The old adage says ‘when one door closes, another one opens’

The old adage says ‘when one door closes, another one opens’, and nothing could be truer for the Challenge Tour this week, which visits Royal Golf Club for the inaugural Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Challenge.

When it became clear that Poggio dei Medici Golf Club would be unable to host the Mugello Tuscany Open – scheduled for this week – because of the severe drought that has ravaged Italy this summer, it looked as though the penultimate event on the Challenge Tour schedule would have to be cancelled.

However, in stepped Royal Golf Club in the nick of time, not only ensuring there would still be a tournament, but revealing itself to be a gem of a venue. Despite having less than three weeks to prepare, it promises to be one of the most well-organised tournaments and enjoyable destinations of the season.

Morten Sundberg, CEO of Royal Golf Club, said: “We saw an opportunity to help the Challenge Tour, and it would have been such a shame if the second-last tournament of the year had to be cancelled.

“There are a few Danish players doing very well this season, and we thought it was important that there was a tournament this week for sporting reasons and to make it fair to those trying to make the top 20 or top 45 in the Rankings.

“Soren Juul is our Sales Manager here at Royal Golf Club and he used to play on the Challenge Tour and knows Alain de Soultrait, the Challenge Tour Director, so he got in touch. I also do business with a guy who works for Crowne Plaza, so we were able to get them on board as title sponsors and as the official hotel for staff and players.

“The course here is made for big tournaments so it’s very exciting, and we hope this is only the start.”

Three weeks might seem a very short time to plan and organise a tournament of this level, but Sundberg explained that many aspects simply fell into place.

“We instructed our head greenkeeper to start work on the course immediately, but it was already in very good condition and didn’t need a huge amount of work,” he said.

“Last year we held a big tournament with lots of famous people, so we got in touch with all the volunteers who had helped at that, and most of them were keen to do this one as well. So it was a tried and tested system.

“The infrastructure is all in place. We have another course also very close to the city centre so we were able to move all our bookings there for this week. Everyone is just very happy and excited to have this tournament here and I think we will have quite a few people watching on Sunday, especially as we are offering free entry to the public.”

Royal Golf Club fully opened last year, having been in the pipeline for more than a decade. The state-of-the-art clubhouse has been designed as ‘a little house on the hill’ in keeping with its surroundings, which is a protected area, and it boasts a huge fitness centre and restaurant in addition to top class facilities.

“The idea to have a golf course here came about in 1999 but it took five and a half years to get the planning permission,” said Sundberg. “The driving range opened in 2006, nine holes in 2008, 18 holes in 2010 and the clubhouse last year.

“It is a typical Danish design, very stylish and minimalistic. We like to think we have the best location for a golf club in the world. We say we are a nine iron away from the airport and a nine iron to the Metro, which gets you to the centre of Copenhagen in seven minutes.

“It’s a fantastic location and the area is very up-and-coming. Many multi-national companies are basing their Scandinavian headquarters here and when it is all completed there will be 80,000 people working here and 25,000 people living here.

“And, most important, the golf course is superb. We are sure it will be an excellent week.”

Roope Kakko held a two shot lead

Roope Kakko held a two shot lead midway through the third round of the Doubletree by Hilton Acaya Open after playing his first nine holes in level par.

The Finn started with a birdie at the first but bogeyed the eighth to remain on four under par for the tournament, two clear of a group of six players which included overnight co-leaders Raymond Russell of Scotland and American Peter Uihlein.

The pair were both two over for their round at the halfway point, and sat alongside another Finn, Mikko Korhonen, Frenchmen Anthony Snobeck and Alex Kaleka and Norway’s Espen Kofstad.

Raymond Russell claimed his maiden Challenge Tour

Popular Scotsman Raymond Russell claimed his maiden Challenge Tour win at the Challenge Provincia di Varese. Here are the key facts from his victory....

• This victory beats his previous best Challenge Tour performances of second in the 1994 Interlaken Open and 2010 SWALEC Wales Challenge and tied second in the ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne in 2010.

• Is the seventh first-time winner of the 2012 Challenge Tour season.

• Moves to €43,071 and up to sixth in the Challenge Tour Rankings.

• Is the first Scot to win on the European Challenge Tour since George Murray at the 2010 Scottish Hydro Challenge.

Max Kieffer believes he is close to returning to the form

Max Kieffer believes he is close to returning to the form which brought him the first European Challenge Tour title of this season as he travels to the inaugural Challenge Provincia di Varese this week at Golf Club Varese in Luvinate, Italy.

The German claimed the Gujarat Kensville Challenge title in January thanks to a nerveless play-off victory over local favourite Rahil Gangjee in India, but has struggled to replicate that form recently.

A tied 17^th place finish at last week’s Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, however, has given the German his best finish since his maiden Challenge Tour title and he believes that he is close to being back to his best.

“I definitely think I'm close to getting back to the kind of form I had in India,” said Kieffer, who turned 22 on Monday. “I'm really hitting a lot of good shots and my putting has been really good so if I just stay patient and not get down on myself after a bad week and keep playing with confidence I think it will come again.

“I haven’t played as well as I thought I might this season. You start to get down on yourself and think about it too much, but I guess that’s golf. I played OK at a few tournaments but it was just two or three bad holes that cost me.

“At the moment I'm just having two or three bad holes every day and that’s the difference between a good week and a really good week. Every day I'm making bogeys with a wedge in my hand with bad tactics and that’s all it is.

“It’s definitely an experience thing. There are more than150 players most weeks and they're all playing really well and if you don’t finish top ten you’re a bit disappointed, so about 140 players are disappointed every week. You have to get used to it because it’s not always easy.”

