Category: Satellite Tours

Categories
Equipment Satellite Tours

TaylorMade: Look to the Next Generation with New Team TaylorMade Athletes

The new TaylorMade Golf Team-Members. (Photo: TaylorMade)

TaylorMade Golf Company, an industry leader in product innovation and technology, announced today the signings of some of the youngest and hottest prospects on the Challenge Tour to play TaylorMade equipment from 2024. With an average age of 22 they join an already incredibly talented stable of athletes plying their trade on both the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour as part of Team TaylorMade.

Four new players for Team TaylorMade Golf in the 2024 season

Angel Ayora

Angel, who won the first stage of Qualifying School at Donnington Grove Golf Club at the end of September, 2023, joins Team TaylorMade after he secured his Challenge Tour card for 2024. At just 19-years-old from Spain, Angel played both the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and ISPS Handa Australian Open at the beginning of the 2023/2024 DP World Tour season, making the cut on both occasions, finishing 33rd and tied-21st, respectively.

Angel Ayora sings with TaylorMade. (Photo: TaylorMade Golf)
Angel Ayora sings with TaylorMade. (Photo: TaylorMade Golf)

Angel is one the quicker players so getting him dialled in was very important. Tour Representative Sam Day started with a heavier driver shaft which offered him more control with little to no trade-off in club speed. Because of the better strikes and more connected feel with the driver, he was able to gain ball speed and play something that is designed to be more stable. His miss is to the right, so going down in head loft and using the FCT sleeve to change loft and face angle helped fix this problem (9.0 head set two clicks higher playing at 10.5 – the more loft added to a driver will close the face angle and therefore less likely to miss right).
During golf ball testing, the soon-to-be-released 2024 TP5x was testing 3mph quicker with the driver, and when it came to irons, Sam actually moved his iron lofts a full 1 degree weaker to help him get better spin rates and land angles into the greens. Angel constantly works with his coach to increase his peak height, and with the new ball and iron lofts he gained 20 feet with his longer irons helping that stopping distance coming into greens.

Angel Ayora Expected WITB

  • Qi10 LS 9.0 driver
  • Qi10 16.5 3HL fairway
  • P770 3 iron
  • P7MC 4-9 iron
  • MG4 46.SB, 52.SB, 56.TW and 60.TW wedges
  • TP Reserve B13 putter
  • 2024 TP5x golf ball

Martin Couvra

Former French Number One Amateur, Martin Couvra, joins Team TaylorMade after becoming only the seventh player in history to win on the Challenge Tour as an amateur. Following his victory at the Challenge de España in September, 2023, Martin made the decision to turn professional. Martin finished the 2023 season ranked 46th on the Road to Mallorca rankings, solidifying a full Challenge Tour card for 2024 for the 21-year-old.

Martin Couvra sings with TaylorMade. (Photo: TaylorMade Golf)
Martin Couvra sings with TaylorMade. (Photo: TaylorMade Golf)

Martin likes to see a fade with the driver so he likes to see the ball starting left and falling to the right. Tour Representative Mark Thistleton worked with Martin a lot around face angle, and they found that the more Mark opened the face, the more fade Martin produced, reacting to what he saw at address. Couvra settled on a 10.5 head set a little lower playing at 10 degrees with a little open face angle that gives him the look of a fade club at address.
Mark then worked on wedge options to better fill his distances after spotting that Martin previously carried a 52 & 58 degree Hi Toe wedge and left himself a 20-metre gap between PW & 52. Martin ended up in the new MG4 50 & 54 wedges to have his approach play dialled in ahead of the season. They both spent a lot of the session working with the new TP5 ball, which Martin loved right away. Martin is not one of the longer hitters out there and found speed especially in the top end of the bag with the new ball which he was sold on right away.

