Challenge Tour

This article is about the golf event series. For the former second tier snooker series, see Challenge Tour (snooker).
Challenge Tour
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2016 Challenge Tour
Sport Golf
Founded 1986
Founder European Tour
Director Alain de Soultrait
Countries Based in Europe.
Includes events outside Europe,
in Asia and Africa.
Most titles Iain Pyman (8)
Related competitions European Tour
Official website Challenge Tour

The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and, as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe. World ranking points are awarded for high finishes in Challenge Tour events. Most Challenge Tour events give 12 OWGR points to the winner, with those co-sanctioned by the European Tour earning 18 points. The Challenge Tour Grand Final gives 17 points to the winner.

In 2014, a number of events would receive slightly higher points totals, with three events earning a minimum of 13 points and the Challenge Tour Grand Final winner receiving 17 points, up from 16.[1]

The tour was introduced in 1986 and was initially called the Satellite Tour. The Order of Merit was introduced in 1989, with the top five players on it winning membership of the European Tour for the following season. The following year the tour was renamed the Challenge Tour. Up to 1993 the Challenge Tour Rankings were based on each players' best several results, but since 1994 it has been a straightforward money list, with all results counting.

Players who are successful on the Challenge Tour qualify for membership of the European Tour the following year. Fifteen players earn direct promotion to the European Tour. Players finishing 16-45 may also gain qualification for occasional low-prize money European Tour Events, but can improve their status through European Tour Qualifying School. Players who win three Challenge Tour events in a season are fast-tracked onto the main tour immediately and are fully exempt the following season, similar to that of the US-based Web.com Tour.

One competitive level down from the Challenge Tour are four third-level developmental tours—the Alps Tour, the Pro Golf Tour, the PGA EuroPro Tour and the Nordic League, each of which is based in a different region of Europe. These circuits are now collectively known as the Satellite Tour. Each season the top five players from the Order of Merit of each of these tours wins a place on the Challenge Tour for the following season. The Challenge Tour also has an annual qualifying school.

Schedule

Main article: 2016 Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour Rankings winners

The Challenge Tour Rankings have been calculated in Euros since 1999. Prior to that they were calculated in British pounds.[2]

YearPlayerCountryEarnings
2015 Ricardo Gouveia  Portugal €251,952
2014 Andrew Johnston  England €190,856
2013 Andrea Pavan  Italy €147,811
2012 Espen Kofstad  Norway €131,099
2011 Tommy Fleetwood  England €148,913
2010 Álvaro Velasco  Spain €134,297
2009 Edoardo Molinari  Italy €242,980
2008 David Horsey  England €144,118
2007 Michael Lorenzo-Vera  France €128,927
2006 Mark Pilkington  Wales €119,152
2005 Marc Warren  Scotland €103,577
2004 Lee Slattery  England €95,980
2003 Johan Edfors  Sweden €94,509
2002 Lee S James  England €121,531
2001 Mark Foster  England €97,737
2000 Henrik Stenson  Sweden €108,711
1999 Carl Suneson  Spain €69,642
1998 Warren Bennett  England £81,053
1997 Michele Reale  Italy £51,679
1996 Ian Garbutt  England £37,661
1995 Thomas Bjørn  Denmark £46,471
1994 Raymond Burns  Northern Ireland £43,584
1993 Klas Eriksson  Sweden £48,366
1992 Paul Affleck  Wales £39,769
1991 David R. Jones  England £35,533
1990 Giuseppe Calì  Italy £28,383
1989 Neal Briggs  England

The PGA European Tour does track career earnings on the Challenge Tour. A ranking of career earnings would be of little value as a measure of success, since the objective of players on the tour is to leave it as soon as possible by winning promotion to the main tour.

Schedules by year

The table below summarises the development of the tour since 1999, which was the year that the euro became the currency of record for the tour. Individual tournaments have purses fixed in a mixture of British pounds, euro and U.S. dollars, so year on year changes in the total prize fund reflect exchange rate fluctuations as well as prize fund movements in constant currencies.[3]

Year Ranking tournaments Total prize money (€)
2015 24 5,519,925
2014 27 6,557,429
2013 25 5,674,581
2012 26 5,707,717
2011 25 5,399,759
2010 25 4,826,454[4]
2009 24 4,693,649
2008 33 6,017,393
2007 32 5,282,301
2006 30 4,799,014
2005 30 5,493,413
2004 29 4,370,149
2003 28 4,676,787
2002 26 3,982,797[5]
2001 29 3,888,135
2000 23 2,593,986
1999 27 2,196,529

See also

Notes and references

  1. "OWGR Board Announces Adjustments To Ranking System". OWGR. 6 August 2014.
  2. "Challenge Tour Road To Oman". PGA European Tour.
  3. "Challenge Tour Schedule". PGA European Tour.
  4. "The Challenge Tour in numbers". PGA European Tour. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  5. 2002 statistics include one abandoned tournament with a planned purse of €130,000.

External links

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