Having secured one of his best results of 2011 in Italy last season with an 11^th place finish in the Acaya Open 2011, Kieffer is looking forward to returning for the first of four tournaments in the Mediterranean nation.

 “It’s a great country to play in,” he said. “The food is good, the weather is good and the courses are in good shape so it’s definitely a nice country.”

Kieffer will be joined at the €160,000 event this week by an extremely strong field including six more Challenge Tour winners from the 2012 season – Phil Archer (Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic), Seve Benson (Barclays Kenya Open), Marco Crespi (Telenet Trophy), Edoardo De La Riva (Fred Olsen Challenge de España), Gary Stal (Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda) and the winner of last week’s Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, Sam Walker.

European Tour winners in the field include José-Filipe Lima, Scott Strange and Daniel Vancsik, while Gary Lockerbie will be looking to return to the top of the Challenge Tour Rankings after being displaced by Magnus A Carlsson after the Swede finished third in Scotland last week.

Home favourites in the field include Alessandro Tadini, Matteo Delpodio and promising 16 year old Domenico Geminiani.

Spaniard Eduardo de la Riva claimed a memorable home victory

Spaniard Eduardo de la Riva claimed a memorable home victory in the Fred Olsen Challenge de España, firing a flawless closing round 65 at Tecina Golf in La Gomera.

De la Riva finished one stroke clear of Englishman Simon Wakefield with a winning total of 19 under par to claim his maiden Challenge Tour victory at the €160,000 event, while the total of 265 (-19) is the lowest winning score so far this season.

Beginning the day three shots behind overnight leader, Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik, de la Riva got his final round off to the perfect start with a 40 foot putt for three at the first before capitalising on both of the front nine’s par fives with further birdies at the third and seventh, before reaching the turn in 32 shots thanks to a superb bunker shot at the ninth.

A further two birdies followed on the back nine at the par four 12th and long 17th to complete a blemish free final offering from the 29 year old, and he was understandably delighted.

He said: "I started very calmly and holed a 12 meters putt to get me in the game, then I chipped close on the third for birdie and after that I just let my game go because I knew there would be birdie chances on the way.

“I felt very comfortable out there, especially with my putter. I started playing with it last week where I had two bad rounds but was not the putter’s fault. This one is going to stay in my bag for a while. After so many years with belly and long putters now I feel I am a better player with the regular one.”

De la Riva also spoke of overcoming a long-standing back injury and his ultimate aim of making it back onto the top tier of European golf.

“I’m not sure of my schedule now. I have been diagnosed with two disk protrusions in my back and I have to treat them, and then I will decide,” he said. “My goal has always been The European Tour. Since I got the card nine years ago I have grown up as a player, as a person and in every sense.

“Now everything is going perfect and I want to play. I made the right fitness preparation and it has worked. I have been close to a win on the main Tour a couple of times lately, I know I can trust on my game and trust myself, I just have to hole the putts the way I did today."

England’s Simon Wakefield narrowly missed out on victory on the Canary Island after following up a superb 63 in Saturday’s third round with a five under par 66 to fall one shot short of de la Riva.

"I made a slow start with a bogey where I made eagle yesterday so that was disappointing,” said Wakefield. “It was difficult to catch up so I settled down and let my experience not to rush and be patient and it came. I knew I needed to birdie the 18th to catch Eduardo but couldn’t. Overall I am very happy with the tournament."

Two shots further back were the trio of Scotland’s Scott Henry, Spain’s Luis Claverie and France’s Alexander Levy, while Englishman Charlie Ford had earlier shot a course record 61 – ten under par – a superb performance featuring 11 birdies and just the one bogey that propelled him 38 places up the leaderboard into a tie for sixth at 15 under par.

"That was my first course record in competition,” said Ford. “I felt really good. Yesterday I played very well from tee to green but terrible on the greens; today I tried to do the same but hole some putts and made all the short putts. I’m very happy."

Overnight leader Vancsik joined Ford in a share of sixth place after closing with a one over par 72.

Spaniard Carlos Aguilar rattled off four successive birdies

Spaniard Carlos Aguilar rattled off four successive birdies en route to grabbing the lead at the midway stage of the ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne on the Challenge Tour.

The 29 year old from Alicante has been competing predominantly on France’s Allianz Tour and the Spanish National Tour, but he set up a golden opportunity to claim a place on the Challenge Tour with a round of 66 which moved him to five under par.

After a superb round of 64 former Ryder Cup player Peter Baker of England, who won the inaugural event in 2007, is in the chasing pack on three under par, alongside Sweden’s Jens Dantorp and Finn Mikko Korhonen. 

Aguilar took full advantage of the more benign afternoon conditions at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André, in northern France, with six birdies, including four in a row from the fourth hole. 

If he can hold onto his slender lead for the final two days of the €160,000 event, Aguilar will become the first Spanish winner on the Challenge Tour since Carlos Del Moral prevailed at the M2M Russian Challenge Cup in September 2010, one week after Alvaro Velasco won the Kazakhstan Open on his way to topping the Rankings.

Aguilar said: “Both of my bogeys were from three-putts, so I’m very happy with my long game. I’ve played very consistently both days even though the conditions have been quite difficult, so I’m very satisfied. Whenever I missed the green I managed to miss on the right side, so it was straightforward to get up and down. I made a few nice birdie putts, including a long one on the 15th, and I also holed a good par putt on the last, so it was a good day. 

“I’m looking forward to the weekend now, hopefully I can keep it going. I think the weather forecast for the weekend is quite good, so that would suit me because I prefer playing when the sun is out. I don’t have much experience of leading on the Challenge Tour because I haven’t really been in this position before, but I’m sure I will enjoy it and if I can keep playing the way I have been, then it will give me a good chance.”

