 tournaments in 22 weeks and see the Road to Mallorca travel through 15 countries in Europe, including Italy for the Italian Challenge at Golf Nazionale, the venue which will then host the first two days of the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup in September.

The 2023 season 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.

Those 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.

Jamie Hodges, Head of Challenge Tour, said: “Our expansive global schedule gives our members the opportunity to play for a record total prize fund and benefit from our formal pathway to the DP World Tour, as we continue to provide an incredible platform for the next generation of golf’s superstars.

“I would like to thank the integral support of our promoters, national federations, and tournament sponsors, who have helped make this possible. The fact that 20 of our current national federations and promoters have extended their support through to next year is testament to their commitment and the strength of our Tour heading into 2023.

“We are also very grateful for the commitment of Rolex, The R&A, and DP World through their title partnership of the DP World Tour, all of whom have helped us to provide this comprehensive global schedule for some of the brightest talents in world golf.”

In 2022, 25 former Challenge Tour players won on the DP World Tour – including 2021 graduates Ewen Ferguson and Yannik Paul, while five finished inside the top ten on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex. Sean Crocker became the 200th former Challenge Tour player to win on the DP World Tour when he secured a wire-to-wire victory at the Hero Open, while the total number of wins by Challenge Tour alumni is now 544.

The full 2023 Road to Mallorca International Schedule can be viewed below or by clicking  here .

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Challenge Tour unveils 2023 schedule with record-breaking prize fund and 29 events

11.26am 15th December 2022 - Sponsorship & Events

The European Challenge Tour has announced its schedule for 2023, with Europe’a second tier tour set to feature a record overall prize fund and a minimum of 29 tournaments staged across three continents in 18 different countries.

Players will compete for total prize money of €8.2m, which 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.

India returns as a host country for the first time since 2013 with two events in March, the Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge followed by The Challenge presented by KGA.

The Challenge Tour also returns to the UAE in April for the first time since 2018 with back-to-back events, including the Abu Dhabi Challenge, as part of the European Tour group’s long-term partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation.

It will then head to Spain in May for the Challenge de España, which will kick-start a run of 20 tournaments in 22 weeks and see the Road to Mallorca travel through 15 countries in Europe, including Italy for the Italian Challenge at Golf Nazionale, the venue which will then host the first two days of the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup in September.

The 2023 season 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.

Those 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.

T he full Challenge Tour schedule for 2023 can be viewed by clicking  here .

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2024 European Challenge Tour Schedule Explored

T he Challenge Tour allows 20 new players to get inducted into the DP World Tour annually. The Tour’s various events traveling through various tournaments see the rising stars and players who once lost their European Tour cards. The Challenge Tour has announced the schedule for the upcoming season.

The 2024 season worth $8,743,320 (€8,000,000) will visit many countries and at last, it will award the twenty top-performing players to prove themselves at the European Tour for the 2025 season. Read ahead to learn all about its 2024 schedule.

Challenge Tour traversing through 18 countries

Just some hours ago, the European Challenge Tour announced its schedule, the 2024 Road to Mallorca. The upcoming season will encompass 18 different countries in 3 continents. The schedule comprises 29 events; the first event will be taking place in South Africa, co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour. The first of the four events scheduled in SA will be the SDC Open which is scheduled for February.

After playing the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship in Humewood GC, the Tour will move to India for the Delhi and Kolkata Challenge. The Kolkata Challenge will be held at one of the oldest clubs in India, Royal Calcutta Golf Club. After that, the Tour will move to UAE for the Abu Dhabi and UAE Challenge.

From May to September, the Challenge Tour will go through 14 countries in Europe with 18 tournaments in 21 weeks. The first will be the Challenge De Espana at the Real Club Sevilla Golf, the next in Denmark and the last of May will have the D+D Real Czech Challenge in the Czech Republic.

In June, there will be 2 events in France, one in Spain and one again in Czech. After ending the event in June, the Tour will stop next in pain for the Hopps Open, the Euram Bank Open in Denmark, and N.I. Open in Northern Ireland. The Tour will end the European events with the Italian Challenge Open and the Swiss Challenge in September.

The last two events before the grand final are the Hainan Open and the Hangzhou Open in the Republic of China . Golfers on the Challenge Tour will be rewarded well for their spectacular performances throughout the year.

The award for Challenge Tour’s graduates 

The Challenge Tour will end the 2024 season with the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in Spain, Mallorca. $546,457 (€500,000) will be awarded to the highest-ranked player on Road to Mallorca. Additionally, the top 45 will be eligible to play at the event and the top 20 will receive a membership for the European Tour.

Read More: Despite Being Denounced as a ‘Money Grab’ Tour by Critics, Has LIV Golf Finally Managed to Make a Resolute Stand?

With the aforesaid membership, the top 20 will also be eligible for DP World Tour’s Earnings Assurance Program, which will grant them a $150,000 bonus if they play in 15 or more events for the 2025 season. Moreover, the Top 5 on the Road to Mallorca will also benefit through John Jacobs’ Bursary for a secured first season on the European Tour.

Are you excited to watch the new faces on the Challenge Tour? Tell us in the comments below.

Watch this Story | ‘Big Dog’: Tiger Woods Gets Brutally Sarcastic With Charlie’s Buddy While an Eyeing Innocent Target

The post 2024 European Challenge Tour Schedule Explored appeared first on EssentiallySports .

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Tommy Fleetwood caddies stepson past Challenge Tour cut, beats out pros

Fleetwood carried the bag for his stepson Oscar in his first Challenge Tour event with the youngster making it to the weekend.

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Tommy Fleetwood was on dad duty for his stepson Oscar Craig this week in his first Challenge Tour start.

The 7-time DP World Tour winner was Craig’s caddie for his debut as he helped lead the youngster to a 2-under through 36 holes.

Playing as an amateur, Craig fired off a 3-under 69 on Thursday and a 1-over 73 on Friday to make the cut in his debut.

Craig finished bogey-free on Day 1 with birdies at Nos. 4, 8 and 18.

Friday’s round proved tougher for the youngster, but he tallied three birdies to go with four bogeys.

The 17-year-old was the only amateur to make the weekend at the UAE Challenge at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Fleetwood boasted about his stepson on social media after their round.

“Oscar you earned your way into your first Challenge Tour event with your hard work and talent! So proud to witness you make the cut against this quality field. Golf is great,” Fleetwood wrote.

Oscar you earned your way into your first @Challenge_Tour event with your hard work and talent! So proud to witness you make the cut against this quality field. Golf is great!!! https://t.co/Cs2bXIYRwT pic.twitter.com/IfUeowzfn1 — Tommy Fleetwood (@TommyFleetwood1) April 26, 2024

The Englishman commented on a video the Challenge Tour posted with both having smiles across their faces. He pulled him into a giant hug and couldn’t stop smiling while they walked off the green.

They celebrated with family and friends. His mom, Claire Fleetwood, was also there to embrace him.

Fleetwood knows all about the Challenge Tour. At 20 years old, he was the youngest player to finish atop the rankings in 2011 after he won the Kazakhstan Open.

He went on to win his first DP World Tour event, the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, in 2013.

Fleetwood's caddie duties will continue for the next two days as Craig secured his spot for the weekend. While he will not take home any money, playing all four days in a professional golf event is quite the feat.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf cov rage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also foll w her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

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2024 Zurich Classic live stream, TV schedule, where to watch online, channel, tee times, radio, golf coverage

Grab a partner as this team-style event on the pga tour wraps up sunday.

For the seventh straight year, golfers are in the Bayou taking part in the PGA Tour's annual team-style event. The 2024 Zurich Classic welcomed 80 teams of two as partners hoping to grab a trophy by week's end at TPC Louisiana.

Headlining the action are the two players who seemingly do everything together: Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. The good friends were victorious in their first go around in 2022 but failed to defend their title a season ago. They started well this go-around but will need to make some major gains on Sunday if they hope to win two of three titles in New Orleans.

A new pairing making its debut features world No. 2 Rory McIlroy -- in his first tournament appearance -- playing alongside Shane Lowry. The duo, which has shared Ryder Cup success, is together near the top of the Zurich Classic leaderboard sitting just two strokes back entering the final 18 holes Sunday.

Follow Zurich Classic playoff coverage now that Round 4 has concluded.

Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala also entered as a strong duo on paper, as was the case with Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama. Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor hoped to do one better than their runner-up performance in 2023 with Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith also starring as an all-Canadian team. Brothers Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick team up for the second straight year with Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard, plus Parker and Pierceson Coody, also making this week a family affair.

All times Eastern; streaming start times approximated

Round 4 - Sunday

Round starts:  10:30 a.m.

PGA Tour Live:  10:30 a.m. -  6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Live

Early TV coverage:  12:45 - 2:45 p.m. on Golf Channel,  fubo  (Try for free) Live streaming:  12:45 - 2:45 p.m. on Peacock

Live TV coverage:  3-6 p.m. on CBS Live simulcast:  3-6 p.m. on  CBSSports.com  and the  CBS Sports App

Radio:  1-6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Radio  

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2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Full Field: The PGA Tour's Two-Man Team Game

Irishmen Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy team up for the first time at TPC Louisiana.

• Author: John Schwarb

Much of the country is finally into the golf season, and for many players that means weekend pairs games. Pick a partner and take on another two-player team, either in a better-ball format or (if you want to see how much you really like your partner) alternate shot.

This week, the PGA Tour does the same thing.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a refreshing change from weekly Tour individual stroke play, with 80 teams of two playing the above two formats at TPC Louisiana. The first and third rounds are better ball and the second and fourth are alternate shot, with a cut after 36 holes.

Davis Riley (Titleist hat) and Nick Hardy won the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

The format always makes for interesting teams, from longtime friends to countrymen to completely random pairings.