Martin Couvra Expected WITB

Mark Power

Two-time Walker Cup star and Wake Forest University graduate, Mark Power (23), has put his trust in TaylorMade equipment as he starts the next phase of his career. Prior to heading to the US College system in 2019, Mark was a three-time winner of the Irish Boys Order of Merit (2016, 2017,2018) and two-time winner of the Irish Open Boys Championship (2016, 2017). Mark graduated in 2023 before making his professional debut on the DP World Tour at the Horizon Irish Open last year, finishing tied-33rd. He also made the cut at the ISPS Handa Australian Open this season on the DP World Tour and will ply his main trade on the Challenge Tour this year.

Mark Power sings with TaylorMade. (Photo: TaylorMade Golf)
Mark Power sings with TaylorMade. (Photo: TaylorMade Golf)

Mark likes to play with a draw, and with the new Qi10 LS driver he was able to match the correct amount of launch and spin to make his go-to shot a lot easier and perform better. His drop-off in spin with his previous gamer was penalising his miss shot and therefore performance off the tee.
Again, during ball testing, Mark gained 2mph ball speed switching into the 2024 TP5x golf ball from the 2021 TP5, and this was a massive step forward for him. Tour Representative Sam Day looked at the wedge and putter performance with the new ball to make sure the feel and sound married up with performance, which it did. The soft feel and low spin numbers he gained at the top end of the bag made this a clear winner.

Mark Power Expected WITB

  • Qi10 LS 9.0 driver
  • Qi10 Tour 15.0 fairway
  • P7MC 4-PW
  • MG4 50.SB, 54.SB and 58.LB wedges
  • TP Reserve M47 putter
  • 2024 TP5x golf ball

Maximilian Steinlechner

North Carolina State University scholar, Max Steinlechner (24), from Austria, completes the roster for 2024. Max, a former Austrian Number One Amateur, had a stellar amateur career before heading off to play for the Wolfpack. He won the Austrian International Amateur Championship as a 17-year-old with a score of 11-under par, and won the Austrian Boys Strokeplay Championship for three consecutive years between 2015-2017. Max played the majority of his golf on the Challenge Tour in 2023, where he will look to build on a strong foundation moving into 2024.

Max Steinlechner sings with TaylorMade. (Photo: TaylorMade Golf)
Max Steinlechner sings with TaylorMade. (Photo: TaylorMade Golf)

Max is very much a feel player and likes to focus on feel when testing clubs almost as much as performance. He does not change equipment easily or without validation, but he very quickly fell in love with the Qi10 driver. Tour Representative Mark Thistleton tested a couple of new shaft options, settling on the new Graphite Design VF in a 60 TX, tipped 1.25”, which is a little more than standard. Max has lots of speed and an extremely good ball striker, he offers precise feedback and any small changes Mark made to his equipment were seen instantly in the resulting ball flight.
During pre-season was Max’s first testing session with a TaylorMade Golf Ball. This made up a huge part of the testing procedure, testing the range of TaylorMade golf balls, diligently looking at the numbers and giving his precise feedback on sound and feel. Mark and Max soon concluded that the soon-to-be-released 2024 TP5x ball was the perfect fit for his game. It controlled his spin in the long game and offered great feedback and feel through the rest of the bag.

Maximilian Steinlechner Expected WITB

  • Qi10 LS 9.0 driver
  • Qi10 Tour 15.0 fairway
  • P7MC 4-6 iron
  • P7MB 7-9 iron
  • MG4 46.SB, 50.SB, 54.SB and 58.SB wedges
  • TP Reserve M47 putter
  • 2024 TP5x golf ball

“The golfing world all sees the success stories at the top with the likes of Rory, Tommy and Nelly when they win golf tournaments. But what they don’t see is how much work goes on behind the scenes in Team TaylorMade to find and develop the next generation of top class players. We believe this crop of talented young players from across Europe all have what it takes to compete and succeed on a world stage in the very near future. Each has their own successes as an amateur to be proud of, but more than that, we see a maturity and an attitude in these guys that stands them apart from their peers and because of this they are a great fit for the TaylorMade family. We are excited to continue this journey with them and look forward to seeing the individual success stories from each of them over the coming months and years.”

