Martin Couvra wins the 2025 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award on the DP World Tour after a stellar debut season.
Tag: Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is entering 2025 with an exciting new addition: HotelPlanner, a leading company in the field of travel technology, is becoming the official title sponsor of the tour. From the coming season, the tour will be called the ‘HotelPlanner Tour’. This partnership marks the first title sponsorship of the Challenge Tour since its official foundation in 1989 and represents a milestone in the history of golf’s second division.
Challenge Tour: New name, new chances?
The collaboration is intended to promote the development of the tour by not only increasing the prize money, but also enhancing the quality of the events along the ‘Road to Mallorca’. With a record prize fund of over nine million euros for the 2025 season, the HotelPlanner Tour will offer players new financial incentives. At least €300,000 in prize money has been earmarked for each European event, which means an increase in prize money for a total of 16 tournaments this season. The tour calendar includes 29 events in 18 different countries on three continents. The highlight of the season will be the Rolex Grand Final in Mallorca, supported by The R&A. However, the partnership between HotelPlanner and the Challenge Tour goes beyond title sponsorship. The company will invest in six events in 2025 and support a total of 40 tournaments during the multi-year collaboration. The exact duration of the partnership has not yet been announced.
‘We are delighted to become the title partner of the Challenge Tour. The Challenge Tour has been the foundation of so many great golfing names and we are excited to see the HotelPlanner Tour continue to open doors for the next generation of superstars.’ explains HotelPlanner CEO Tim Hentschel.
HotelPlanner’s strategic partnership with the Challenge Tour comes at a time when the golf market is becoming increasingly globalised and connected. HotelPlanner uses a combination of artificial intelligence and a global customer service network to help travellers worldwide. This technology will also help to drive the Tour’s growth by providing a strong platform for international travel and events, the Tour has revealed.
Name changes in golf
In recent years, name changes for golf tours have become a strategic means of promoting the economic and organisational development of tournaments. One example of this is the renaming of the European Tour to the DP World Tour in 2022, after the global logistics company DP World was acquired as the main sponsor. Another renaming was that of the Korn Ferry Tour, which was known as the Web.com Tour until 2019 after partnering with global recruitment consultancy Korn Ferry.
Club de Golf Alcanada, nestled in Alcudia, Islas Baleares, Spain, is a prestigious golf destination with a reputation for hosting significant tournaments. The course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., opened its doors in 2003 and has since become a notable venue for golf enthusiasts.
Club de Golf Alcanada: Challenging Course for Pros and Amateurs
The course is renowned for hosting the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in multiple years, including 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024. This highlights its status within the professional golf circuit. The course is tailored for experienced golfers, requiring a high level of skill.
Hole 7 on the course, a par 5, is noted for its strategic tee shot and is celebrated for offering a picturesque view over the lighthouse of Alcanada and the bay of Alcudia. Such scenic elements not only enhance the playing experience but also emphasize the course’s unique location and design features.
Club de Golf Alcanada offers a variety of package deals throughout the year. These include early bird specials, twilight deals, combination offers like greenfee and lunch, greenfee and BBQ during the summer months, and even Black Friday specials. Such offerings make it a flexible destination catering to different schedules and preferences, providing value beyond the standard play fees.
Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge 2024 Live Scores
The Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in the season 2024 is being played in Le Vaudreuil, France at the Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil. The tournament starts at the Thursday, 27th of June and ends at the Sunday, 30th of June 2024.
The Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge is part of the Challenge Tour in the season 2024. In 2024 all players competing for a total prize money of 270.000,00 €.
The course for the tournament at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil plays at Par 72.
The course layout, featuring two returning nines with varying pars, presents a unique challenge for the players. Past winners include Marcel Siem, who ended a seven-year winless drought with his victory here, and other champions like Ryan Fox and Alexander Björk who have moved on to successful careers on the DP World Tour
Challenge Tour live
The Challenge Tour is a professional golf tournament series that acts as the second tier below the DP World Tour. It serves as a development league and offers aspiring golfers the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level, gain experience and qualify for the European Tour.
The Challenge Tour is internationally orientated, with tournaments held in various European countries and outside Europe. This offers players a varied experience on different golf courses and in different competitive conditions. The tour attracts golfers from all over the world who are interested in furthering their careers in professional golf.