Rory McIlroy is making his first appearance at TPC Louisiana, teaming up with fellow Irishman and Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry. They’ll see some familiar faces including their Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, playing with his European assistant captain Francesco Molinari, as well as English brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick.

Brothers and Tour rookies Parker and Pierceson Coody are a team, while at the other end of the age spectrum are Matt Kuchar and PGA Tour Champions regular Steve Stricker. Billy Horschel, who has won the Zurich when it was an individual event as well as a team event, has a new partner in Tyson Alexander, a fellow University of Florida alum.

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, close friends and frequent partners on U.S. Cup teams, won the Zurich in 2022 and return. Defending champions Nick Hardy and Davis Riley are also back. 

Winners earn FedEx Cup points and two-year Tour exemptions, but do not receive Masters invitations or world ranking points.

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Full Field

Fitzpatrick, Matt/Fitzpatrick, Alex * Morikawa, Collin/Kitayama, Kurt Woodland, Gary/Hodges, Lee McIlroy, Rory/Lowry, Shane Molinari, Francesco/Donald, Luke Horschel, Billy/Alexander, Tyson Cantlay, Patrick/Schauffele, Xander Berger, Daniel/Perez, Victor Brehm, Ryan/Hubbard, Mark Champ, Cameron/Daffue, MJ Conners, Corey/Pendrith, Taylor Echavarria, Nico/Greyserman, Max Eckroat, Austin/Gotterup, Chris Garnett, Brice/Straka, Sepp Hardy, Nick/Riley, Davis Hoge, Tom/McNealy, Maverick Kisner, Kevin/Brown, Scott Lee, K.H./Kim, Michael List, Luke/Norlander, Henrik Malnati, Peter/Knox, Russell Moore, Taylor/NeSmith, Matt Norrman, Vincent/Campillo, Jorge Ramey, Chad/Trainer, Martin Reavie, Chez/Snedeker, Brandt Spaun, J.J./Buckley, Hayden Taylor, Nick/Hadwin, Adam Theegala, Sahith/Zalatoris, Will Wallace, Matt/Olesen, Thorbjørn Hoffman, Charley/Watney, Nick Johnson, Zach/Palmer, Ryan Kraft, Kelly */Tway, Kevin * Chappell, Kevin */Dufner, Jason * Højgaard, Nicolai */Højgaard, Rasmus Wu, Brandon */Nicholas, James Lawrence, Thriston */Potgieter, Aldrich * Putnam, Andrew/Highsmith, Joe Cole, Eric/Cochran, Russ Montgomery, Taylor/Griffin, Ben Smalley, Alex/Schmid, Matti Detry, Thomas/MacIntyre, Robert Hossler, Beau/Ryder, Sam Mitchell, Keith/Dahmen, Joel Stevens, Sam/Barjon, Paul Kuchar, Matt/Stricker, Steve Rai, Aaron/Lipsky, David Kim, S.H./Bae, Sangmoon Suh, Justin/Hoey, Rico Thompson, Davis/Novak, Andrew Taylor, Ben/O'Hair, Sean Higgo, Garrick/Fox, Ryan Shelton, Robby/Furr, Wilson Tarren, Callum/Skinns, David Wu, Dylan/Lower, Just/n Hall, Harry/Piercy, Scott Lashley, Nate/Campos, Rafael Sigg, Greyson/Hadley, Chesson Young, Carson/Martin, Ben Streelman, Kevin/Laird, Martin Blair, Zac/Fishburn, Patrick Yu, Kevin/Pan, C.T. Ghim, Doug/Kim, Chan Merritt, Troy/Streb, Robert Yuan, Carl/Dou, Zecheng Vegas, Jhonattan/Burgoon, Bronson Whaley, Vince/Long, Adam Kohles, Ben/Kizzire, Patton Phillips, Chandler/Bridgeman, Jacob Barnes, Erik/Endycott, Harrison Stanger, Jimmy/Dumont de Chassart, Adrien Tosti, Alejandro/Potter,Jr., Ted Silverman, Ben/Dougherty, Kevin Springer, Hayden/Whitney, Tom Meissner, Mac/Smotherman, Austin Coody, Parker/Coody, Pierceson Xiong, Norman/McCormick, Ryan Crowe, Trace/Higgs, Harry Sloan, Roger/Teater, Josh Pereda, Raul/Cook, Austin Gutschewski, Scott/Byrd, Jonathan Hale, Jr., Blaine/Haley II, Paul *Sponsor Exemptions

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2024 Zurich Classic Saturday TV coverage: How to watch Round 3

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are one shot back at the Zurich Classic halfway point.

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The 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans continues on Saturday morning with the third round at TPC Louisiana. Here’s what you need to know to watch Round 3 on TV or online, including complete Zurich Classic Saturday TV coverage.

How to watch Zurich Classic on Saturday

It’s a packed leaderboard in New Orleans at the Zurich Classic halfway point, with a four-way tie atop the leaderboard. The most high-profile duo in that group? Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry .

Who is the new ‘kid’ on the Korn Ferry Tour? We found out

The Irishmen are 13 under as the tournament moves to a four-ball format on Saturday. But just behind them and the other three teams at 13 under is a six-team logjam at 12 under, including Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Moving Day should be entertaining, to say the least.

You can watch Saturday’s third round of the Zurich Classic on TV via Golf Channel beginning at 12:45 p.m. ET, followed by CBS at 3 p.m. ET. ESPN+ will offer exclusive early coverage and featured group coverage online. In addition, Peacock will provide a live simulcast of Golf Channel’s coverage, and Paramount+ will have the CBS broadcast.

Below you will find everything you need to watch the third round of the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

How to watch Zurich Classic on TV Saturday

Golf Channel will air third-round TV coverage of the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans from 12:45-2:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, followed by CBS from 3-6 p.m. ET.

How to stream Zurich Classic online Saturday

You can stream the third round of the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Saturday via Peacock and ESPN+ and Paramount+ . Peacock will provide a simulcast of Golf Channel’s TV coverage starting at 12:45 p.m. ET, and ESPN+ will provide exclusive early coverage and featured group coverage beginning at 8:15 a.m. ET. Paramount+ will provide a simulcast of CBS’ TV coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET.

2024 Zurich Classic Round 3 tee times (ET)

Format: Four-ball

8:14 a.m. – Nick Hardy-Davis Riley, Chandler Phillips-Jacob Bridgeman 8:27 a.m. – Vincent Norrman-Jorge Campillo, Kelly Kraft-Kevin Tway 8:40 a.m. – Nate Lashley-Rafael Campos, Chez Reavie-Brandt Snedeker 8:53 a.m. – Collin Morikawa-Kurt Kitayama, Peter Malnati-Russell Knox 9:06 a.m. – Brandon Wu-James Nicholas, Austin Eckroat-Chris Gotterup 9:19 a.m. – Chad Ramey-Martin Trainer, Brice Garnett-Sepp Straka 9:32 a.m. – Greyson Sigg-Chesson Hadley, Garrick Higgo-Ryan Fox 9:45 a.m. – Doug Ghim-Chan Kim, Matt Wallace-Thorbjorn Oleson 10:05 a.m. – Kevin Yu-C.T. Pan, Sam Stevens-Paul Barjon 10:18 a.m. – Dylan Wu-Justin Lower, Ben Taylor-Sean O’Hair 10:31 a.m. – K.H. Lee-Michael Kim, Matt Fitzpatrick-Alex Fitzpatrick 10:44 a.m. – Zac Blair-Marty Fishburn, Mac Meissner-Austin Smotherman 10:57 a.m. – Charley Hoffman-Nick Watney, Ben Kohles-Patton Kizzire 11:10 a.m. – Thomas Detry-Robert MacIntyre, Nico Echavarria-Max Greyserman 11:23 a.m. – Harry Hall-Scott Piercy, Keith Mitchell-Joel Dahmen 11:43 a.m. – Corey Conners-Taylor Pendrith, Luke List-Henrik Norlander 11:56 a.m. – Nick Taylor-Adam Hadwin, Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele 12:09 p.m. – Callum Tarren-David Skinns, Zach Johnson-Ryan Palmer 12:22 p.m. – Davis Thompson-Andrew Novak, Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard 12:35 p.m. – Aaron Rai-David Lipsky, Rory McIlroy-Shane Lowry

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As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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📌 World Bank Group Aims to Expand Health Services to 1.5 Billion People

• ABOUT THE EVENT
• Champions for Health

GO TO:  SPEAKERS

Health care is a fundamental investment, one that can unlock human capital and economic dividends for countries, but the challenge to bring more care to more people requires political will, financing and partnership.

This was the main theme at the “Transforming Challenge into Action: Expanding Health Coverage for All” event where World Bank Group president Ajay Banga announced an ambitious plan to support countries in delivering quality, affordable health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030 .

During a fireside chat moderated by international broadcast journalist Shakuntala Santhiran, Ajay Banga and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization spoke about the challenges to expanding health coverage and the urgency of doing so.

Banga said the new plan would “widen the aperture” of the Bank’s priorities from maternal and child health services to the health needs of people over their lifetimes, a move that also responds to rapidly aging populations, the surge in non-communicable diseases and the associated health care costs.

Following the fireside, Shun’ichi Suzuki, Minister of Finance, Japan announced the establishment of a Universal Health Care (UHC) Knowledge Hub to enhance health and finance ministries' capacity, an initiative also supported by the Bank and the World Health Organization.

Two separate panel discussions ensued with country and civil society leaders discussing what it will take to build resilient health systems, expand coverage and improve the health of populations so that countries can thrive. Panelists discussed the importance of political will, affordability, country ownership, partnerships with the private sector and the need for more financing in reaching universal health coverage for all.