-Mark Thistleton, Tour Representative, TaylorMade Golf

Text: TaylorMade Golf

Categories
Satellite Tours

Saudi International: Abraham Ancer wins by a safe margin

Abraham Ancer wins in Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Getty)
Abraham Ancer wins in Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Getty)

The unofficial LIV Tour opener at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Saudi Arabia comes to an end. Abraham Ancer took an early lead in the field and eventually prevailed by three strokes. In second place is PGA Tour player Cameron Young, followed by Lucas Herbert in third place. Bernd Wiesberger, the only German-speaking player in the field puts a solid tournament behind him and finishes his four rounds in a shared 18th place.

Asian Tour victory: Abraham Ancer celebrates triumph

LIV player Abraham Ancer celebrates an early victory in 2023, beating 70 competitors on the Asian Tour to start his LIV season in top form at the end of February. In his final round, the big point wins were a long time coming, but Ancer collected enough stroke wins in the earlier rounds. After a 64 on the moving day on the par-70 course, he recorded a 68 in the final round to secure the crown.

Bernd Wiesberger in the top 20

Bernd Wiesberger’s tournament finish was a roller coaster ride. The Austrian took an early bogey on the par-3 third. This was followed by two birdies on holes 4 and 5 and thus an intermediate score under par. Shortly before the turn, on the 9th hole, a bogey put another damper on Wiesberger, who went even par on the second nine. After a good start with two birdies on the 10th and 12th hole, Wiesberger played another bogey. His finish was also up and down: with birdie-bogey-bogey-birdie he finished his fourth round at the Saudi International and ended up on T18 with a day score of 1-under-par.

Categories
European Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour announces 2023 global schedule

Challenge Tour schedule 2023. (Photo: Getty)
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.

Categories
European Challenge Tour

Sordet seals fifth Challenge Tour title at Zebula

Clément Sordet wins his fifth title on Challenge Tour. (Photo: Sunshine Tour)
Clément Sordet wins his fifth title on Challenge Tour. (Photo: Sunshine Tour)

The Frenchman bounced back brilliantly from two bogeys in his opening four holes to card a five under par round of 67, setting the clubhouse target at 21 under par, before Conradie joined him at the top of the leaderboard to force a play-off at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa.

SDC Open 2022: Leaderboard

Sordet birdied the first extra hole to defeat home favourite Conradie, who could only make par, and his victory in victory in South Africa sees the 29-year-old climb 19 places to fourth position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, while Conradie catapults to eighth.

Overnight leader Deon Germishuys finished one shot off the pace, while Englishman Marco Penge was fourth on 19 under par.

Challenge Tour: First win since 2017

Sordet was delighted to secure his first victory since the 2017 NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, a year in which he finished second on the Challenge Tour Rankings behind Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen, admitting he has struggled with his game over the last few years.

“It feels surreal right now to get the win and it will take time to sink in,” he said. “The last few years have been tough on the DP World Tour and it is nice to return to the Challenge Tour and pick up a victory so early on in the season.

“I’ve played amazing all week and it is nice to finish with a birdie in the play-off to get that fifth win on the Challenge Tour.

“The only thing I could control out there was my game. The leaderboard was packed up the top, but I just had to focus on my score because I knew I was playing well. I was focused on creating birdie chances and I managed to do that pretty well today, so I am very happy.”

The Frenchman used his power to his advantage on the first play-off hole and it paid off after hitting the green in two to set up an eagle opportunity.

“In the play-off I knew I could hit it further than the other guy so I believed my strength was going for the green in two. I hit a nice three-iron on the green and managed to two-putt for birdie.”

JC Ritchie leads the Road to Mallorca Rankings

German Freddy Schott and South African CJ du Plessis shared fifth place on 17 under par, while Road to Mallorca Number One JC Ritchie, four-time DP World Tour winner Matteo Manassero, Englishman Todd Clements, Italian Jacopo Vecchi Fossa and South African JJ Senekal share seventh place on 16 under.