Baker, who started on the tenth tee, surged through the field with a front nine of 31 which included birdies at the 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th holes.

With the exception of a double bogey at the second hole his back nine was no less impressive, as gains at the fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth holes moved the three-time European Tour champion firmly into contention to capture his fourth Challenge Tour title. 

Earlier in the day Dantorp, despite a seven on his card, had signed for a stunning round of 63 to surge from tied 75th overnight into a share of second place.

Dantorp is no stranger to feats of incredibly low scoring, having lived every professional golfer’s dream at the Bravo Tour Open on the Satellite Nordic League last season, when he signed for a magical round of 59. 

Needless to say, Dantorp went on to win that tournament en route to topping the Nordic League’s Order of Merit, thus earning him a place on the Challenge Tour this season. 

The 22 year old from Malmö has enjoyed a productive start to his debut Challenge Tour campaign, following up a tied 12th finish in India with a joint 30th finish in Kenya to climb into the top 30 of the Rankings. 

But his round of 63 – which included ten birdies, six pars, a bogey and that double bogey seven – was comfortably the lowest of Dantorp’s fledgling Challenge Tour career.

According to Dantorp, the main difference between an opening round of 74 and his rather more spectacular effort on the second day was that his putter caught fire, despite the cool temperatures and stiff breeze which greeted the morning starters. 

He said: “Other than my double bogey, I have to be very pleased with that round. Unfortunately I lost my first drive and then hit my second tee shot into the thick rough, so in the end I was quite pleased to walk off with a seven. And I got the shots straight back, so in the end it didn’t matter too much. 

“The wind was much calmer than yesterday and the game just felt quite easy today. I was hitting my approach shots close, and my putter was really hot – I made a lot of putts from three or four metres. I don’t know how many putts I had, but I know it wasn’t very many! Hopefully if I can keep that going over the weekend, I will have a good chance.”

Korhonen, playing his first event of the season after recovering from the wrist surgery he underwent in February, joined Dantorp on three under par, albeit with a more mundane round of 69. 

Having spent six weeks recuperating from surgery, Korhonen flew to Orlando, America, to undergo some intensive winter practice with his fellow Finns Antti Ahokas and Roope Kakko, whose nuptials he attended on New Year’s Eve. 

And the practice paid off with a steady display which included birdies at the 10th (his first), seventh and eighth holes, where he drained a 30 foot putt. 

Korhonen said: “I’m happy, because I played very steady. I started with a birdie but then had to wait a long time for my second one, so I had to be patient. But I struck my driver very well all day, and the key to going low round here is to keep the ball in play and away from the rough, because the greens are quite receptive. So if you find the fairways, you’ve got a chance of making birdies. It was a shame to finish with a bogey, but I won’t worry too much about it.

“This is my first tournament since Q School last year, so I’ve been itching to go. It was frustrating having the wrist surgery, because it made for a very long off-season. But I needed to get it done, because my fingers were starting to feel a bit numb. But I’m back now, so hopefully I can start to make up for lost time.”

Joint overnight leaders Stephen Grant of Ireland and England’s Chris Hanson struggled to build on their solid opening efforts, as both carded rounds of 73 to fall back to level par.

But there was better news for England’s Ricki Neil-Jones, who aced the 15th hole with a sand wedge from 115 yards.
    

Proud new Dad Chris Hanson defied high winds

Proud new Dad Chris Hanson defied high winds on the opening day of the ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne to claim a share of the lead with his compatriot Eddie Pepperell and former professional footballer Stephen Grant of Ireland.

Despite gusts of up to 30mph at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André, in northern France, Hanson refused to be blown off course, carding a three under par round of 67 to continue the fine form he has shown thus far in his debut Challenge Tour season.

Instead of travelling to Kenya at the end of March, the 26 year old – currently 11^th in the Challenge Tour Rankings thanks chiefly to a tied fourth finish in Colombia – opted to remain at home in Harrogate, England, with his expectant wife Laura.

Daughter Jessica was duly delivered four weeks ago to give Hanson another mouth to feed, but also a new-found perspective on his career – and indeed life.      

He said: “I’ve had a month at home with my wife and Jessica, which I really enjoyed. Now that I’ve got another person to look after I guess there’s a bit more pressure on me to perform, but in some ways having a baby also puts your golf into perspective. It’s been an amazing experience so far, and she’s been as good as gold. I’ve obviously had one or two sleepless nights, but I’m certainly not complaining.”

After notching four birdies in his opening eight holes Hanson had few causes for complaint, though he was frustrated with three bogeys in his next five holes. But an eagle at the par five seventh hole – which was mercifully playing downwind – restored the spring in his step.

He said: “It’s nice to keep my form going, because I’ve started the season really well. I’ve taken to the travelling quite well and managed to play some good golf, so I’m happy with how it’s gone so far. I played well on the EuroPro Tour last year and had a good winter, which set me up nicely for this season. It’s obviously still early days, but hopefully I can keep it going.”

Grant, meanwhile, is keen to make up for lost time, having only picked up a club for the first time aged 25.

The former Ireland Under-21 international forward enjoyed spells at Sunderland, Burnley and more recently Shamrock Rovers in his homeland, before a back injury curtailed his career eight years ago.

He promptly chose to swap the football field for the fairways, and after a difficult introduction to life as a professional golfer, the 35 year old is now beginning to flourish.

Grant picked up five birdies in his round of 67, with a double bogey at the 14^th hole – where he lost his ball after a hook from the tee – the only blemish in an otherwise impressive display.