Join the conversation on social media  #WBGMeetings

01:53 Fireside Chat / Insights and Perspectives With World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and the Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

21:38 Remarks / National Strategies and Initiatives Reflecting on universal healthcare priorities and capacity-building efforts with Mr. Shun’ichi Suzuki, Japan's Minister of Finance.

27:15 Panel 1 / Achieving UHC: Opportunities and Challenges Hear from Dr. Muhammad Pate, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and Dr. Senait Fisseha, as they share insights and experiences from Nigeria, Indonesia, and The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation.

47:10 Panel 2 / How can we better finance health? Explore new approaches to health financing with Dr. Mohamed Maait, Egypt's Minister of Finance, as well as industry and civil society leaders Lamia Tazi and Joanne Carter.

The goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is to ensure everyone receives the health services they need without facing financial hardship. Viewing health as an investment rather than an expense can unlock human capital and economic dividends for countries. Find out what our partners and UHC champions have to say about why Universal Health Coverage is so important, and what can be done to achieve this.

Rania A. Al-Mashat

Minister of International Cooperation, Egypt

"Investing in human capital by expanding health care services is key for sustainable development."  

Global Director, Health and Nutrition, World Vision International

"Universal Health Coverage is a commitment to equity, gender equality, social inclusion, good nutrition, and mental health across the life cycle."    

Janti Soeripto

President & CEO, Save the Children USA

"Achieving Universal Health Coverage is every child’s right."      

Sania Nishtar

Chief Executive Officer, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance

"Equitable access to vaccines and Universal Health Coverage are indivisible. Let us harness the transformative power of immunization and UHC to protect every community, with nobody left behind."  

Chris Elias

President, Global Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

"Strong primary healthcare is at the core of well-functioning health systems."    

Vanessa Kerry

CEO, Seed Global; Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health, WHO

"Access to healthcare, delivered by a skilled health worker, is essential to meet the challenges we face today."      

Keizo Takemi

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Government of Japan

"It is important to increase the scale of health financing in low- and middle-income countries."    

Atul Gawande

Assistant Administrator for Global Health, USAID

"Universal Health Coverage enables long and healthy lives for entire populations."    

Peter Sands

Executive Director, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria

"Accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage by tackling health inequalities is the only way to end the world's deadliest infectious diseases."    

Sabin Nsanzimana

Minister of Health, Rwanda

"Rwanda has committed to promoting UHC by calling for evidence-based policy reforms that will guide a long-term model for health service delivery and financing in the country."   

[Shakuntala Santhiran]

Hello and welcome to the 2024 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and IMF. We have a full room here. I'm Shakuntala Santhiran, Shaks for short. Over the next hour, we'll discuss how countries can accelerate progress toward universal health coverage, where everyone, everywhere has access to quality, affordable health care when they need it. You can share your thoughts on this topic at any time using the hashtag #WBGMeetings. We have experts in multiple languages standing by to answer your questions online at live.worldbank.org. Please, post your questions in the live chat if you're joining us online, or by using the QR codes displayed on the chairs in front of you and around the room if you're here with us. Now, later in the program, we'll hear from ministers of Health and Finance, leaders in the private sector, civil society, and philanthropy to explore the issues and opportunities. First up, let's get the perspective of two people very familiar with the topic who understand what we need to make urgent progress. Please, join me in welcoming Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, and Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who's Director General of the World Health Organization. [Audience applauds]

Greetings, gentlemen. Thank you so very much for being here with us today. Ajay, first, quickly, you've been doing a lot of work fixing the plumbing of the World Bank Group. Why and what's the aim of that?

[Ajay Banga]

This plumbing question is getting asked a few times, and I think that's because I made the statement that I believe that if you make the Bank better and more effective, quicker, faster, simpler to navigate, then that allows you to raise your ambition on the kind of things that you can do because your ability to execute gets enhanced many times over by the quality of your foundation. So, I use plumbing to describe it because I say that you can't build a new house with poor plumbing. That is the logic. What we're trying to do is to improve the speed, turnaround time. It used to take us 19 months to get a project approved from the time we started talking about it to approval, we're down by three months. We want to bring down another three months by the middle of next year. If we get it down to a year, that's really good, given the complexity of what we deal with. We're trying to do things with combining our structure in different countries, 20 countries. We're going to put one country ahead on top of IFC, MIGA, IBRD all together. So, our client has to deal with one person, one World Bank Group, and cut out some of the silos that otherwise are visible. We're working on capital adequacy, change the Vision and Mission of the Bank to include Livable Planet. There's a whole series of these partnerships with the multilateral banks. We're about to launch a co-financing platform, a digital one, which will enable all the MDBs to work together on co-financing deals. We're looking at standardizing standards across procurement. I mean, I could keep going. It's all the plumbing. It's what makes the bank and its people work quicker, faster, better.

So, streamlining everything.

Here we are today talking about health with the world facing so many pressing issues. Why are we talking about health care today?

Because I think health care is foundational. I think that at the end of the day, if you look at people struggling with either the cost of health care or the inability to access health care, it leads to the worst possible outcomes. I went to Indonesia and saw the work they're doing on stunting. The reality is that a child in the first 1,000 days of their existence doesn't get the right kind of nutrition, that has an impact economically forever for that child. They earn between 15% and 20% less every year, forever. If you look at climate change and what it's doing to heat impact on diseases, another issue. Tedros can talk about this ad nauseam, but 2 billion people in this world do not have access to health care in a way that they get insurance or they get it free. They end up paying for it out of pocket. That puts them in a cycle of poverty for a long time to come. We've got to fix what is a fundamental requirement for human existence in the form of health care, and we have to make it available at a price that's affordable. That's not that complex to get around your head. It's hard to get done, but you will hear from the Japanese Finance Minister in a short while, they knew how to do it well. And that's what we are trying to do as well.

So, “no health, no wealth,” as the saying goes. Thank you for spelling that out for us, Ajay. So, Dr. Tedros, where does the world stand on universal health coverage that you've long championed?

[Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus]

Now, thank you. First of all, I would like to thank my friend Ajay for inviting me to this very important session. And second, I fully agree with him, health is the foundation. As you rightly said, “health is wealth.” That's why Ajay and the World Bank takes it seriously. And we're very, very glad to say this. By the way, our partnership is increasing from time to time now. We partner on UHC, we partner on Global Preparedness and Monitoring Board, we partner on Pandemic Fund, we partner on also leading the Health and Finance Task Force, you name it. It's a long list, by the way. So, thank you so much for your leadership, Ajay. And on the status of UHC, 140 countries have recognized health as a fundamental right in their constitutions. This is very important because it's recognizing health as a fundamental human right, which is a political choice that can help us to do the rest, financing or everything. So, that's good. Then the second part is, since the birth of WHO, that's 76 years ago, life expectancy has increased from 46 to now 74, average. This is good progress. Of course, this is living condition improved, improvements in medicine, improvements in public health. It's overall development. It shows overall development. We're progressing, but if you see the SDG goals directly, if you compare it with the SDG goals, we're off track.

Yeah, very.

 [Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus]

I don't think without a very serious catch-up, we may even reach the SDGs. So, we have to work harder, and that's why we're partnering with the World Bank and other partners, the whole UN, with countries, especially countries at the center, to push forward to achieve the SDG goals.

 So, partnerships, clearly, key, Dr. Tedros, just talk us through quickly. What are some of the key challenges to achieving universal health coverage?

So, the challenges are twofold. One, in terms of service coverage, and second, financial. I think Ajay had already said that. In terms of service coverage, 4.5 million do not have access to basic services, and 2 billion, Ajay said it, face financial hardship, trying to seek service. And even as a result, some of them descend into poverty. So, that's one of the challenges. Coverage, the first one, the 4.5, but also, the financial hardship, which is the 2 billion who can’t afford. These are the two main ones. But of course, there are problems like shortage of the workforce that we need to address. There is, of course, a long list of challenges.

And overall aging population as well.

Aging population, urbanization, and now with the pandemics, climate and health because the climate crisis is a health crisis. So, the major trends and problems actually that complicate the health problem.

 So, those are some very stark figures and daunting challenges. So, Ajay, in the face of this, what is the World Bank Group doing to support countries to get health care to more people?

By the way, one thing I understand. One thing I would like to say, the issue of, for example, workforce shortages is also an opportunity because if you think about Africa, and Tedros is an Ethiopian, and if you think about the whole continent, the number of young people who are going to be looking for jobs in the coming 10 to 15 years, one of the ways to give them a really good job is give them the chance to get skilled to provide the kind of service that's going to be required from the investment we're going to make in the coming 10 years in this space. He's absolutely correct. It is a problem today, but we also see it, both of us, as a way forward for young people. Back to your point, what are we going to do? The Bank has been working in 100 countries for a while on what I would call “maternal and neonatal” kind of effort to improve the delivery of care to women and young babies, and they've done a decent job of doing so. The question really is if you want to widen your aperture to include the diseases across adolescents and older age. So, if you just think about heart attacks, diabetes, blood pressure, those are diseases that are challenging, in older life as well. So, if you want to broaden the access for those, then you have to widen your aperture to include that. And that's what we are trying to do in this effort, reach 1.5 billion people over the coming period with the WHO, with other partners, and make that happen by 2030. Reach them means really reach them. I don't mean reach as in you put up a center and everybody in the area is counted. This is actually touching the person with a medical appointment, either physical or telehealth, working on this expanded range of noncommunicable diseases, and maybe in those 100 countries, but maybe expanded geographies in those countries or new countries as well. That's the effort we're going to try and put in by now in 2030.

That's one and a half billion people in essentially five years. How are you going to do that? [Ajay Banga] Six years, but who's counting? [Panelists laugh]

Six years. How are we going to do that? [Shakuntala Santhiran] How are you going to do that?