Ritchie still leads the Road to Mallorca Rankings following back-to-back victories at the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open and Jonsson Workwear Open, while Germany’s Alexander Knappe occupies second place following his victory at the season-opening Dimension Data Pro-Am. Belgium’s Christopher Mivis sits in third place, while Sordet and Oliver Hundebøll complete the top five.

The Road to Mallorca remains in Limpopo for the Limpopo Championship taking place at Euphoria Golf Club and Koro Creek Golf Club from March 31- April 3.

(Text: Press release Challenge Tour)

Categories
European Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour: Ritchie makes it back-to-back wins in Durban

JC Ritchie wins back-to-back on Challenge Tour. (Photo: Sunhine Tour)
JC Ritchie wins back-to-back on Challenge Tour. (Photo: Sunhine Tour)

The ten-time Sunshine Tour winner posted a one under par final round of 71 at Durban Country Club to reach 26 under par and claim his second victory in as many weeks after successfully defending his Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open title last week.

Ritchie admitted he found it much tougher today but remained resilient to record two closing birdies and finish six shots clear of Belgium’s Christopher Mivis, who at one stage came within touching distance of the lead, reducing Ritchie’s advantage to two after an eagle at the 14th hole.

“It was tough out there today,” he said. “I’ve never played this golf course with this much wind before so I knew it was going to be different and the golf course showed its teeth today. I found it tough early on but luckily towards the end of the round I was able to figure it out and get the job done.

Challenge Tour: Birdie-birdie-finish for the win

“My girlfriend came up to me after the 14th hole and asked me if I wanted to know the scores,” he added. “She told me Mivis was 22 under and that surprised me. I had a game plan for the last three holes for the week and that was to make par at 16 and run, I felt like I could create a birdie opportunity at 17 and then 18 owed me one. I wanted to birdie it yesterday but found a bad lie in the bunker. Getting two birdies on the way home made it extra special.”

The 28-year-old was delighted to record back-to-back Challenge Tour victories and after finishing 24th on the 2021 Road to Mallorca Rankings, he understands the importance of getting an early advantage over his competitors.

“It feels special to win back-to-back on the Challenge Tour,” he said. “Playing the whole of last year on the Challenge Tour, I know how tough it is and you could rock up thinking that five under par will be enough to win and someone will shoot 20 under par. To beat these guys means everything to me and shows how far I’ve come.

“This gives me a lot of confidence for the season. I have always felt my game was good enough to win in Europe and take the next step.”

Mivis back-to-back runner-up

Mivis posted a six under par round of 66 to claim second place for the second consecutive week, one shot ahead of Iceland’s Haraldur Magnus who claimed third place on 19 under par. Englishman Ross McGowan and South African duo Jaco Prinsloo and Keenan Davidse shared fourth place on 16 under par.

Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin shared seventh place with Frenchman David Ravetto on 15 under, while England’s Steven Tiley, Swede Mikael Lindberg and South African Hennie Otto finished in a tie for ninth place on 14 under par.

Ritchie on top of the Road to Mallorca

Ritchie moves to the top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings following back-to-back victories, while Alexander Knappe occupies second position following his victory at the season-opening Dimension Data Pro-Am. Mivis moves into third on the Rankings, while Daniel Hillier and McKibbin complete the top five.

The Road to Mallorca now heads to Bloemfontein for the Mangaung Open, taking place at Bloemfontein Golf Club and Schoeman Park Golf Club from March 3-6, 2022.

(Text: Press release Challenge Tour)

Categories
Satellite Tours

Scandinavia’s golfing elite reach for the stars at Empordà Golf

The Emporda Golf Club will host two Scandinavian golf events. (Photo: Azalea)
The Emporda Golf Club will host two Scandinavian golf events. (Photo: Azalea)

The cream of Scandinavia’s male golfers are preparing to pack their bags and head to Spain’s renowned Empordà Golf Club later this month to put their skills to the test in the 2022 Golfstar Winter Series.