As with the Korn Ferry Tour, the top players on the Challenge Tour qualify for the higher tour, in this case the European Tour, at the end of each season. This is usually based on the Challenge Tour ranking, with the best players receiving a Tour card. This promotion is a key goal for many players on the Challenge Tour, as it allows access to more prestigious tournaments, higher prize money and greater visibility in the world of golf.
Overall, the Challenge Tour is a crucial step for many golfers who want to make the leap to the highest level of European golf, the European Tour. It offers a mix of challenge and opportunity that is crucial for the career development of golfers.
Challenge de Cadiz 2024 Live Scores
The Challenge de Cadiz in the season 2024 is being played in Cadiz, Andalucía, Spain at the Iberostar Real Golf Novo Sancti Petri. The tournament starts at the Thursday, 6th of June and ends at the Sunday, 9th of June 2024.
The Challenge de Cadiz is part of the Challenge Tour in the season 2024. In 2024 all players competing for a total prize money of 270.000 Euro.
The course for the tournament at Iberostar Real Golf Novo Sancti Petri plays at Par 72.
The men’s junior tour of the DP World Tour are playing this week in the sunny south of Europe, in Andalusia. Over four rounds, they will determine the winner of the 270,000 euros in prize money.
Challenge Tour live
The Challenge Tour is a professional golf tournament series that acts as the second tier below the DP World Tour. It serves as a development league and offers aspiring golfers the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level, gain experience and qualify for the European Tour.
The Challenge Tour is internationally orientated, with tournaments held in various European countries and outside Europe. This offers players a varied experience on different golf courses and in different competitive conditions. The tour attracts golfers from all over the world who are interested in furthering their careers in professional golf.
As with the Korn Ferry Tour, the top players on the Challenge Tour qualify for the higher tour, in this case the European Tour, at the end of each season. This is usually based on the Challenge Tour ranking, with the best players receiving a Tour card. This promotion is a key goal for many players on the Challenge Tour, as it allows access to more prestigious tournaments, higher prize money and greater visibility in the world of golf.
Overall, the Challenge Tour is a crucial step for many golfers who want to make the leap to the highest level of European golf, the European Tour. It offers a mix of challenge and opportunity that is crucial for the career development of golfers.
Tommy Fleetwood, one of the most famous names in professional golf, is returning to his roots on the Challenge Tour this week – not as a player, however, but as a caddy for his stepson Oscar at the UAE Challenge in Abu Dhabi.
Tommy Fleetwood returns to the Challenge Tour
The World Number 11 is looping for stepson Oscar this week at the #UAEChallenge at @SaadiyatBeachGC Full story is via the link in our bio or head over to https://t.co/6VFDIumEW8 ? pic.twitter.com/eRmA0CxRmA — Golf Digest ME (@GolfDigestME) April 24, 2024
Tommy Fleetwood Back on the Challenge Tour
Although it has been over a decade since Fleetwood himself competed in a Challenge Tour event, this tour remains a special place for the current world number 11. In 2011, he secured his first Challenge Tour victory at the Kazakhstan Open and finished the year in first place on the money list, which enabled him to move up to the DP World Tour. The decision to caddy for Oscar shows not only the bond within the Fleetwood family, but also an appreciation for the foundations on which Fleetwood’s own career was built. The family moved to Dubai two years ago and live at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the venue for the DP World Tour, where Oscar is a member and trains as part of the Tommy Fleetwood Academy under the watchful eye of his coach Jackson Bell.
Oscar, just 17 years old, has already won a number of amateur events in the UAE and after his victory at the Ras Al Khaimah Men’s Open has rightly secured a place at this year’s UAE Challenge event at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. As one of 30 invitations awarded by the Emirates Golf Federation, he will have the chance to compete against rising stars from the DP World Tour and put his skills to the test.
NMB Championship 2024 Live Scores
The NMB Championship in the season 2024 is being played in Port Elizabeth, South Africa at the Humewood GC. The tournament starts at the Thursday, 22nd of February and ends at the Sunday, 25th of February 2024.
The NMB Championship is part of the Challenge Tour in the season 2024. In 2024 all players competing for a total prize money of $350,000.
The course for the tournament at Humewood GC plays at Par 72.
The Challenge Tour ends its four-part start to the year in South Africa with the NMB Championship in Port Elizabeth. Two tournaments in India will follow in March before the tour moves on to the UAE in April.
Challenge Tour live
The Challenge Tour is a professional golf tournament series that acts as the second tier below the DP World Tour. It serves as a development league and offers aspiring golfers the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level, gain experience and qualify for the European Tour.