How are we going to do that? I think it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of knowledge, a lot of financing, and a lot of partnerships. Let me quickly walk through a little bit of it. Financing is the obvious one. We've got money, yes. We're a money bank and a knowledge bank, but even the money we can put to work will never be enough. We're talking about putting to work 50% more money per year than what we used to spend in healthcare pre the pandemic. You're still going to need money from governments. You're going to need money from the private sector. Let me walk you through this a little bit. If you talk about the countries that are at the lowest end of affordability, mostly IDA countries, they spend relatively little amounts of money per person, 21 dollars per person per year on health care. That's not going to get you health care workers in remote areas that we're talking about. We have to give them share financing, concessional and grant financing. But if you're a middle-income country, you may have more money available, but you may not have the right regulatory policies to create the multiplier that you want to create by also bringing in the private sector, but also clarifying how to get more energy going into this space. I think there we can help with incentivizing them through our money to create the right regulatory platforms, the right policies. Tedros can talk to you about regulatory policies all day long, but that could help a lot. If you get the private sector involved, once they have some clarity, you could do things like focusing them on the manufacturing of PPE, manufacturing of essential medicines, something that Tedros had a nightmare of during COVID. Ask him, he will tell you. If you could also get them involved with, for example, putting the right vitamin supplements into processed foods so that you enhance health right from the basic consumption. So, there's a number of things. Some of these are more likely to happen in some countries, some in others. The point is this financing has to be catered for the country and its stage of development. In the same way, knowledge has to be catered for the country and its stage of development. If it's basic knowledge, are you talking about putting our primary health center or a hospital, which is better at what stage of development? Tough choice, but a conversation to be had. If it's later discussions and conversations about, does this country need geographic expansion? Does this country need new skills? Does this country need affordability? What's the logic of what that country needs to break through its barriers on delivering its share of the 1.5 billion? That's kind of the knowledge part. The partnership part, there are a lot of people in the audience. I'm sure Gavi is here and others are here. They're all part of this game. You kind of need to bring all shoulders to the wheel. But since we've got Tedros here, he has what I would call “domain expertise” beyond limit, technical expertise beyond limit. What do we bring? We bring a diversification of knowledge. We understand water, we understand climate, we understand agriculture, we understand different things. We understand how those connect to health challenges. We can bring that knowledge as a partner, not just our financing, not just our ability to advise governments on regulatory policy, but our ability to help even him understand the intersections between these different causes of health care problems in the intertwined challenges that we are going through. So, it's a long answer. It needs a lot of work. It's going to be really hard work between now and 2030. I'm sure we will make mistakes along the way, but we are determined to get this done.

You certainly got your work cut out for you, right? So, partnerships, financing, and the sharing of knowledge, all vital. Dr. Tedros, what do you hope to see in global health in five years? Or six years?

[Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus] [Laughs]

In six years.

[Shakuntala Santhiran laughs]

By the way, the two things which are very important with regards to making progress are, one, a political commitment. I can add to that. Of course, financial commitment also, you had said that. Political commitment, we have 140 countries who recognize health as a human right, and we have 140 countries who recognize health as a fundamental human right, and we hope the other countries will do, because health is a political choice. When they do that, then the rest comes, including finance. Then, the second is the financial commitment. In the financial commitment, there is a way. There are finance ministers here, and we expect you to increase public spending. Commitment to Universal Health Coverage or Health For All, of course, it's ambitious, but it's possible. One example that comes to mind is the United Kingdom. After the Second World War, when its economy was in its knees, it actually declared Universal Health Coverage. The Lord Beveridge model started immediately after the Second World War. So, economic status cannot be an issue. You can start with what you have. The key is the commitment, and then you can build up. So, I think the political commitment and finance are important. Then what do I expect in the next? Of course, I said earlier, to get better or to add years into your life, life expectancy, then we need, especially to focus on mothers and children, to reduce mortality. It can be done. By the way, Ajay raised that when I was Minister of Health in Ethiopia, just in a few years, with the introduction of primary health care, that maternal and under-five mortality started to decline significantly. That's what I wish in the next five, six years. Still, there could be a significant cut in many of the countries, especially who have high burden of maternal and child health. This could be done through a combination of promoting health, especially addressing the root causes of ill health, focusing on the determinants, because many of the health problems are in the food we eat, in the air we breathe, in the environment we live in, our lifestyle, and so on. We should start from there. The second is the access issue we said, Universal Health Coverage, but with primary health care at the foundation, because primary health care is key to cover the basic services. More than 80%, by the way, can be covered using primary health care. Primary health care is also the ears and eye of the health system, and it can help us to prevent outbreaks, but at the same time, if not to detect early and manage. So, investment in primary health care is key. From my own experience in Ethiopia, World Bank was a major player in building the primary health care, which made a good impact. Of course, the pandemic preparedness is very important, and we're investing in that. Then, investment in science, data, and technology is very important. And, like the World Bank, reforming WHO itself to be fit for purpose will be very important. But all this, the center is the country. What do we do at the country level and what capacity do we build at the country level and how do we help countries to achieve is crucial. At the end of the day, the ownership is the countries. We are only here to help. The World Bank and WHO, that's exactly what we're saying. The results come at the country level, I cannot say we'll get this result, but sure, if we can partner effectively and if countries can commit on and take it as a political choice, and if we can support them to the fullest we can, we can turn the tide and hopefully we can achieve SDGs, because that's what we aim for, and we don't need to have another goal. Let's stick to that and make it happen. I'm hopeful that we can do that.

A resounding call to action. Dr. Tedros, Ajay, thank you very much indeed for highlighting not only the challenges that we're facing, [Audience applauds]

but also, the enormous opportunity that we can realize if people have access to quality affordable health care. It's not just the individual, but also, communities and entire countries who will benefit from such investments. Thank you both again. Now, Japan is a leader in the pursuit of Universal Health Coverage and understands the level of partnership and collaboration it will take to make progress. We are honored to be joined now by His Excellency, Shun’ichi Suzuki. [Speaking in foreign language] This is Japan's Minister of Finance. [Audience applauds] [Speaking in foreign language]

Thank you, sir. Thank you.

[Shun’ichi Suzuki]

First of all, I would like to thank President Banga and Director General Tedros for a very insightful discussion. It is my great honor to make a short statement on Japan's efforts to promote UHC. Japan has long been emphasizing the critical importance of UHC as a foundation for human capital development and sustainable growth. Japan has also been advocating that finance-health collaboration is essential to achieve UHC. For this reason, Japan hosted the first G20 joint Finance-Health Ministers’ Meeting in 2019 at the emergence of the G20, Osaka summit. In this context, I am pleased today to see various stakeholders, including finance and health experts meeting to discuss UHC. Japan has been closely working with the World Bank and WHO in supporting developing countries towards the achievement of UHC, including through financial contributions to technical assistance in this area. In order to further accelerate our efforts, I am delighted to announce today that Japan, together with the Bank and the WHO, will establish a UHC knowledge hub in Japan in 2025. [Audience applauds]

The hub will support knowledge sharing on UHC as well as capacity building for finance and health authorities. It leverages the expertise of the Bank and the WHO while drawing on Japan's experience, such as our efforts to maintain quality UHC amid an aging and declining population. At the Bank, the discussion on IDA21 is ongoing. IDA plays a crucial role in mainstreaming UHC in low-income countries. It is imperative to help them secure adequate financing resources for a well-functioning health care system. Japan expects that IDA21 maintains UHC as one of the policy priorities. Today, I look forward to a lively debate about the challenges and the policy efforts to achieve UHC in each country. Building on today's discussion, Japan will continue to help step up efforts to promote UHC across the world. Thank you. [Audience applauds]

[Shakuntala Santhiran speaking in foreign language] [Shakuntala Santhiran]

Many thanks, Minister Suzuki, for your important message and for Japan's continued commitment to global health.

Yes, yes, thank you.

Thank you very much, sir. Thank you. Now, we have three questions for you, our audience, here in person and watching online, not just to test your knowledge, but also to help illustrate the scope of the challenge. Please, use the QR codes to participate, and we'll share the correct answers with you later in the event. Question number one. It's a sad reality that women in low-income countries are more likely to die due to childbirth compared to women in high-income countries. But by how much? Is it 4 times more likely, 14 times, 34 times, or is it 140 times more likely? Our second question for you. There's a shortage of health care workers in countries everywhere. What percentage of countries have fewer than one doctor for every 1,000 people? Is it 3% of countries, 18%, 33%, or is it 43% of countries? Our third question, what do you think is the single most important thing that can help accelerate progress toward universal health coverage? Please, let us know in just one word. We'll share all your ideas later in this event. So, achieving Universal Health Coverage brings opportunities and challenges, as we've heard, and will require country reforms. Let's now welcome His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Pate, Nigeria's Minister of Health. Her Excellency, Sri Mulyani Indrawati Minister Finance of Indonesia, and Dr. Senait Fisseha, Vice President of Global Programs at The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation. [Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate] Very good.

Welcome to you all.

[Sri Mulyani Indrawati]

 Thank you very much for taking the time to be here. Muhammad, if we could start with you, please. You are leading your country through critical health reforms. What's your vision and how is it going to change health coverage for Nigeria's poorest and most vulnerable people?

[Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate]

We are a young and fast-growing country, and our health outcomes have been improving over time, but there are other elements like noncommunicable diseases that are rising as the fastest-growing segment for morbidity and mortality. Under the President's Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, we're expanding access to quality basic health care through the primary health care system, expanding the primary health care centers that are functional from 8,800 to 17,000, retraining 120,000 frontline health workers and enabling them with digital technology to function, expanding the affordability through the Vulnerable Groups Fund to ensure the poorest and most vulnerable are able to afford the services that they need, to improve maternal and child health, immunization, as well as deal with other elements of the evolving epidemiology that we are seeing of hypertension, diabetes, and other diseases. That is the approach that we are taking so that we can guarantee basic health care to all Nigerians over time, to raise the domestic resources, and to work with our partners in a sector-wide manner as a federal system between the federal government and the state government, as well as development partners and civil society, so that we pull in the same direction to improve health outcomes. Over time, we expect that Nigeria's health outcomes trajectory will improve, that life expectancy can improve, and that maternal mobility and mortality will reduce because many of the diseases are actually preventable with simple things that can be delivered at the primary health care centers. On our path to UHC, these reforms are getting us closer to saving more lives, reducing physical and financial pain, producing health, and to do it for all Nigerians so that we don't leave anyone behind. That's what we are undertaking right now in Nigeria.