Two top events for Scandinavian golf

The popular resort in the Costa Brava will be home to the field of top 150 of Scandinavian players for 10 days as they compete in two 54-hole tournaments on Empordà’s two 18-hole championship golf courses, the Links and the Forest.

Sanctioned by the Swedish Golf Federation, the first event will be played from February 18-20 with the second taking place from February 22-24. Both tournaments will be included on the Official World Golf Ranking, and Golfbox Road to Europe, with each featuring a total prize fund of 600,000 Swedish Kronor (around €58,000).

The first class destination Empordà  Golf Club

Empordà has had the honour of staging numerous high-profile professional and amateur tournaments during its evolving history including events on the European Challenge Tour and the European Tour  Qualifying School.

The resort received widespread acclaim from both players and the media last October after staging two Challenge Tour events in successive weeks – the Empordà Challenge and Costa Brava Challenge – and the Challenge Tour has already confirmed Empordà will host another tournament at the venue this summer.

Flavio Papa, director of golf at Empordà Golf Club, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the Swedish Winter Series in February. It demonstrates the quality of our facilities here at Empordà Golf, that we are able to host multiple tournaments each year.”

“I am looking forward to welcoming the players and watching some high-performance golf take place over our challenging courses.”  

Located 30 minutes from Girona in the heart of the Costa Brava region, Empordà Golf Club’s impressive facilities include two 18-hole championship courses – Empordà Links and Empordà Forest, both designed world-renowned architect Robert von Hagge.

As part of the extensive renovation plans over the last two years, both courses have undergone significant investment to elevate the golf experience being offered to members and guests. Work has included the reconstruction of all bunkers using the Better Billy Bunker method, a comprehensive tree clearance programme and purchase of new greenkeeping equipment to improve the all-round condition of tees, fairways and greens.

Away from the fairways, Hotel Empordà Golf rebranded as Hotel Terraverda at the end of 2021. Hotel Terraverda has been transformed with a contemporary new look in the bedrooms, communal areas and restaurant after all being redesigned and renovated. Guests of the hotel can also now enjoy the new outdoor swimming pool that has been installed.

For more information on Empordà Golf Club, please visit: www.empordagolf.com

To book your stay at Hotel Terraverda, please visit: www.hotelterraverda.com

Text: The Azalea Group

Categories
European Challenge Tour

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:

Date Tournament Venue
February 10-13 Dimension Data Pro-Am Fancourt Golf Estate, George, South Africa
February 17-20 Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open Royal Cape GC & Rondebosch GC, Cape Town, South Africa
February 24-27 Jonsson Workwear Open Durban CC & Mount Edgecombe CC, Durban, South Africa
March 3-6 Manguang Open Bloemfontein Golf Club and Schoeman Park Golf Club, Bloemfontein, South Africa
March 24-27 SDC Open Zebula Golf Estate & Spa and Elements Private Golf Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa
March 31 – April 3 Limpopo Championship Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate and Koro Creek Bushveld Estate, Limpopo, South Africa
April 7-10 Mount Kilimanjaro Klassic Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate, Arusha, Tanzania
May 5-8 Challenge de España TBC
May 12-15 Czech Republic Event Confirmed TBC
May 26-29 Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A Newmachar GC, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
June 2-5 Czech Republic Event Confirmed TBC
June 9- 12 Spain Event Confirmed TBC
June 16-19 Czech Republic Event Confirmed TBC
June 23-26 Open de Bretagne Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André, Pléneuf, France
June 30-July 3 Italian Challenge TBC
July 7-10 Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil, Le Vaudreuil, France
July 14-17 Euram Bank Open GC Adamstal, Ramsau, Austria
July 21-24 Big Green Egg German Challenge powered by VcG Wittelsbacher Golfclub, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany
July 28-31 Irish Challenge TBC
August 4-7 Vierumäki Finnish Challenge Vierumäki Resort, Vierumäki, Finland
August 11-14 Made in Frederikshavn Challenge Frederikshavn Golfklub, Denmark
August 18-21 Dormy Open Österåkers Golfklubb, Stockholm, Sweden
August 25-28 Indoor Golf Group Challenge Allerum Golfklubb, Helsingborg, Sweden
September 1-4 B-NL Challenge Trophy by Hulencourt Hulencourt, Genappe, Belgium
September 8-11 English Trophy TBC
September 15-18 Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort, Vau Óbidos, Portugal
September 22-25 Swiss Challenge Golf Saint Apollinaire, Folgensbourg, France
September 29 – October 2 France Event Confirmed Golf International de Pont Royal, Mallemort, France
October 13-16 China Event Confirmed TBC
October 20-23 Foshan Open Foshan GC, Guangdong, China
November 3-6 Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A Club de Golf Alcanada, Port d’Alcudia, Mallorca, Spain
Categories
European Challenge Tour European Tour Ladies European Tour Ladies Tours Live PGA Tour