The Challenge Tour is internationally orientated, with tournaments held in various European countries and outside Europe. This offers players a varied experience on different golf courses and in different competitive conditions. The tour attracts golfers from all over the world who are interested in furthering their careers in professional golf.
As with the Korn Ferry Tour, the top players on the Challenge Tour qualify for the higher tour, in this case the European Tour, at the end of each season. This is usually based on the Tour ranking, with the best players receiving a Tour card. This promotion is a key goal for many players on the Challenge Tour, as it allows access to more prestigious tournaments, higher prize money and greater visibility in the world of golf.
Overall, the Challenge Tour is a crucial step for many golfers who want to make the leap to the highest level of European golf, the European Tour. It offers a mix of challenge and opportunity that is crucial for the career development of golfers.
Dimension Data Pro-Am 2024 Live Scores
The Dimension Data Pro-Am in the season 2024 is being played in George, South Africa at the Fancourt Golf Estate. The tournament starts at the Thursday, 15th of February and ends at the Sunday, 18th of February 2024.
The Dimension Data Pro-Am is part of the Challenge Tour in the season 2024. In 2024 all players competing for a total prize money of $370,000.
The course for the tournament at Fancourt Golf Estate plays at Par 72.
The Challenge Tour is playing its third of four tournaments in South Africa to kick off the year. In addition to last week’s winner Mikael Lindberg and defending champion Oliver Bekker, the field also includes five German golfers.
Challenge Tour live
The Challenge Tour is a professional golf tournament series that acts as the second tier below the DP World Tour. It serves as a development league and offers aspiring golfers the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level, gain experience and qualify for the European Tour.
The Challenge Tour is internationally orientated, with tournaments held in various European countries and outside Europe. This offers players a varied experience on different golf courses and in different competitive conditions. The tour attracts golfers from all over the world who are interested in furthering their careers in professional golf.
As with the Korn Ferry Tour, the top players on the Challenge Tour qualify for the higher tour, in this case the European Tour, at the end of each season. This is usually based on the Challenge Tour ranking, with the best players receiving a Tour card. This promotion is a key goal for many players on the Challenge Tour, as it allows access to more prestigious tournaments, higher prize money and greater visibility in the world of golf.
Overall, the Challenge Tour is a crucial step for many golfers who want to make the leap to the highest level of European golf, the European Tour. It offers a mix of challenge and opportunity that is crucial for the career development of golfers.
Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open 2024 Live Scores
The Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open in the season 2024 is being played in Cape Town, South Africa at the Royal Cape Golf Club. The tournament starts at the Thursday, 8th of February and ends at the Sunday, 11th of February 2024.
The Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open is part of the Challenge Tour in the season 2024. In 2024 all players competing for a total prize money of $350,000.
The course for the tournament at Royal Cape Golf Club plays at Par 72.
The Challenge Tour plays its second of four tournaments in South Africa in Cape Town to kick off the new year. After the four events in southern Africa, the tour travels on to India in March.
Challenge Tour live
The Challenge Tour is a professional golf tournament series that acts as the second tier below the DP World Tour. It serves as a development league and offers aspiring golfers the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level, gain experience and qualify for the European Tour.
The Challenge Tour is internationally orientated, with tournaments held in various European countries and outside Europe. This offers players a varied experience on different golf courses and in different competitive conditions. The tour attracts golfers from all over the world who are interested in furthering their careers in professional golf.
As with the Korn Ferry Tour, the top players on the Challenge Tour qualify for the higher tour, in this case the European Tour, at the end of each season. This is usually based on the Challenge Tour ranking, with the best players receiving a Tour card. This promotion is a key goal for many players on the Challenge Tour, as it allows access to more prestigious tournaments, higher prize money and greater visibility in the world of golf.
Overall, the Challenge Tour is a crucial step for many golfers who want to make the leap to the highest level of European golf, the European Tour. It offers a mix of challenge and opportunity that is crucial for the career development of golfers.
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 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 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
- Qi10 LS 10.5 driver
- Qi10 Tour 15.0 fairway
- Qi10 Tour 18.0 fairway
- P770 4 iron
- P7MB 5-PW
- MG4 50.SB and 54.SB wedges
- Hi-Toe 58 wedge
- Spider Tour putter
- 2024 TP5 golf ball
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 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 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