That's the vision. That's the goal. How's it going? What challenges are you facing in implementing and also sustaining these reforms?

It's been an exciting journey. I think we've got the highest level of political leadership from the President. And as Tedros says, it's a political choice. Nigeria made a political choice to prioritize health investment and the well-being of Nigerians. So, we're seeing that ease in the path. State governors are joining along, and development partners like the Bank, like the WHO and others also are rallying around this effort. Challenges of human resources are certainly ones that are not limited to us. We've doubled the intakes for our physicians, nurses, midwives, pharmacists to increase the production of health workforce in our country, to redistribute them, and also, to create the enabling environment so that they can stay and function. That's one challenge. But financing is a key one. The financing gap that we have, certainly, we're very encouraged when we hear Ajay mentioned 1.5 billion, and that's a significant commitment by the Bank to actually do that. But then backing it with the resources that are needed, you can scale. For Nigeria, for instance, we can deliver 100 million out of that 1.5 billion if the resources are there. We're really seeing appetite from our development partners to contribute. Some of these are doing this quietly, and some of them are actually working programmatically, in addition to a technical support, to get us closer to our aspiration as laid out by the President in his agenda.

It's an immense task, but one that needs doing. Mulyani, we know that getting health care in many countries' countries comes at a very high cost. It puts a heavy financial burden on individuals, on families, especially the poor. Why is this of concern? Why should this be of concern to a finance minister?

Well, I think for the finance minister, the focus of the quality of human capital is very important. At the end of the day, if the economy and the country have a human capital with a better quality, whether on education and health, that definitely is going to create much better quality of growth, inclusive, equal growth in this case. And for countries like Indonesia, with the young demographic dividend, just like Nigeria, this is very important, investing at the very early stage. And that's why Indonesia is putting quite significant resources, both on education and health. And on health, we have the legislation which is mandatory for us to create a universal health access. That's very costly, certainly, if you look at the cost, but the rate of return is definitely very high. Indonesia currently has 95%, which they are all the people registered on a health insurance system, the biggest single player of the health insurance in Indonesia. And that will provide, especially the budget, our fiscal policy tools, providing support for the poorest families and the members of the family to be registered free of pay. That means we are going to be the ones who pay, and that provides an access to education without out-of-pocket for those poor families. The problem now is more on a demand side. It's created with those. Then, supply constraints. And that's why reform on supply side is going to be very important. And this is one of the most important reforms of health in Indonesia. Indonesia is a very big country, 273 million, comprising of local governments, and health is actually delegated to the local government. You can have an uneven quality of health services across Indonesia. That's why providing a good support, technical capacity, competency, human resources, medical workers, I think that's going to be very important. Currently, Indonesia is launching this comprehensive reform on health, which is supported by many of the MDBs, and that's why the World Bank is now hosting this talk show with us.

To conduct, to make these reforms happen, you need financing, and Indonesia has been quite successful in mobilizing financing for these reforms. How have you done so?

First, I think the MDBs really look at the country, and they love to have a country who has a strong ownership, they call it, and leadership. The Minister of Health is important. They have a good Minister of Health with leadership, they know what they are doing, do the reform. We passed the reform legislation, which is very important for the Indonesia health system. This totally overhauled in terms of how we are going to educate the medical doctors, how we are going to manage the local government hospitals as well as health services, especially on a primary level. Then also how this is going to be connected with the insurance system. These have all become one important reform, which is not only curative but also preventive. This is one integrated from the lifestyle into early detection of the disease up to the whole services from the primary, secondary, rural level hospital Of course, we have to make sure that people have a better health and lifestyle so that it can create a much better… That kind of ownership as well as leadership and a comprehensive health vision is very important to gain confidence from the source of funding, specifically the MDBs. The MDBs, which is a combination of not only World Bank, but also Islamic Development Bank, Asian Development Bank. What is good about this combination of co-financing is they are all now looking at the procurement system, one combined simple process, with President Ajay Banga already launching this plumbing improvement by having it [being] simpler, faster; and hopefully that’s true for us, so that is going to deliver a much better and also supporting the reform in a credible way. Because legislation has been passed, the discussion with many stakeholders is already being conducted, and so, we are going to then support it with the financing.

Thank you, Mulyani. Now, Senait, you have been in the field of global health for many years. You're a physician yourself and a globally recognized leader in reproductive health and rights. How do you think we can collectively do more with the funding that's currently available for health?

[Senait Fisseha]

Thank you, Shaks. I don't think any of the things I would say would come as a surprise, at least to this audience. What we see globally is vertical programming. I think the single most impactful way to maximize our limited resources is to fund a primary healthcare system instead of individualized vertical diseases. We, as you rightly said, I work in reproductive health. Imagine a woman seeking care, going to one clinic for HIV, another clinic for contraception, and somewhere else for her children's immunization. So, rather than doing that, if we pool our resources and essentially do what Minister Pate was talking about and invest it in strengthening the health system and provide integrated service delivery, we can push our resources further. We at the foundation, at The Buffett Foundation, have seen that. We are a single-issue foundation committed to advancing the health and well-being and rights of women and girls. But by funding governments and strengthening health systems and responding to the government's mandate, we have seen that we can reach many more women at scale, and the services are scalable and sustainable. Unfortunately, global funding doesn't work like that, but I think there are examples we can glean. If you look at the Bank's investments, for example, at the global financing facility, and take workforce as an example. If you focus on workforce, you're primarily focusing on ensuring essential health services are available, but these are also the tools for strong preparedness, for pandemic preparedness. If you look at climate response, first-line responders are healthcare providers. And a shout out to my colleagues in Women in Global Health for so long who've been advocating, women are the frontline providers. So, 90% of healthcare providers are women. So, by investing in them and paying them and creating a career ladder, you're also then working on gender equity. So, I think there's just a lot we could do to pull these strands together and maximize our resources by putting it in a systems lens as opposed to an individual disease lens approach. Thanks. [Shakuntala Santhiran] Thank you, Senait. [Audience applause]

So, Muhammad, you've seen this issue from many different perspectives, from the global level to the country level from the private sector now to the public sector. You're a medical doctor as well. You've worked in an emergency room. You know this issue inside out. If we were to meet in one year from now, what do you hope will have shifted in the global and country discussions on universal health coverage?

Well, first on the UHC agenda, I think even before COVID, we knew that we were not on track at the pace that we are making progress. Pandemic came and drilled us even further. So going forward, continuing on the same path will not meet our objectives. So, there are some shifts that are needed. And with countries at the center, and what we're trying to do in Nigeria is articulate a division, a direction, defragmented the landscape with the subnational levels also aligned with us, and having our supportive global partners come to back us up with financing, with technical support, but following leadership of government and using national systems that are more sustainable, and let's hold each other accountable. If that shift occurs where we're really real from the global perspective to really deploy the resources, then we will see the shift in progress with UHC. So as long as we continue with the model that we had, where, as Senait mentioned, we have vertical funding, hyper fragmentation and various interests here and there, the reality is for the pregnant woman, for the child who is sick, they go to the primary health care center. They want to be assessed, they want the health worker to see them, they want the commodities to be there, they want to be able to afford the care. An integrated perspective is what is needed. In the case of Nigeria, the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which was launched by our President, is precisely trying to do that, to pull everyone in one direction, subnational units, development partners, but with a laser focus on results and results at scale, not results in one district or one state, and also results focusing on the most vulnerable, the poorest who are left out. That's really the shift that I hope we can begin to see in the next year or so. I will also reiterate for us, for the Bank colleagues that are here, for GFF who are doing an amazing job with us and many other partners that are also trying to support Nigeria in this journey, that we can put on the table at least 100 million population that can be reached with access to basic health care services. If the Bank is really going to go all out for this, Nigeria, now this is where we are and this is where we are going. Thank you. [Audience applauds]

Thank you, Muhammed. Senait, last words to you. What gives you hope? Is there anything that gives you hope in the pursuit for global health?

Sure. We're living in very fragile times, and it's very easy to give up hope. But the truth is there's a lot to be hopeful for, especially post-pandemic. I think the global narrative and conversation on global health has shifted in such a way that we cannot go back. And for me, what I see at this table, the leadership from the Global South, gives me incredible hope. The leadership that I see in international institutions, seeing someone like Tedros, who delivered health care for millions of people as a health minister leading the WHO, or Juan Pablo [Uribe], who is a Health Minister in Colombia sitting at the GFF and the Health Nutrition and Population at the World Bank, tells us that the world, as we know, it is changing. I think external funders need to rally support and throw themselves around some of this change that we're seeing. Eighty years of development, I think we've made very, very little progress. I think you all agree with me. We've made progress, but when you look at our expenditure, it should have been much more. And part of it is this very colonial, outdated model of development is not fit for purpose for the time we're in. There's a lot of exciting stuff around the world. When I see what Minister Pate is doing in Nigeria, I recently met with President Ruto and his commitment to deploy 140,000 community health workers. Look at Rwanda boldly doubling down to quadruple workforce in four years because if they continue at the current pace, it will take 100 plus years to meet the WHO's minimum requirement for workforce. There's really strong momentum and leadership. How are we going to position ourselves to support this change, to support this dynamic, and invest in such a way that allows governments to have ownership? Again, the Bank, I know, needs to improve a lot of things, including speed, the way we manage projects, but it's a country-led ownership. It's a country-led process. I think I'm really hopeful, when I look at my own continent, and Africa CDC, and a new voice for Africa in a unified way to negotiate, we've seen what happened in the pandemics and who was left behind, so, I think it's really hopeful that the world as a whole is awakened to this new reality. I think if we all rally around that and reform ourselves to be fit for purpose, we can be inching closer to achieving UHC Health For All in the real meaningful way.