Viktor Hovland and Markus Helligkilde win at the PGA and Challenge Tours – Scandinavian finished on a high note

Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark tees off on the 13th hole during the final round of the Portugal Masters at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course(Getty Images)

PGA Tour: World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba

Viktor Hovland, from Norway came to defend his title this weekend and succeeded. Hovland signed four rounds of 67-65-62-67 to achieve a new tournament record of 23-under par. The young star wins his third title on the PGA Tour at the age of 24. Fourteen clubs were too many for him. Hovland let Danny Lee use his driver on the range, and he wracked it. The Norwegian played his best golf with a borrowed driver.

The first Scandinavian names on the leaderboard shows at T45. Henrik Norlander and Alex Noren finished with a total of 8-under par.

PGA Tour World Wide Tech Championship
Course Riviera Maya, Mexiko at the El Camaleon Golf Club.
Prize Money 7,200,000 US-Dollar
Champion Viktor Hovland
Scandinavian players Henrik Norlander and Alex Noren (T45)

LET Tour: Aramco Saudi Ladies International

Emily Pedersen, from Denmark, tried to defend champion in Saudi Arabia, but after four rounds of (73-71-67-71), the trophy slipped through her hands. Pedersen finished T17 on the leaderboard with a total of 6-under par. The best Scandinavian performance comes from Sanna Nuutinen (FIN). Nuutinen made a T9 with rounds of (71-65-73-69) for a total of 10-under par. This weekend, the Finnish player pocketed the amount of $19,452.11. Linnea Strom (SWE) and her mate Anna Nordqvist (SWE) wrapped up the event with totals of 9-under and 6-under par respectively.

The Swedish made a Top 20. Those 3 strokes difference mean a couple of thousand dolars. Strom collects $16,426.22 for a T13, while Nordqvist will take home the amount of $14,048.75 for a T17. The Aramco Saudi was not the best tournament for the Scandinavian, but that could easily change for the upcoming ones. 

LET Tour Aramco Saudi Ladies Tournament
Course Royal Greens Golf Club – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Prize Money 1 Million Dollars
Champion Lydia Ko
Scandinavian players Sanna Nuutinen(T9), Linnea Strom(T13), Anna Nordqvist(T17), Emily Kristine Pedersen(T17), Caroline Hedwall(T28)

European Tour: Portugal Masters 2021

Denmark must be proud. Two of their golfers showed on the top of the leaderboard. Both hand by hand, Nicolai Hojgaard and Lucas Bjerregaard shared the silver medals with a total of 17-under par. What a crazy performance these two had this weekend in Portugal. Only Thomas Pieters of Belgium climbed up one more spot to win the European Tour tournament. Pieters finished 2 strokes ahead of the Danish, with a total of 19-under par.