He said: “It was really tough out there, it was just a battle. I was just trying to make pars and stay patient, and for the most part I managed to do that. I played some solid golf, and was in control of my ball all day – other than the one bad swing on the 14^th. It went in the bushes on the left and we couldn’t find it so that was frustrating, but I can’t be too upset with a 67 in those conditions.

“It’s the worst wind I’ve played in for a long time, because I’ve been playing on the Hooters Tour in the States for the last year or so and if you get wind and rain over there it normally means a storm is on the way, so you generally tend to get called in off the course before too long. So it was tough, and probably a few years ago I would’ve been blown out of the tournament. But I’m now a much more experienced player, so I’m proud of the way I fought and dug in.”

Pepperell is just starting out in his career, but the 21 year old from Oxford, England, showed admirable maturity to bounce back from an opening bogey with four birdies in his next six holes.

He added a further gain at the 11^th hole to take the outright lead, before a bogey at the 16^th saw him slip back to three under par.

He said: “I had the ball under control all day, especially for the first 12 or 13 holes. After that the wind really picked up, and life became much tougher. But it’s a good start – I could’ve easily played myself out of the tournament, so to be joint leader is very pleasing.

“The highlight of the day was probably on the 14^th, where I had to take a drop from the bushes but managed to find the green with my third shot and then holed a 55 foot putt for a fairly unusual par. I felt a bit embarrassed, but you need a bit of luck on days like this, and I felt I probably deserved it for the way I’d played up until then.”     

Dutchman Floris De Vries, Scotland’s Jack Doherty, Frenchman Thomas Fournier, Finland’s Mikko Korhonen and Italian Gregory Molteni all share fourth place on two under par.

Of that quartet it was De Vries, returning from an injury-ravaged season on The European Tour, who produced the most eye-catching card, opening with back to back eagles for the first time in history on the Challenge Tour.

Having driven the green and holed the putt on the par four tenth – his first hole – De Vries promptly chipped in at the par five 11th to race to four under par through two holes.

He promptly gave two shots back at the next two holes, and after birdies at the 18th and eighth holes were cancelled out by a double bogey at the fifth, De Vries signed for an eventful round of 68.

His playing partner Anton Haig of South Africa, winner of the Johnnie Walker Classic at the tender age of 21, marked his first appearance on European soil for almost two years with a highly encouraging round of 69. 

The Challenge Tour will touch down on European soil

The Challenge Tour will touch down on European soil for the first time this season when the Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André once again plays host to the ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne from May 10-13.

After three tournaments on three different continents, the busy summer season on the European mainland begins here for the players and the stunning French coastal region of Brittany is the first stop for the first of three ALLIANZ-sponsored events in the 2012 calendar.

Last year, Phillip Archer showed true grit and determination to claim the title in extremely difficult conditions, beating his playing partner Roland Steiner by one shot with a six over par final round of 76. The fact that the Englishman shot a nine under par 61 on the third day showed the marked difference in conditions as howling winds and rain took hold on Sunday.

Other winners include two-time Challenge Tour winner Sam Walker, who emerged victorious in 2010, and three-time European Tour winner Joakim Haeggman, who claimed his second of two Challenge Tour wins in Brittany in 2008.

Haeggman succeeded his former Ryder Cup team-mate Peter Baker, who won the inaugural title in 2007 by defeating Ross McGowan at the first play-off hole, also making it two Challenge Tour career wins.

The field at this year’s ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne will battle it out for a prize fund of €160,000.

The 6,052m Alain Prat-designed Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André is set on a stunning beachside location overlooking the English channel. A stern test, it becomes even more formidable when the winds blow in on France’s ‘Emerald Coast’.

Phillip Archer claimed the third Challenge Tour title

Phillip Archer claimed the third Challenge Tour title of his career after he held his nerve and holed a tricky four-foot putt to win the inaugural Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic with a two under par round of 70.

The Englishman was two shots clear at one point during an enthralling final day at Country Club de Barranquilla in Colombia but superb performances down the stretch from young guns Chris Lloyd and Morten Orum Madsen meant Archer had to birdie a final hole on which he had failed to gain a shot all week to avoid a play-off.

When Archer drove into the rough to the left on the par five 18th, the 39 year old knew he would have to do it the hard way, but his second shot nestled just shy of the green before a solid up and down sealed what he claimed was his “best win yet”.

“I was thinking when I stood over the putt that the hole owed me something because I had two fives and a six there before that,” explained Archer. “I had pulled my drive into a similar position where I was the last three days. I caught a half-decent lie this time though and had a full swing so I was able to get something on it and managed to nudge it to the front edge.

“I was quite comfortable standing over the final putt though. I went through my full routine which I had done all the way around and luckily I holed it.”

Having started the day one shot off the lead held by Nick Dougherty, Archer kept it steady on the front nine with a sublime approach to the second green earning him a simple tap-in for birdie.

He exchanged a birdie and bogey at the seventh and eighth holes to reach the turn in one under and, with Dougherty having dropped back after an opening double-bogey and their playing partner Tyrrell Hatton struggling to a five over par front nine, Archer darted into the lead with a birdie on the 11th.

He dropped a shot on the 13th, however, while Lloyd and Madsen both picked up two birdies each in the final four holes to go into the clubhouse on seven under and pile the pressure on Archer.

But the Warrington man made his experience count and was delighted with the win, which moved him to the top of the Challenge Tour rankings on €33,946.

“Wins are always good,” he said. “It just shows you’ve concentrated for the whole way around and I just eked ahead of everyone. I knew a birdie would win it on the final hole and I had never actually holed a putt to win a title. I've never had that feeling so that was a really nice feeling and one that I’d like to have a few more times.”

Lloyd, meanwhile, was disappointed not to have been able to take it to a play-off after a superb five under par final round of 67, which included no less than seven birdies and earned him tied second spot with Madsen.