Thank you very much indeed. Thank you all for joining us together to discuss this important issue with smart country reforms and strong government leadership. Change is possible. It's also clear that health and finance ministries need to be working together because without adequate financing, health care reforms cannot happen. Once again, thank you all very much indeed. [Audience applauds]

Now, before we invite our next panel to the stage, let's hear from some frontline health workers. We asked them to tell us one thing that has helped them improve health services for their patients. Here's what they said.

[Dr. Chidinma S. Ononogbu]

And one of the greatest innovations that has been able to help with care is being able to get ambulance services on time. And that's one of the things that has helped us to be able to care for our patient urgently.

[Dr. Longtila M. Sangtam]

And another intervention that really helps us is the installation of solar light and rainwater harvesting facility for our center.

[Dr. Eustaquio Solis] [Speaks in Spanish] This telemedicine program also contributes to comprehensive patient care.

[Dr. Nii Ayikwei A. Addo-Quaye]

And one of the greatest innovations that has been able to help with this has been the electronic health management systems, which helps me to be able to have continuity of care with my patients, so that none are left behind them and we carry them along. [Shakuntala Santhiran] So very important to hear from these local heroes. They need our support to continue their good work, improving and expanding health care services to people in need. Now, here are the answers to our quiz. The numbers are staggering and really underscore the need for urgent action. Women in low-income countries are 34 times more likely to die from childbirth than women in higher-income countries, and 43% countries have fewer than one doctor for every thousand people. Clearly, we need better progress, and that will require more investments in health. To talk about this, please join me on stage now, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Maait, Minister of Finance of Egypt. Hello, sir. Lamia Tazi. Hello. Lamia is CEO of Sothema, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Morocco. And Dr. Joanne Carter, Executive Director of RESULTS… [Audience applauds]

An organization committed to ending poverty. We appreciate you being here, taking the time to be here with us today. We just heard Ajay announced that new commitment by the World Bank Group to help countries get health services to more people, one and a half billion people in five or six years. Joanne, you lead a global advocacy network in Africa, Asia, the US, Europe, and the Pacific. From where you sit, what will it take to really deliver on this, especially in terms of how we prioritize financing?

[Joanne Carter]

Yeah. Well, one thing I would say is I'm not quite sure we celebrated enough that target because the target that was just announced is a doubling of reach and a doubling of ambition. [Audience applauds]

I think we ought to just notice that and celebrate it. That's huge. What I would say, though, first thing is, ambitious targets need ambitious funding to match. Maybe you expected me to say that as an advocate. Of course, it starts with domestic budgets. Our advocacy partners across the world work with their governments, including parliamentary champions, to increase investment in health and nutrition, especially for the most marginalized. But I would say we urgently need also more external grant and concessional financing, especially for the lowest income countries and those facing debt distress. And that's why donor support for an ambitious, robust IDA replenishment, along with support for other key global health institutions, Gavi, the Global Fund, the World Health Organization, the Global Financing Facility is so critical. And also, prioritization of health and nutrition within IDA. And the other thing I would just say about targets is that targets can and should drive us, but we also know from experience that top-line targets, even bold ones, can actually obscure inequities. We need to ensure that financing reaches the most marginalized, and that only happens if it is specifically targeted to do so. To deliver on a goal like this, we need equity between countries and within countries. Just a few really quick thoughts about what we can do. You heard this earlier in the last panel, but a focus on investment in primary health care. Primary health care at the community level, especially for the most marginalized, has to be the leading edge of Universal Health Coverage investment. To measure IDA's impact on UHC, this has to be where we start, focusing on the numbers of people reached with primary health care and measuring it with an equity lens, increasing the share of resources going to the lowest quintiles. I would also just add that global health security matters, and it matters a lot, but it also matters how we define it. A narrow investment in health security does not reach UHC, and theoretical global readiness actually falls apart if we actually don't have the support and capacity at community level. Just really final point. We also need to build PHC starting there and then going further with human capital investments. I think it's also a real strength of IDA to start with primary health care, but also ensure access to emergency and higher-level care and nutrition supports across this spectrum and across sectors, social sector and program support and gender investments, because bold targets for UHC matter and why they don't guarantee equity? We can do things in targeting an investment that ensures equity. Country ambition needs investment, and that needs to include donors. [Shakuntala Santhiran] Thank you, Joanne. [Audience applauds]

Now, we've heard over and over today the need for political commitment. Minister Maait, what is your government doing to ensure that all Egyptians have access to effective health care?

[Mohamed Maait]

I think Egypt, although it was one of the first countries to introduce health insurance in 1962, the objective was to cover all the population. However, by that time, we found that the system did not cover all the population, it’d become financially unsustainable, inefficient, and also it didn't achieve its objective. So, four years ago, we decided to change and introduce universal health insurance with a different model and different design. And it is based on that we have to split the financing of the system from the affordability, or the ability of the Minister of Finance to provide finance or not that depends on how the budget is, to create an independent power and create all the sources needed to ensure that the system will be financially sustainable for a long time. This is number one. Number two, to ensure that we cover the whole families. Number three, to ensure that private and public sector will compete and to ensure that the government is no longer responsible to provide health care, but to buy health care for the citizen. If citizens want to receive the service, we have to create one public arm to provide the health care and to compete with the private sector. And a third organization, which will be the regulator. This regulator will be given the accreditation. So, three different organizations. One is a buyer, one is a public provider, one is the regulator accreditation and control of quality. Over the four years, we were able to start rolling out the new system with the government, and we created financing from different sources. One is social insurance contribution, be it by the employee and the employers. The second one, earmarking tax and tax coming from the budget. The third one is that the State will pay the contribution for those who are vulnerable or unable. Every one or two years, we review the system, from the actuarial point of view, to ensure this system is sustainable. We created a mechanism to ensure that the pricing of the health services will be attractive for the private sector and public sector at the same level. So, all will compete. So, the buyer is just buying the services for the citizen. Over the four years, we were able to cover around five governments out of 27, and we are continuing to do that. Satisfaction level. The Wallet Bank, JICA, and the others with us review the level of satisfaction and fix it if the system is having something in the design.

You were saying the private sector and the public sector need to compete, but you mean in terms of pricing, right?

They need to compete in satisfaction for the citizen because at the end, the citizen has the option to choose a provider, whether it is public or private. So, this is number one. Number two, they need not to compete on the main cost of the services, but on the quality of the services, because we have an independent committee which includes private, public, and the independent who price the services to the people. But again, we're choosing the slogan of “Money will follow the patient,” so, whenever the patient chooses to go for a specific provider, money will go to this provider. And we said the government is not responsible to provide the services, but to buy the services. And this helped us to ensure that citizens will go where they can find quality of their services and they are satisfied with that. The other thing is to ensure some independence for the financing sources. I worked as a First Deputy Minister of Health before I became Minister of Finance. I felt that leaving the Health Services at the mercy of the Minister of Finance is not a good idea.

After one year of working as a First Deputy Minister of Health, and I was awarded Bachelor of Medicine, after one year, so I said, “When I become a Minister of Finance, I will ensure not to put the system and the financing of the system depending on whether the budget is in good health so they can allocate more money or not, no.” We were able to build a huge reserve in the first four years of implementing such a system.

Thank you, Minister Maait. Let's look more closely now at the private sector and the public sector. There are also opportunities to cooperate, right? Because they can complement each other. Lamia, you're there in the private sector. In your experience, how can the private and public sectors best complement each other? For example, in developing a vaccine, you need a partnership, don't you, between the private and public sectors?

[Lamia Tazi]

Yeah. Thanks, Shaks. Thanks for inviting me to have the chance to discuss about contribution of pharma industry in the health coverage. As you said, I'm leading a company which is located in Morocco. In 2021, His Majesty, Our King, decided to give the health coverage for all, which was a very courageous decision, knowing that we had to add 22 new inhabitants in Morocco in this health coverage. So, I was very pleased to be part of this big challenge. And it's exactly the title of the panel, “How to move the challenge to action.” And I think Morocco took the good decision to go there. And after two years, I can say that it is a success. This success cannot be here if there is no collaboration between public and private sector. Of course, the chance we had in Morocco is that we had a strong pharma industry before. Thanks to some incentives given by the public sector, by our Ministry of Health, we had some incentives to push local manufacturing. In 2021, 70% of the needs in medications were manufactured locally. Knowing that in health coverage, 30% of expenses are coming from medication. It was very important to have this availability of the products, and it was manufactured locally, which gives us, and give to the public, the availability and the accessibility to give the equity for all Moroccans. At the end, I can say that collaboration is very important. This local production affords the products in term of quantity because it was planned, it was discussed before. In terms of quantities and in terms also of kind of medication, knowing that our region may need some molecules that do not exist, perhaps in other countries. So local production was able to afford these kinds of molecules. In terms of vaccines, we discussed about vaccines. My company had the chance to be part of the big adventure in COVID. So, it was a real partnership between public and private. I had the chance to conduct the first clinical trials in vaccines in Morocco and then manufacture the vaccines before. Really, it was done by very close collaboration between pharma industry, between my company and the Ministry of Health.

We're going to look more closely at the benefits of local production very shortly. First, Mr. Maait, is the government of Egypt working together with the private sector in any way?