EU Tour Portugal Masters 2021
Course Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course – Vilamoura, Portugal
Prize Money 1.5 Million Euro
Champion Thomas Pieters
Scandinavian players Nicolai Hojgaard(T2), Lucas Bjerregaard(T2), Kristoffer Broberg(T12)

Challenge Tour: Challenge Tour Grand Final 2021

The Challenge Tour Grand Final was played in Mallorca, Spain at the T-Golf & Country Club. Markus Helligkilde brought all medals home. The Danish player not only won the tournament, but also the Challenge Tour Ranking.  Helligkilde added enough points to move up to #1 after the Grand Final. His mate, Niklas Nørgaard MØLLER (DEN), signed excellent rounds of (72-69-69-70) for a total of 4-under par and a T8 position. Also tied for the 8th place, Jesper KENNEGARD (SWE).

The Grand Final tested the steel nerves of most of the players that were competing to earn their pass to the European Tour next season. The environment was great, and the ceremony ended with a group picture of all 20 classified to the Main Tour.

Challenge Tour Challenge Tour Grand Final
Course T-Golf & Country Club Poniente – Mallorca, Spain
Prize Money 450,000 Euro
Champion Markus Helligkilde
Scandinavian players Markus Helligkilde(1), Niklas Nørgaard MØLLER(T8), Jesper KENNEGARD(T8)

Categories
European Challenge Tour European Tour Ladies European Tour PGA Tour

Recalling last week: Final Round Reports

QUARTEIRA, PORTUGAL - NOVEMBER 06: Oliver Wilson of England plays his second shot into the 11th green during the third round of the Portugal Masters at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course on November 06, 2021 in Quarteira, Portugal. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

PGA Tour: World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba

Hovland came to defend his title this weekend and succeeded. He scored four rounds of 67-65-62-67. With a new tournament record of 23 strokes under par, the shooting star wins his third title on the PGA Tour at the age of 24. He was not stopped by adverse circumstances, such as a broken driver , and relegated Carlos Ortiz to his home game and the Ryder Cup players Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler to places 2, 3 and 4.

English golfers didn’t even make it in the top 5 in this tournament. The first lad in line on the board is Aaron Rai at T15. Danny Willet came disappointingly behind at T27 playing four rounds of 68-68-68-69.

PGA Tour World Wide Tech Championship
Course Riviera Maya, Mexiko at the El Camaleon Golf Club.
Prize Money 7,200,000 US-Dollar
Defending Champion Viktor Hovland
English players Ian Poulter, Danny Willet, Tyrell Hatton, Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Luke Donald, Aaron Rai
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Justin ROSE (@justinprose99)

LET Tour: Aramco Saudi Ladies International

Georgia Hall came in this week to represent the English women golfers. Hall came in at T9 scoring four rounds of 75-69-66-68.  Alice Hewson came right under the winner at T3. The winner, Lydia Ko scored 23 strokes under par. The event’s runner-up was 18-year-old Thai Atthaya Thitikul, this year’s LET Race to Costa del Sol champion. Her final day 66 placed her five shots ahead of Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and  Hewson, who held the 36-hole lead.

LET Tour Aramco Saudi Ladies Tournament
Course Royal Greens Golf Club – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Prize Money 1 Million Dollars
Champion Lydia Ko
English players  Georgia Hall, Felicity Johnson, Laurie Davies, Liz Young, Bronte Law

European Tour: Portugal Masters 2021

Matt Wallace headed into the game with confidence only to be cut after the second round. Better performances included Matthew Jordan who finished at T5 with four rounds of 70-68-67-66. Oliver Wilson also had a great performance scoring one an eagle on the third round and ending at T12. The final round winner was Thomas Pieters of Belgium hitting 19 strokes under par.

EU Tour Portugal Masters 2021
Course Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course – Vilamoura, Portugal
Prize Money 1.5 Million Euro
Champion Thomas Pieters
English players David Horsey, Matthew Southgate, Jordan Smith, Matt Wallace, Ross, Mcgowan
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Justin ROSE (@justinprose99)

Challenge Tour: Challenge Tour Grand Final 2021

The Challenge Tour Grand Final was played in Mallorca, Spain at the T-Golf & Country Club. The Challenge Tour Grand Final is part of the Challenge Tour in the season 2021. Only two Englishmen were on the field this week. Their performance overall was pretty good. Andrew Wilson ended at T12 finishing with four rounds 75-67-71-68. Alfie Plant also scored quite well with 70-72-72-72 and finishing at T26.