But the ambitious 20 year old admitted that it will only make him keener to claim that maiden Challenge Tour victory.

“Obviously I’m disappointed that it didn’t go to a play-off,” said the Bristol man. “But I was nine under for the weekend so I've got to be pleased with that, you can’t be too picky really. I played great all day to be honest.

I made some big putts to start with and then I holed another great one on the 16th and a nice birdie at the last.

“I’m still craving that first win. I've had two good finishes now, eighth in India and second this week so hopefully I can carry that on in Kenya in a few weeks’ time. I finished second in my fourth event in Italy last year too so hopefully I can finally get that win this season.”

Madsen, meanwhile, was thrilled with the first tournament of his debut season on the Challenge Tour and leaves Colombia having claimed the course record with a six under par 66 on the third day at the windswept venue on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, before carding a two under par final round of 70.

“I found my game this weekend and it was just fun,” said the 23 year old Dane. “I played really well again today, I just made a couple of silly mistakes and made some bogeys but I still made plenty of birdies so I just wanted to make as many as I could towards the end and have a go at it.

“I thought if I made eagle on the final hole I had a chance but full credit to Phillip Archer - that was a great up and down on the last hole so you can’t do anything about that.

“This was my first tournament as a full Challenge Tour member and it was really exciting to come here and play well because you never know what to expect so I’m really, really happy. It was a nice perk to get the course record too, so I’m really excited for this season now.”

Dougherty, meanwhile, had to settle for tied fourth place on his Challenge Tour debut with a one over par round of 73 but the three-time European Tour winner was happy with his lot. He now plans to play the next tournament on the schedule, The Barclays Kenya Open, to build on a week in which he appears to have slayed the demons which led to him making just one cut in 34 tournaments on The European Tour last year.

He was joined on six under par by compatriots, 2010 Apulia San Domenico Grand Final winner Matt Haines, and Challenge Tour rookie Chris Hanson, after they both carded for rounds of 71.

Fowler takes John Jacobs Trophy

Peter Fowler held off the challenge of former Ryder Cup player Barry Lane to win the European Senior Tour Order of Merit following a dramatic final day of the 2011 season at the MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius.

Fowler fought back from consecutive double bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes at Constance Belle Mare Plage to finish the season-finale in seventh position, his 13th top ten of a remarkably consistent campaign.

That was enough for him to end the year as Senior Tour Number One and lift the John Jacobs Trophy ahead of Lane, who was two shots back in a share of ninth.

Fowler, who succeeds Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit, is the third Australian to win the prestigious John Jacobs Trophy, following Noel Ratcliffe in 2000 and Ian Stanley in 2001

The 52 year old’s cheque for €14, 814 took his earnings for 2011 to €302,327, meaning he finished the Senior Tour’s 20th anniversary season €32,154 clear of runner up Lane in the Order of Merit.

“It was a great tussle with Barry who also had two wins this season,” said Fowler, who suffered a career-threatening back injury in 2009. “Fortunately when he had those two wins I finished second and third so I managed to stay close enough. The more the year went on, the more exhausted I was.

Then I suffered some back problems again in Portugal in October so I was battling through towards the end of the season and it was good to see the job through.”

After struggling for two years with a disc problem in his back which happened in practice before his Senior Tour debut, Fowler won twice in 2011, capturing his maiden Senior Tour title in the ISPS Handa Senior World Championship in June before coming from seven shots back on the final day to win the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open in Switzerland the following month.

He was also runner up in the ISPS Handa Senior World Championship presented by Mission Hills China and the Casa Serena Open and tied second in the Van Lanschot Senior Open.
In total he finished inside the top ten in 13 of his 18 appearances in 2011, with nine of those inside the top five.

“I’ve played pretty solid and pretty consistent this year and been in there most weeks,” said Fowler. “I still feel I have room for improvement though. There’s a lot of good players out here who I’m still learning from –Sam Torrance, Carl Mason and Ian Woosnam – they play so well and I have to pick the bits of their game and add them to mine.

“After the struggles that I’ve had over the years this really does mean a lot to me. It’s great to beat all of these great champions on the Senior Tour.”

Fowler played 519 events on The European Tour events in a career spanning 25 years, winning once in the 1993 BMW International Open when he held off Major Champions Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer. His best finish on the Order of Merit was 22nd in 1989, the year he also won the World Cup for Australia when he partnered Wayne Grady.

He joined the Senior Tour in 2009 and struggled initially with his back injury, finishing 76th on the Order of Merit that season after playing just four events. The injury sidelined him for 12 months but he returned to finish 29th last year and after a winter of hard gym work, Fowler returned stronger and began the season with a share of fifth in the ISPS Handa Australian Senior Open before only finishing outside the top ten five times in 18 events.

“The Order of Merit is across a 21 tournament stretch so it shows a high level of consistency,” he said. “I have to admit when Barry won in Scotland in August and people started talking about the Order of Merit it became quite gruelling. I knew, though, that if I stayed on my game I’d have a chance.”

Lane, who was the first person to congratulate Fowler on his triumph, also won twice in 2011, successfully defending the Cleveland Golf/Srixon Scottish Senior Open in August before winning his third Senior Tour title the following month at the Casa Serena Open.

He recorded six top five finishes in total and nine top ten finishes, ending the year with earnings of €271,173

“I was a bit aggressive toward the end today but I gave it my best and it was a great season,” said Lane. “It was great to be in contention for the John Jacobs Trophy. Peter has had a great year and he works so hard so it’s great for him to win the trophy. I really am pleased for him”

Scotland's Andrew Oldcorn finished third in the Order of Merit on €188, 981 while Englishman Gary Wolstenholme moved past former Masters Champion Ian Woosnam into fourth position with earnings of €181,636.