What I insist on when we designed this system, I said there was no possibility to success in ensuring this system will achieve its objectives without private sector. Why? When we move to some government rates, the infrastructure, the public infrastructure is not there. I have to rely more on the private sector to ensure that they will be able to provide the service. But how can I attract the private sector? How I can convince the private sector to be with me? Number one, to be part of pricing the services. Dynamic. Dynamic, I mean by dynamic if the inflation is changed, they can call for a committee tomorrow. We need to change the pricing. And they can at any time, because they are part of the committee who are pricing for the whole Republic of Egypt. They can change it on a weekly basis, on a monthly basis, in order to ensure that they are always seeing the system, responding to their success, because eventually, they look for profit. Eventually, they look to get more business. At least, unless this business is attractive for them, they will not be joining me. This is number one. Number two, I'm trying to ensure that the capacity they have will be built-in in the system itself. They are on the price, on the provider side, and I give them the opportunity to do more and more business. Egypt has roughly 115 million people living in it, and in some areas, the private sector has more infrastructure, more capabilities, so I believe with good prices, with good volume of business, and with good infrastructure, they’ll come with us. Also, we always make contracts with them on a regular basis to join us. Even the insurance companies. I said to the insurance companies, “You can work with us.” Why? Because at some level of different categories of population, insurance companies are more efficient to deal with those who have the financial capabilities and want some special health system. So, I say, “Okay, I have a price list, and this price list will be applied to all, because the private sector and the independent experts were there in pricing. So, let the insurance companies make the contract with the employers and provide whatever services they want, and at the end, for every quarter or so, we can make a financial settlement. You are happy, we are happy.” At the end, the government wants what? They want the citizen to enjoy a good health service. For me, I want it to be efficient. I want to ensure that this system will continue to be sustainable. This system will earn the satisfaction of the citizen, regardless of who will provide the service, the public or private sector. This is not my job. My job is to make citizens happy. I created the money which can support that. I said, “The money cannot get from one source.” If it is only the budget, I will be under the mercy of the budget and the Minister of Finance. So, I said, “No.” We need to get social insurance contribution directly deducted from people's salaries and from the employers to the system. This is number one. Number two, earmarking tax on tobacco and cigarettes and everything should come directly to us. So, the tax authority collects this money and doesn’t give it to the Minister of Finance, it gives it directly to the system. At the end, the Minister of Finance is responsible for financing a part of the system, particularly the population who are not able to finance themselves.

Thank you, Minister Maait. Now, let's go back to that point about local production. There were important lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic for many countries about not having medical equipment, tools, and drugs, pharmaceutical drugs, not being produced locally. You manufacture locally in Morocco, in Senegal. You're looking to expand into East Africa and also the Middle East. So outside of health emergencies, how does local production actually help increase health coverage?

We know all that COVID pandemic was a really crash test for all, and especially for the health systems. Even I know in rich countries, there are many issues of shortage of medications, of all medical devices. So, Morocco had the chance to have a good experience on it because of this local production. We were able to provide all medication needed when all important products were stopped. By the way, Sothema is working also in Africa, and we were providing also, with the Moroccan approval, our African countries and partners, because there were shortages in many, many products. So, it was very important to have this local production to permit the pandemic to pass away. I think without this local production, Morocco and Africa will have issues. Now, I can talk about opportunities in the health coverage. I discussed about all that pharma industry gives for the health coverage. Of course, in this pharma industry, as Mr. Minister said, we have also opportunities as producers. Of course, it makes the quantities more important because of the economy of scale, so, we reduce the price. We reduced the price so we can afford more quantities with accessibility, and we know how the cost of the product is very important in the health coverage. So, this opportunity is in affordability and also in creating an ecosystem. Helping this local production is pushing investors to invest more, invest more in new technologies, which is a very important point for me. Primary care is very important, but in our region, we also face the same issues in chronic diseases. We have oncology, we have cardiovascular, and these molecules are very expensive for countries like us. So, giving the opportunity to local producers, it's to push them also to invest on new technology, to create an ecosystem in R&D. R&D is not existing in our countries. So, I think that, as you said, partnership between public and private is really a win-win situation for all. And from my side, I'm very happy to participate in this adventure. It permits us to think about going outside Morocco and outside our region, which is very important for the economy and for bringing in the outside. So, at the end, it's a win-win situation.

[Shakuntala Santhiran] Thank you, Lamia.[Joanne Carter] Yes. [Shakuntala Santhiran] Joanne… [Joanne Carter] Yes.

In closing, you've been a strong advocate for universal health coverage, throughout your career you've worked very hard to bring many different players to tackle the major diseases of poverty. How do you think we can keep funding an action for global health as a top priority?

Well, thanks. I would say the thing that I come back to start with is that we cannot achieve these targets for primary health care, for Universal Health Coverage without more funding for these priorities. That is so clear. It's also clear that countries and the most impacted communities need to lead on what's needed, and they need to do domestic financing in ways to protect the most impoverished. But we so need donors to also do their part in the financing. Increasing, again, grant and concessional finance through increasing support for the IDA replenishment, which is in play right now, as well as for other key global health institutions, is absolutely essential for supporting domestic investment and ambition. Also, the Global Financing Facility, which is housed here at the Bank, is one of the instruments that can help support countries to crowd in more IDA resources and also more domestic resources for health. I would say, really importantly, where countries are stepping up domestic investment in health and areas like nutrition, this has to be an incentive for donors to do more and not an excuse to do less. I would also say it was really exciting to hear about the local production, and the UHC will require everyone at the table. I would also say that in health delivery, we need also a core, strong public health system. I think that is another strength of IDA because it actually works across the public health sectors to support that. I guess, finally, I would say to your question of what do we need to do. We need ministers of finance who are leaders like this. We need ministers of health. We need the private sector and things like dispersed manufacturing. We also need members of Parliament; I know that there's members of Parliament here from around the world whose role on budgets and oversight, and as champions, is really key. And absolutely central is the role of local leaders, civil society, and especially directly affected communities for setting direction for holding governments and institutions accountable and also for resource mobilization. I would just say to wrap up, I've worked with the US and other donor governments for decades as an advocate, and I know that we have strong allies in those places for global health, and I also know the constraints that they face, right? But those constraints are political and not fundamentally economic. These are political decisions, and so we need to provide public backing for our allies and our champions, but we cannot let donor countries step back at this time. We need them to step up, to fund what matters, and to be partners with countries so that countries can fund what matters to the communities and the most vulnerable. And ultimately, and Dr. Tedros said this at the start, this is a political choice, and we cannot accept that there isn't enough money for this agenda, and we cannot expect countries to try to do more with less. We actually need to increase support for IDA and other key global health institutions so that we can support countries to do lots more on primary health care, on UHC with more. We all need to work together to make that happen. Thank you [Shakuntala Santhiran] Bravo. [Audience applauds]

Thank you all for being part of this very necessary conversation. Partnerships are clearly key to making a dent in improving and increasing health services. Partnerships with civil society organizations who know the situation on the ground. Partnerships with governments who prioritize health and the financing for it, and partnerships with the private sector that can help fill gaps, especially when it comes to medical supplies and delivery. Many thanks to all our guests once again, and thank you to everyone who took part in our quiz who answered the question, what is the one thing most crucial to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage? Here is what you said, the cloud is up there. We see money, affordability. Yes, we need more affordable services. All those answers are correct. You've all clearly been paying attention to our expert speakers. Underpinning all of this, political will, and of course, the funding, the money, funding for healthcare ultimately is a fundamental investment for the benefit of all that will unlock future human capital and economic progress. Thank you very much for taking part, for sharing your thoughts. That brings us to the end of this event. We hope it's been informative and engaging for you. You can watch the replay of this session and our other events at live.worldbank.org. Please, do continue sharing your comments online with the hashtag #WBGMeetings. We'd love to hear from you. We thank you for joining us. Thank you. [Audience applauds] [Music]

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

"If you make the Bank better and more effective—quicker, faster, simpler to navigate—that allows you to raise your ambition and the kind of things you can do because your ability to execute gets enhanced many times over by the quality of your foundation.”

Ajay Banga, World Bank President

“On our path to Universal Health Coverage, these reforms are getting us closer to saving more lives, reducing physical and financial pain, producing health, and to do it for all Nigerians, so that we don’t leave anyone behind.”

Muhammed Ali Pate, Minister of Health, Nigeria

"If the economy and the country have human capital with better quality on education and health, that definitely will create much better quality, inclusive and equal growth."

Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Finance, Indonesia

Learning Resources

• Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2023 Global Monitoring Report
• Digital-in-Health: Unlocking the Value for Everyone
• The Economic Burden of COVID-19 Infections amongst Health Care Workers
• Health Financing in a Time of Global Shocks
• Increasing Access to Health Services Through Inclusive Digital Health
• Brief: Expanding Health Coverage for All

Stories and Blogs

Transforming challenge to action: new health target announced at spring meetings, human capital ministerial conclave: realizing the potential of digital technology and ai.

• Investing in Health Blogs
• Filling the Prescription for Better Medical Equipment
• How Health-Tech is Delivering Life-Saving Innovation in Kenya

Additional resources

• Universal Health Coverage
• World Bank and Health
• IFC and Health

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FEATURE STORY

Feature Story

You Asked Our Expert

David Wilson

Program Director, Health Nutrition & Population, World Bank Group

2024 Spring Meetings

Watch the event replays, read the recaps, and find out about the latest announcements on  increasing energy access across Africa  and  expanding health coverage worldwide . We received over 600 questions online, and our experts responded to over 200 of them in the chat during the live sessions.

