Challenge Tour - Where our next Tour players are coming from

Mark Hasstrup, Raul Fretes,Otto Solis ,Gareth Paddison,Jamie Moul,Who, where are our next tour players coming from, these are not household names yet, but  just some of the names who may be playing on the European Tour in 2010.

Some of you out there may not be aware that there are some great golfers out there that are coming through the ranks and all of a sudden appear on the European tour, where do these players all of a sudden appear from? What experience do they have? Never heard of them Etc.

One place where they come from is the European Challenge tour, started some 20 years ago, some people say it’s like the 1 st division of football and the European tour is the Premier league.

There is some 26 tournaments this year from South America to Europe and Asia all covering at least 1 competition.  There are at times some 200 players who put their names down to play in a tournament as there is at the first tournament Club Colombia Masters this year. As with other tours there is a cut off point and reserve list. These players come from all 4 corners of the world and all looking to gain one of those top 20 rankings to play on the European tour the following year.

This is a great playing field for these young players to gain experience and tournament conditions for when they make the next step in their careers, but it’s hard.However it must be remembered that even long standing pros who have not gained the required amount of monies at the end of the season on the European tour may have to have a spell on the Challange tour, names like Peter Baker, Ian Pyman, Carl Suneson,John Bickerton, just some of the names that have had to go back to the Challange Tour for a year or have had to go to Q school to fight it out over 6 long days of golf

All are professionals and unless millionaires are sponsored, be it by companies or golf clubs they are affiliated to.

Apart from getting into the top 20 at the end of the season, you will surprised at the prize fund of these competitions here are a couple of examples

First competition 2007 Argentina Winner got €18347 60th Place     € 355

The winner played 19 tournaments all over the world and made the cut 5 times and had total winnings of €25.065.

Now take out all their expenses flights, hotel, transport, laundry etc you can see there is not a lot left.

After Caddying on the Challange tour a couple of times it´s nice to see how these players have or are coming on over the years. There seems a lot of good camaraderie on this tour seems that they are all fighting for the same goal,  if you get the chance pop along and see these guys play, the competition is much more relaxed for the spectactors and you  can be really close to these players and you can put yourself in that zone of a pro.

But please remember Etiquette, These players are playing for the Lively hoods and they want the respect of all golfers of what ever standard, give them a chance

Also the entrance fee I have found at theses competitions is FREE,what a chance of seeing our next genaration of stars.

I will let you into what it´s like from a outsider on the challange tour the next time.