Former Walker Cup Player Wolstenholme sealed the Rookie of the Year Award following nine top ten finishes in his first full season on the Senior Tour.

Andrea Pavan edged his final day shoot-out with Tommy Fleetwood

Home hero Andrea Pavan edged his final day shoot-out with Tommy Fleetwood at the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, but it was the young Englishman who ended the season as the Challenge Tour’s Number One, becoming the youngest winner of the Rankings in the Tour’s 22-year history.

On a day of high winds and even higher drama in Puglia, southern Italy, Pavan delighted the locals at San Domenico Golf, his home from home, with a one stroke victory over Fleetwood, whose runner-up finish ensured he would usurp his compatriot Sam Little at the top of the Rankings.

That scenario had looked increasingly unlikely after Fleetwood had opened with a double bogey and added a bogey at the eighth hole. But the 20 year old from Southport is made of stern stuff, picking up birdies at the 11th and 16th holes and a crucial eagle at the 15th to join Pavan on 17 under par.

Neither player’s approach shot found the 18th green, which was playing into the teeth of the wind whipping in off the Adriatic coastline.

But Pavan played a deft chip, and when Fleetwood raced his birdie attempt from the fringe of the green past the hole and missed the return, the 22 year old from Rome was left with the relatively straightforward task of holing out from four feet to take the title and, with it, the winner’s cheque for €56,650.

That moved Pavan up to second place in the Rankings behind Fleetwood, who topped the list with €148,912 – the second highest season’s earnings after Italian Edoardo Molinari in 2009.

Both men were naturally delighted, as were Sweden’s Pelle Edberg (fifth) and the English duo of Andrew Johnston (tied third) and Sam Walker (tied sixth), whose respective displays ensured that they would gatecrash the top 20 at the expense of Branden Grace, José-Filipe Lima and Anthony Snobeck. After bogeying his last two holes the unfortunate Frenchman finished in the unenviable position of 21st place, a mere €801 behind Italian Alessandro Tadini in 20th.

But both Fleetwood and Pavan were all smiles, as they contemplated life on The European Tour next season.

Fleetwood said: “It didn’t look great for me after the bogey on the eighth, and my Dad [Pete] started giving me a little bit of grief. But I had to stick in and grind out a score because winning the Challenge Tour is massive, so if that doesn’t motivate you to try your hardest, then nothing will.

“I battled through it and hit a few good shots coming home, which got me right back into it and put some pressure on Andrea. I had a rush of blood with the putt on the last, but it was great just to put myself into contention to win.

“To be crowned the best player of the year means an awful lot to me. As much as it hurts at the moment to lose I’m still pleased for Andrea, because he’s played well all week. And I’ve got to be delighted with my season overall, because at the start of the year my goal was just to finish in the top 20 of the Rankings, so to finish on top is fantastic.”

Pavan paid tribute to Fleetwood’s battling qualities, and the Italian – who is sponsored by San Domenico Golf – was rightly thrilled to have edged their duel, which seems certain to be repeated on the top tier next term.

He said: “It was really tough out there today. I didn’t really feel in control of my long game, and I struggled in the wind. It was tough to get any momentum going, but I’m very proud of the way I scrambled today, and I really putted well. I made a lot of crucial par putts, and when I holed that one on the last, it was a fantastic feeling. In the end my putting won me the tournament.

“It’s extra special to win here at San Domenico Golf, and to have so many people supporting me was fantastic. I felt like they sucked that putt in on the last! I felt very emotional at the end – to become the first Italian to win the Grand Final, and to do it at the club I’m attached to, is the best feeling in the world. I’m a very happy man.”

Johnston’s closing round of 71 was good enough to finish in a tie for third place on 14 under par, a result which moved the in-form Englishman from 27th to 15th in the final Rankings. Likewise, Edberg and Walker both carded closing rounds of 70 to climb to 18th and 16th respectively in the Rankings.

Highlights of the final day’s play at San Domenico Golf will be aired on Sky Sports 3 at 10.30pm (GMT).

Sam Little wins in the Roma Golf Open

Sam Little completed a stunning hat-trick of European Challenge Tour victories in the space of just four tournaments with a sudden-death play-off victory over Pelle Edberg at the Roma Golf Open.

Little’s third success in five weeks saw him complete a meteoric rise to Number One on the Challenge Tour Rankings with just the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final left to play on the 2011 Schedule.

The Englishman looked to be running out of holes to secure a third victory of the year at the Olgiata Golf Club in Rome but a miraculous holed approach shot from 104 yards for an eagle three on the par five 15th saw him leap into a share of the lead before a chip-in birdie on the 16th allowed him to tie the clubhouse lead of 11 under par set by Edberg just moments before Little signed his card.

Edberg, needing a strong finish to secure his place at the Grand Final, produced the best round of the day – a brilliant six under par 65 – to set up the sudden-death shoot-out but Little eventually proved too strong and secured his hat-trick of titles with a par at the fourth extra hole.

“I’m obviously delighted,” smiled Little as he picked up the cheque for €25,600 that saw him fly past his friend and countryman Tommy Fleetwood at the top of the Rankings.

“Before I won in Russia I wasn’t even in a position to go to the Grand Final, so to be going there as the Number One with three wins in the space of four events is incredible really.

“I didn’t play my best today but hung in there and then it all changed on the 15th where I managed to hole out for eagle and then chipped in at the next for birdie after what was a pretty poor tee shot to be honest.

“It took four holes to get it done in the play-off but it was actually good fun out there. I have known Pelle for a long time and we had a good laugh during the play-off but at the end of the day I am not a charity and I was out there to win and I did that. I am very happy and very proud of myself.”