World Bank Group Flagship Events

President, World Bank Group

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Director-General, World Health Organization

Shun’ichi Suzuki

Minister of Finance, Japan

Mohamed Maait

Minister of Finance, Arab Republic of Egypt

Muhammad Ali Pate

Minister of Health, Nigeria

Sri Mulyani Indrawati

Minister of Finance, Indonesia

Joanne Carter

Executive Director, RESULTS

CEO, Sothema

Senait Fisseha

Vice President of Global Programs, The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation

Shakuntala Santhiran

International broadcast journalist

2024 Spring Meetings on World Bank Live

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Trump’s Trial Challenge: Being Stripped of Control

The mundanity of the courtroom has all but swallowed Donald Trump, who for decades has sought to project an image of bigness and a sense of power.

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By Maggie Haberman

“Sir, can you please have a seat.”

Donald J. Trump had stood up to leave the Manhattan criminal courtroom as Justice Juan M. Merchan was wrapping up a scheduling discussion on Tuesday.

But the judge had not yet adjourned the court or left the bench. Mr. Trump, the 45th president of the United States and the owner of his own company, is used to setting his own pace. Still, when Justice Merchan admonished him to sit back down, the former president did so without saying a word.

The moment underscored a central reality for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. For the next six weeks, a man who values control and tries to shape environments and outcomes to his will is in control of very little.

Everything about the circumstances in which the former president comes to court every day to sit as the defendant in the People v. Donald J. Trump at 100 Centre Street is repellent to him. The trapped-in-amber surroundings that evoke New York City’s more crime-ridden past. The lack of control. The details of a case in which he is accused of falsifying business records to conceal a payoff to a porn star to keep her claims of an affair with him from emerging in the 2016 election.

Of the four criminal cases Mr. Trump is facing, this is the one that is the most acutely personal. And people close to him are blunt when privately discussing his reaction: He looks around each day and cannot believe he has to be there.

Asked about the former president’s aversion to the case, a campaign spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said that Mr. Trump “proved he will remain defiant” and called the case “political lawfare.”

He is sitting in a decrepit courtroom that, for the second half of last week, was so cold his lead lawyer complained respectfully to the judge about it. Mr. Trump hugged his arms to his chest and told an aide, “It’s freezing.”

For the first few minutes of each day during jury selection, a small pool of still photographers was ushered into Part 59 on the 15th floor of the courthouse. Mr. Trump, obsessed with being seen as strong and being seen generally, prepared for them to rush in front of him by adjusting his suit jacket and contorting his face into a jut-jawed scowl. But, by day’s end on Friday, Mr. Trump appeared haggard and rumpled, his gait off-center, his eyes blank.

The Donald Trump Indictment, Annotated

The indictment unveiled in April 2023 centers on a hush-money deal with a porn star, but a related document alleges a broader scheme to protect Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Mr. Trump has often seemed to fade into the background in a light wood-paneled room with harsh flourescent lighting and a perpetual smell of sour, coffee-laced breath wafting throughout.

His face has been visible to dozens of reporters watching in an overflow room on a large monitor with a closed-circuit camera trained on the defense table. He has whispered to his lawyer and poked him to get his attention, leafed through sheafs of paper and, at least twice, appeared to nod off during the morning session. (His aides have publicly denied he was dozing.) Nodding off is something that happens from time to time to various people in court proceedings, including jurors, but it conveys, for Mr. Trump, the kind of public vulnerability he has rigorously tried to avoid.

Trials are by nature mundane, with strict routines and long periods of inactivity. Mr. Trump has always steered clear of this type of officialism, whether by eschewing strict schedules or anyone else’s practices or structures, from the time he was in his 20s through his time in the Oval Office.

The mundanity of the courtroom has all but swallowed Mr. Trump, who for decades has sought to project an image of bigness, one he rode from a reality-television studio set to the White House.

When the first panel of 96 prospective jurors was brought into the room last Monday afternoon, Mr. Trump seemed to disappear among them, as they were seated in the jury box and throughout the rows in the well of the court. The judge has made clear that the jurors’ time is his highest priority, even when it comes at the former president’s expense.

Mr. Trump’s communications advisers or aides who provide him with a morale boost have been sitting at a remove. Natalie Harp, a former host on the right-wing OAN news network, who for years has carried a portable printer to supply Mr. Trump with a steady stream of uplifting articles or social media posts about him, is there. But she and others have been in the second row behind the defense table, or several rows back in the courtroom, unable to talk to Mr. Trump during the proceedings.

It is hard to recall any other time when Mr. Trump has had to sit and listen to insults without turning to social media or a news conference to punch back. And it is just as hard to recall any other time he has been forced to be bored for so long.

People close to him are anxious about how he will handle having so little to do as he sits there for weeks on end, with only a handful of days of testimony expected to be significant. It has been decades since he has had to spend so much time in the immediate vicinity of anyone who is not part of his family, his staff or his throng of admirers.

Who Are Key Players in the Trump Manhattan Criminal Trial?

The first criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump is underway. Take a closer look at central figures related to the case.

Over the next six weeks or so, Mr. Trump will have to endure more, including listening as prosecutors ask witnesses uncomfortable questions about his personal life in open court. On Tuesday, he’ll face a hearing over whether the judge agrees with prosecutors that he has repeatedly violated the order prohibiting him from publicly criticizing witnesses and others.

Most of the time, Mr. Trump has been forced to sit at the table, unable to use his cellphone, and listen as prosecutors have described him as a criminal, as jurors have been asked their opinions of him. Some of those opinions have been negative, with one potential juror made to read aloud her old social media posts blasting him as a sociopath and an egomaniac. The only times he has smiled have been when prospective jurors have referred to work of his that they have liked.

The highly telegraphed plan was for Mr. Trump to behave as a candidate in spite of the trial, using the entire event as a set piece in his claims of a weaponized judicial system.

But last week, in New York, Mr. Trump’s only political event was a stop at an Upper Manhattan bodega to emphasize crime rates in the borough. The appearance seemed to breathe life into him, but it also felt more like a stop a mayoral candidate would make than a presumptive presidential nominee. Some advisers are conscious of Mr. Trump appearing diminished, and they are pressing for more — and larger — events around the New York area.

Many in Mr. Trump’s broader orbit are pessimistic about the case ending in a hung jury or a mistrial, and they see an outright acquittal as virtually impossible. They are bracing for him to be convicted, not because they cede the legal grounds, but because they think jurors in overwhelmingly Democratic Manhattan will be against the polarizing former president.

But the shared sense among many of his advisers is that the process may damage him as much as a guilty verdict. The process, they believe, is its own punishment.

Maggie Haberman is a senior political correspondent reporting on the 2024 presidential campaign, down ballot races across the country and the investigations into former President Donald J. Trump. More about Maggie Haberman

Our Coverage of the Trump Hush-Money Trial

News and Analysis

The criminal trial of Trump featured vivid testimony about a plot to protect his first presidential campaign  and the beginnings  of a tough cross-examination  of the prosecution’s initial witness, David Pecker , former publisher of The National Enquirer. Here are the takeaways .

Dozens of protesters calling for the justice system to punish Trump  briefly blocked traffic on several streets near the Lower Manhattan courthouse where he is facing his first criminal trial.

Prosecutors accused Trump of violating a gag order four additional times , saying that he continues to defy the judge’s directions  not to attack witnesses , prosecutors and jurors in his hush-money trial.

More on Trump’s Legal Troubles

Key Inquiries: Trump faces several investigations  at both the state and the federal levels, into matters related to his business and political careers.

Case Tracker:  Keep track of the developments in the criminal cases  involving the former president.

What if Trump Is Convicted?: Could he go to prison ? And will any of the proceedings hinder Trump’s presidential campaign? Here is what we know , and what we don’t know .

Trump on Trial Newsletter: Sign up here  to get the latest news and analysis  on the cases in New York, Florida, Georgia and Washington, D.C.

Charlie Woods will play U.S. Open local qualifier Thursday

Charlie Woods looks to earn a spot at this year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

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Charlie Woods’ road to Pinehurst begins Thursday.

Woods, the son of 82-time TOUR winner Tiger Woods, will compete in an 18-hole U.S. Open local qualifier Thursday at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The younger Woods is slated to tee off at 8:18 a.m. ET Thursday.

The road to the U.S. Open features 109 local qualifying sites across April and May, leading to 13 Final Qualifying sites in late May and early June. Final Qualifying is known as Golf's Longest Day, requiring competitors to navigate 36 holes to earn a tee time at the season’s third major championship.

To be eligible for qualifying, a player must have a Handicap Index not exceeding 0.4 or be a professional.

The elder Woods is a three-time U.S. Open champion, but he has yet to win at Pinehurst No. 2. Tiger Woods finished T3 at Pinehurst in 1999, two strokes back of winner Payne Stewart, and he placed solo second at the venerable venue in 2005, two back of Michael Campbell. He didn’t compete at Pinehurst in 2014.

Earlier this spring, Charlie Woods competed in a pre-qualifier for the TOUR’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, his first foray at attempting to qualify for a TOUR-sanctioned event. The younger Woods shot 86 that day but will look to apply learnings in Thursday’s U.S. Open local qualifier.

Tiger and Charlie Woods have paired together in the last four PNC Championships, the two-player team event contested each December that utilizes a scramble format. Team Woods finished runner-up in 2021 but has yet to win the event.

Other notables in the field at Woods' site include Cameron Kuchar (son of Matt), Sunny Kim, Garrett Willis, Reed Greyserman (brother of Max), Austin Lemieux (son of Mario) and Michael Buttacavoli.

CHALLENGE TOUR ANNOUNCES COMPREHENSIVE 2022 GLOBAL SCHEDULE 

The European Challenge Tour has today 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.

It 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.

The full 2022 Road to Mallorca International Schedule can be viewed by clicking here .

Betfred British Masters host Danny Willett selects Prostate Cancer UK as the tournament’s Official Charity

Tournament host Danny Willett has selected Prostate Cancer UK as the official charity of the 2022 Betfred British Masters, which will return to The Belfry from May 5-8.

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