The Challenge Tour is an unglamorous, uncompromising season-long test of a golfer’s resolve. BRENDAN BARRATT looks at some of the star players who have earned their stripes through this route.
The Challenge Tour traces its roots back to 1986. The mini Tour, that would go on to become a feeder tour to the European Tour (now known as the DP World Tour), came about when the professional bodies of France, Italy and Sweden opened their tournaments to golfers from other countries.
Initially known as the Satellite Tour, it offered small purses but, crucially, a means for golfers without European Tour playing privileges to compete and earn their way to the main Tour. By the time it was renamed the European Challenge Tour in 1989, it had cemented its position and it soon expanded to countries all over Europe, with purses and the level of competition rising.
Further growth has seen the Tour travel to most parts of the globe, including Eastern Europe, Africa, South America and even the Far East.
The rewards for those who perform well are life-changing. The top 20 players on the Race to Mallorca at the end of the season receive full DP World Tour cards, while those ranked 16 to 45 will be sure of some starts in the lower-ranked events.
Brooks Koepka
Seasons played: 2
Wins: 4
After turning professional in 2012, American Koepka made the unusual move of starting his career in Europe. Competing on the Challenge Tour, he quickly established himself as a player of note by winning in his first season. The year after, Koepka won three more times, earning himself promotion to the European Tour.
Henrik Stenson
Years played: 2
Wins: 3
Having turned pro late in 1998, Stenson launched his career on the Challenge Tour and within two seasons had played his way on to the European Tour. The Swede won three events in 2000, including the Challenge Tour Grand Final by five shots. He also finished runner-up twice, both times losing out in a playoff. He ended the season as the winner of the Order of Merit.
Justin Rose
Years played: 1
Wins: 0
Rose missed his first 21 cuts as a professional. Yet a season on the Challenge Tour in 1999 did him no harm. His time out of the spotlight helped him get back on track and, after making it through Qualifying School that year, he went on to forge a successful European Tour career, including a US Open win in 2013 and the Olympic gold medal in 2016.
Martin Kaymer
Years played: 1
Wins: 2
Kaymer’s breakthrough came in 2006 when, playing on the EPD Tour, he won five times in 14 starts, including a round of 59 in the Habsburg Classic. This earned him an invitation to the Challenge Tour when, in only eight events, the German finished in the top 10 on six occasions, with two wins. He finished the Challenge Tour season ranked fourth on the Order of Merit, earning his place on the European Tour.
Trevor Immelman
Years played: 1
Wins: 1
Immelman is another who ground his way through the Challenge Tour to achieve greatness. The South African spent the 2000 season on Europe’s feeder Tour and finished ninth in the Order of Merit, having won the 2000 Kenya Open along the way.
Michael Campbell
Years played: 1
Wins: 3
Campbell was the first Challenge Tour graduate to win a Major, the 2005 US Open. The New Zealander stood out with three wins in seven starts in 1994, as he made his way on to the European Tour.
Louis Oosthuizen
Years played: 1
Wins: 0
Oosthuizen did his time on the Challenge Tour in 2003, when he finished 24th on the Order of Merit. It wasn’t enough to get him directly on to the main Tour, but he graduated from Q-School later that year and has become one of the most successful South African golfers.
South African Challenge Tour winners
JC Ritchie (4 wins)
Marc Cayeux (ZIM, 3 wins)
Jake Roos (2 wins)
Dylan Frittelli (2 wins)
Erik van Rooyen (1 win)
Brandon Stone (1 win)
Haydn Porteous (1 win)
Darren Fichardt (1 win)
Michiel Bothma (1 win)
Michael Kirk (1 win)
Titch Moore (1 win)
Ashley Roestoff (1 win)
Jean Hugo (1 win)
Hennie Otto (1 win)
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (1 win)
Wilco Nienaber (1 win)
Garrick Higgo (1 win)
– This article first appeared in the October 2022 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