As a three time winner this season, Little has the option of joining the Challenge Tour’s other triple champion of 2011, Benjamin Hebert, on The European Tour straight away but he will stay focused on the Challenge Tour until after the Grand Final, where he hopes to end the season as Number One.

“I’ll definitely be at the Grand Final to try and defend my position from Tommy. I think it will be a bit of a shoot-out between the two of us at San Domenico unless someone close to us in the Rankings wins the event and we have a bad week, so I will definitely be there.”

The final round of the Roma Golf Open once again highlighted the tiny margins between success and failure on the Challenge Tour as the top 45 players who will now head to San Domenico in search of one of the 20 European Tour cards on offer through the final Rankings were determined.

There are always winners and losers at the Challenge Tour’s penultimate event of the season and, while Edberg and Englishman Lloyd Kennedy were celebrating their ascension into the top 45, commiserations must go to Klas Eriksson and Sam Hutsby who were the two men who fell out of the all-important 45.

Hutsby fell from 44th to 48th place as Edberg rampaged his way from 47th to 26th by picking up the runner-up cheque of €17,600, while Eriksson was knocked out of 45th spot by Kennedy by a mere €492.

There were some significant moves inside the top 45, with Portugal’s José Filipe Lima – who shared third place with Scotland’s Raymond Russell at Olgiata – climbing from 28th to 19th in the Rankings.

Meanwhile, Federico Colombo and Andrea Pavan enjoyed a fine week in their homeland by sharing seventh spot at Olgiata, moving them up to seventh and ninth place respectively.

But the day belonged to the man of the moment Little, who adds the Roma Golf Open to the M2M Russian Federation Cup and the ALLIANZ Golf Open Grand Toulouse trophies as he celebrates moving to the top of the Rankings with just one event remaining on the 2011 Schedule.

Quesne Hold On

Julien Quesne sealed the second Challenge Tour win of his career after a nerveless three under par 68 in the final round of the Allianz Open de Lyon.

At 16 under overall, the Frenchman won by two shots from Belgian Pierre Relecom, who had a flawless 66, and with two events of the season remaining, the €24,000 first prize guarantees him a place in the top 20 of the Rankings who earn a European Tour card for 2012.

A seven under par 64 gave Frenchman Michael Lorenzo-Vera third place, one shot ahead of Scotland’s Chris Doak in fourth.

At one stage Lorenzo-Vera was closing in on Quesne, who had birdies at the third, sixth and eighth against a bogey at the fifth to remain ahead at the turn at Golf du Gouverneur. He then added a timely birdie at the 12^th to remain ahead, and all but sealed the win with another birdie at the 15^th.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” said the 31 year old, who is the seventh French champion of the 2011 Challenge Tour season. “I am delighted. For 18 holes I fought and fought, and Pierre was playing so well I knew I had to keep my concentration. When I made the birdie on the 15^th I relaxed a little, and after another birdie at the 17^th I knew the trophy was mine.

“It is very exciting that I’ll be playing on The European Tour next year. I cannot wait. But before that there are two events left and my target is to finish in the top five. Playing like this I think it is possible.”

Relecom continued his fine form, having finished third in last week’s Fred Olsen Challenge de España, to record his best Challenge Tour finish to date.

“It is great to go one better than last week and I’m very happy with how I’ve played again,” said Relecom. “I can’t ask for more than a bogey-free round of 66 on the last day, but it wasn’t quite good enough to catch Julien.

“He played really well – every time I made a birdie he made one too. I’m very pleased for him and he deserves this victory.

“The turning point was probably on the 15^th, when I had a putt for eagle and he was short right of the green with a tricky chip. My putt missed by less than an inch, and then Julien holed a long putt for birdie to keep the scores the same. That hole was like double points.”

Lorenzo-Vera, the 2007 Challenge Tour Rankings winner, was seven under through 12 holes after flying out of the blocks, but he ran out of steam after his last birdie at the 13^th, which was followed by a bogey and four pars.

“I wasn’t nervous all day during the round and I wasn’t nervous waiting to see if Julien dropped any shots in the last few holes,” he said. “I was just trying to stay relaxed and have fun and not look at any leaderboards. It’s a lot easier if you don’t look to see what everyone else is doing.

“It was a fantastic start and just down to good putting. It was a joke – I couldn’t miss. The only disappointing thing is that I was level par on the par fives, but the rest was great and overall I’m very happy to finish the tournament like this.”

Sam Little proved he truly is the European Challenge Tour’s man of the moment

Sam Little proved he truly is the European Challenge Tour’s man of the moment with victory in the Allianz Golf Open Grand Toulouse in south west France, his second victory in consecutive weeks.

Seven days ago, the 36 year old Londoner showed his credentials with a stunning win in the M2M Russian Challenge Cup in Moscow and he was on the title trail once again at Golf de Toulouse-Seilh, a closing 68 giving him a 16 under par total of 268 and a one shot victory over Ireland’s Simon Thornton who carded a 69 for 269.

Having been 43rd in the Rankings two weeks ago and well outside the top 20 who automatically win a card for The 2012 European Tour, the back-to-back triumphs have propelled Little to second place, now only a mere €12,732 behind leader, fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood.

“This year has been hard for me, not being on The European Tour where I played for six years between 2005 and 2010,” said Little, who picked up a cheque for €25,600 for his latest triumph.

“Winning my card back was always the goal and now I have that secured, I really want to try and win the Rankings outright. I will take a week off next week to spend some time with the family but then it will be back in action and a big push over the final three tournaments of the year.