Challenge Tour Challenge Tour Grand Final
Course T-Golf & Country Club Poniente – Mallorca, Spain
Prize Money 450,000 Euro
Champion Markus Helligkilde
English players Jonathon Thomson, Alfie Plant
Categories
European Challenge Tour Live Satellite Tours

What the European Challenge Tour rankings and the Grand Final mean – Road to Mallorca

Craig Howie of Scotland plays his tee shot on the 1st hole during Day One of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final (Getty Images)

First things first, for those who are not very familiar with the different Tours, the European Challenge Tour is the male subcategory of the Main European Tour. Since its inception in 1989, the Challenge Tour has developed into a proven training ground, where the champions-in-waiting compete across the globe for a place on the European Tour. Many players who have progressed from the Challenge Tour have gone on to become Major Champions. Including Brooks Koepka, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer and Louis Oosthuizen. In addition to Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren.

Walking the path towards the Main Tour.

Professional golfers usually start their career playing in smaller Tours such as the Alps Tour, or the Q-School. It stands for European Tour Qualifying School. The Q-School is the thoughest test in golf. Held between September and November each year. Only the top 25 players at the end of the six-round Final Stage will earn the direct pass to the European Tour for the following season.

Behind the Scenes. The Challenge Tour from first hand.

The competitiveness is so high that most golfers tend to go step by step, qualifying from one Tour to the next. Currently ranked #1 of the Challenge Tour, the Spanish golfer Santiago Tarrio explains:

“The Alps Tour is so sacrificed due to the traveling expenses, and the low money prizes. Best case scenario, your bank account finishes Par-even at the end of the season. But that is only possible if you constantly win the events. If otherwise, you are continuiously losing money to play.”

This humble golfer talks about his personal experience. Santiago worked as a waiter for five years to save up some money before he could get back to the golf fields. He claims that the sponsors don’t know you yet, and it is hard to find one that invest in you, which hinders financial support. Tarrio and his team missed some cuts at first. They depended on a loan to keep playing before they finally earned the full card to the Challenge Tour. It was then, when the economic struggle decreased.

Delving into The Grand Final.

This week, the European Challenge Tour celebrates its last tournament of the season, the Grand Final. It takes places from November the 4th-7th, 2021 at the T-Golf & Country Club, in Mallorca, Spain. The Top 45 players of the Challenge Tour season will make it to the Grand Final. However, only the best 20 of the Ranking will earn a pass to the European Tour for next year.

To throw some light over the reality of what these golfers go through. The Grand Final offers the highest monetary prize of all year, 450,000€ to spread between the 45 participants. The last position will collect 2,000€, compared to an average of 8,000€ that any player pockets on a regular European Tour event for making the cut.

From Czech Republic, Ondrej Lieser is the winner from last year. He is currently 310th of the OWGR. This year, all eyes were on the Spanish pro golfer Santiago Tarrio as he finished second in 2020. However, the results gave a 180º degrees turn. He shot 1-over (72 shots) in the opening round to situate himself at the end of the leaderboard.

Santiago Tarrio of Spain plays his tee shot on the 1st hole during Day One of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final. (Getty Images)

The second round has already started and apparently he was only starting engines yesterday. Tarrio climbed up 30 postions after the second day. He shot a total of 4-under par (67 shots) for a Top 10. There is a small chance that he will not close the year as number one. Tarrio and his caddy Noelia will surely give it all to bring the trophy home.

After a year of empty stadiums, fields, and pavillions, Borja Ochoa – General Manager of the T Golf & Country Club is excited to welcoming the public again. “Happily, we are returning to normality and this year will be able to welcome you all without restrictions.” People deserves to watch this show.

A greenside leaderboard is seen at the end of the Day Two of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final. (Getty Images)