Categories
Korn Ferry Tour

Lowest round in PGA Tour history: Chilean plays 57

Until recently, the name Cristobal Del Solar may not have rung many bells, but now, it’s etched into golfing history. On Thursday, the Chilean golfer delivered a performance for the ages at the Astara Golf Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. Del Solar crafted an astonishing 13-under-par round of 57 strokes at the Country Club de Bogota-Pacos in Colombia. With this feat, Del Solar became the first player ever to achieve a score of 57 in an event sanctioned by the PGA Tour.

Record round at a PGA Tour event

Del Solar set this record on an unusually short par-70 course spanning 5718 meters at an altitude of approximately 2700 meters. With six birdies and an eagle on the front nine, he set the pace early with a score of 27 strokes, tying the Korn Ferry record for the lowest nine-hole score. Continuing his impressive play on the back nine, the 30-year-old golfer secured three more birdies and another eagle. With four pars to conclude the round, he solidified his place in golfing history.

In a virtual press conference following his remarkable round, Del Solar emphasized the favorable conditions of the course. Leading the field by only four strokes, his longest iron into a green was merely a 6-iron, even on a par-5 hole. “The course was definitely set up to allow for a very low round,” commented Del Solar. “The pins were tucked, but the greens were so soft that I could hit the driver as close to the green as possible. And when you chip well, the ball stays close to the hole.” Despite his exceptional performance, Del Solar acknowledged room for improvement, particularly lamenting missed opportunities on the latter half of the course.

How good was the 57 really?

Prior to Del Solar’s outstanding achievement, only two players had shot a 58 in PGA Tour-sanctioned tournaments, both in 2016: Stephan Jaeger at the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae and Jim Furyk at the Travelers Championship. In total, twelve players have scored below 60 in PGA Tour-sanctioned events. Due to the course’s short length and the altitude, there were immediate debates questioning the significance of Del Solar’s round. Some argued that it was only the 27th best of all time, as one Twitter user pointed out.

Del Solar himself has a clear perspective on the matter: “Yes, the course is short, we’re playing at altitude, but you still have to be able to get it done. You still have to go out there and make birdies,” remarked the Chilean golfer, who broke the 60 mark for the first time in his career. “I’ve never broken 60 before,” Del Solar added. “The course I play at home (Dye’s Preserve in Jupiter, Florida) is really tough, and when I play really well there, I’m at seven or eight under, but never close to the 60 mark.” Despite the factors favoring a low score, the 57 stands as an impressive feat, sealed by Del Solar with a casual two-putt on the 18th green.

Categories
European Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour: Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open 2024 Live Blog

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.

Categories
Korn Ferry Tour

Korn Ferry Tour: astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard 2024 Live Blog

astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard 2024 Live Scores

The astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard in the season 2024 is being played in Bogotá, Colombia at the Country Club de Bogotá. The tournament starts at the Thursday, 8th of February and ends at the Sunday, 11th of February 2024.
The astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard is part of the Korn Ferry Tour in the season 2024. In 2024 all players competing for a total prize money of $1,000,000.
The course for the tournament at Country Club de Bogotá plays at Par 71.

The Korn Ferry Tour is currently traveling through South America, stopping in Bogotá, Colombia. It then continues on to Argentina and Chile.

Korn Ferry Tour live

The Korn Ferry Tour is a professional golf tournament series that serves as a development pathway and stepping stone for golfers who want to make it onto the PGA Tour. The tour provides a platform for professional golfers to gain experience, improve their skills and secure a place on the more prestigious PGA Tour.

Qualification for the PGA Tour via the Korn Ferry Tour is based on money ranking or performance in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Each year, the top players on the tour receive PGA Tour cards, which for many golfers is the main goal of their participation. The tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour take place mainly in the United States, but attract players from all over the world. This makes it an international stage for up-and-coming talent.

The name of the tour has changed several times over the years and depends on the respective main sponsor. Since 2019, Korn Ferry, a global management consulting firm, has been the name sponsor. The structure and format of the tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour are very similar to those of the PGA Tour, with four rounds over four days, starting on a Thursday and a cut after the first two rounds.

Categories
Live

Popert and Lawlor shared lead on day one of the first ever G4D Open

Kipp Popert and Brendan Lawlor share the clubhouse lead on day one of the weather-interrupted G4D Open at Woburn.

Popert, 24, the world number one on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), signed for an impressive round of two-under-par 70 at the inaugural championship over the Duchess Course.

It was a scored matched late in the day by Lawlor, thanks to three back-nine birdies.

Popert, who was born with a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Diplegia, has won five times on the G4D Tour in 2022/23 and overcame a slow start to shine on the back nine. The Englishman made three birdies in four holes and then recovered from a bogey at the 17th to strike an 8-iron approach to 12 feet at the last and finish with another birdie.

Play was suspended just before 4pm due to heavy rain and thunderstorms, before Popert and Lawlor returned to complete their rounds two hours later and finish in style.

With play continuing late into the evening after the weather improved, Popert and Lawlor lead by a shot from world-ranked number four, Juan Postigo Arce, after the Spaniard made two birdies in his closing four holes for a 71. Irishman Lawlor, the second best player in the world who competed in Japan recently on the DP World Tour, fared even better after his hat-trick of birdies from the 15th.

You can view the latest scoring across the sport classes here.

A field of 80 male and female players representing 17 countries have assembled to compete at the renowned venue in Bedfordshire, including eight from the top-ten from the WR4GD.

Autistic Swedish player Erika Malmberg savoured the historic moment of striking the first shot in the championship at 8.30am, hitting her drive over 200 yards down the middle.

The championship, held in partnership between The R&A and the DP World Tour and supported by EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association), is one of the most inclusive ever staged, featuring nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups.

Amateur and professional golfers are competing in the 54-hole stroke play gross competition (10–12 May) across the sport classes which cover various categories in Standing, Intellectual, Visual and Sitting. An overall winner will be determined at the end of the three rounds on Friday, along with an opposite sex winner and a gross prize in each category.

The establishment of The G4D Open follows on from the inclusion of the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities into the Rules of Golf from the start of this year and The R&A and USGA’s on-going administration of the WR4GD.

Spectators are welcome to attend The G4D Open free of charge.

Key Quotes

Erika Malmberg, Sweden

“It was amazing, an honour to hit the first tee shot ever in a G4D Open – unspeakable. When I saw on Monday that I would be the first one to play, I got nervous about the tee shot. This morning, my heart raced a lot and being there and getting my name called up, I just tried to step into my bubble. Then, yeah, I made it and it was probably the golf shot of my life, 200 metres straight down the middle. It was such an amazing feeling.

“We all have disabilities here, just in different ways. We all have reached this point in our game to be here and we can compete against each other.”

Kipp Popert, England

“I was really solid. I was really pleased with how patient I was. I started three-over for a handful of holes, but knew once I started finding the fairways and finding my groove, I would be okay. That’s what I told myself to do before the week started basically – if I had to chip out sideways I would, and that’s what I did.”

Juan Postigo Arce, Spain

“I played quite good today. I was quite steady off the tee. I made one mistake and was lucky enough to get the ball back in the fairway. I putted great all the day. So yeah, everything came together. It’s playing quite long (in the weather). I’m lucky enough to carry the ball quite far.”

Categories
European Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour announces 2023 global schedule

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

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.

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

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 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 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

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 Live Satellite Tours

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

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)