“But this is really great. I was tired after Moscow and I did give some consideration to pulling out of the tournament but I had good feelings after the win in Russia and I thought it was best to come here to France and try to feed off them.

“I didn’t have the best start to the final round but I chipped in for birdie at the fourth and that got me going and it needless to say I am totally delighted to be standing here with the trophy again.”

While a handful of players were in contention at the start of the final round, it quickly became a two horse race between Little and Thornton, the 34 year old Irishman looking for his first Challenge Tour triumph.

Into the back nine, it looked like that eventuality might be about to become true until the 13th hole turned the contest on its head.

One shot clear, Thornton found the greenside bunker from where he could do no better than bogey five at the same time as Little found the centre of the green with a six iron and drained the resulting 20 footer for a birdie three.

From one behind to one in front, Little seized the advantage and when he holed from 12 feet at the 15th for a birdie two, he was two clear with three to play. He allowed Thornton a chink of light with a bogey six at the 17th, but a par three at the last was good enough for victory.

For Thornton, who like Little will take next week’s tournament in the Canary Islands off, the consolation was the €17,600 he picked up for second place moved him from 25th place to 12th on the Rankings and in with an excellent chance of now finishing in the top 20 at the end of the season.

“It would have been nice to go one better and get the win today but it just wasn’t to be but I’m pleased with the move I’ve made in the rankings,” said the Irishman. “I played okay today and I thought I might have a chance but I just didn’t putt as well as I had done earlier in the week.”

Third place was shared between Englishman Matthew Baldwin and Frenchman Julien Quesne who closed with 69 and 68 respectively for a 14 under par total of 270.

Just as with Little and Thornton, they also made significant strides up the Rankings; Baldwin moving from 29th to 22nd place while Quesne moved from 35th to 26th.

Hutsby and herbert lead rain effected rolex event

A change of putter seems to be doing the trick for Englishman Sam Hutsby, who fired a six under par 66 in a weather-affected third round of the Rolex Trophy to take a one shot lead.
Play could not be completed on Friday because of severe thunderstorms around Geneva Golf Club, leaving 16 groups still to complete the third round, which will resume on Saturday morning.
Hutsby made the most of the benign morning conditions to reach 15 under, one ahead of Frenchman Benjamin Hebert, who is chasing a hat-trick of Challenge Tour victories this season and carded a one under par 71. Spaniard Jorge Campillo signed for a 67 to get to 12 under alongside Austrian Florian Praegant (72), one shot behind Tommy Fleetwood who was level par after 12 holes.
Hutbsy, a 2009 Walker Cup player, said last week was the worst putting performance of his career, and he returned to a tried and tested old putter for this tournament. It has helped him to scores of 65 and 70 before today’s 66, and he is relishing being in contention to win a maiden Challenge Tour title.
“I made a bad start by missing an eight-footer for birdie at the 11th – my second hole – and then hit my drive out of bounds on the 12th and ended up with a double bogey,” he said. “But the next hole I holed out from about 20 feet for birdie and that settled me right down.
“I played the back nine extremely well and had chances on every hole. I really didn’t want to fall back into the pack so it was nice to get a few birdies on the card. I haven’t been in this position this season and I didn’t want to let it slip away.
“It’s exciting to be in contention and I’ve just got to hope that tomorrow I have another day like today and the first round on the greens.”
Hebert had back-to-back victories earlier this summer but could not take many positives from today’s round of one under par 71.
He said: “One under was actually a good score considering how badly I played today. My putting in particular was very bad – I missed many puts. I’m not very happy. Tomorrow will have to be much better.”
The best of the day came from André Bossert, who had six birdies and an eagle for a seven under par 65 to propel him into seventh place.
Bossert said: “I’ve turned a corner with my putting, which has been awful for the last two months. I’ve been hitting it well but if you can’t hole the putts you’re never going to shoot low. And this is a course where you need to be putting well to stand a chance.
“The eagle at the eighth was the highlight – I ran my second shot in with a rescue club and holed a putt from eight metres. My best score is 62 so I was trying to beat that, but unfortunately it didn’t quite come off and it was disappointing to finish with a bogey.”

Daniel Denison claimed the first win

Daniel Denison claimed the first win of his professional career at the ECCO Tour Championship presented by Thomas Björn and Mercedes Benz, completing a remarkable comeback from a horrific injury sustained four years ago.
The Englishman, who broke both legs in a car accident shortly after competing in The 2007 Open Championship, began the day one shot off Alessandro Tadini’s lead but fired a superb 69 to finish on eight under par 208, one stroke clear of Frenchman Charles-Edouard Russo at Lübker Golf Resort in Denmark.
Denison picked up the first prize of €25,600 for winning the weather-affected tournament, which was reduced to 54 holes, and the cheque moved him up from 13th to second place in the European Challenge Tour Rankings, strengthening his hopes of securing a European Tour card for 2012.
But more than the prize money, the victory represented a huge personal triumph for Denison following the career-threatening injuries he has worked so hard to recover from over the past four years.
“I don’t know what to think yet, it’s a bit surreal really,” said the 26 year old, whose previous best finish this year came at the duel ranking SAINT OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OBC, where he came tied second.
“I never really doubted that I would be able to play again and it was just a case of being patient and staying positive and thankfully I’ve come through it.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet that I’ve won but I’m sure tonight I’ll sit down for dinner and a bottle of champagne and I can celebrate it.
“I hit the ball really well today, the best I’ve hit it in a long time, and I holed some good par putts when I needed to, took my chances when I needed to and played solid. It’s been tough few years for me following the injuries but this makes it all worth it.”
Weather had played havoc with the tournament, with a lightning delay on Wednesday and then heavy rain wiping out play on Friday meaning the tournament was reduced to 54 holes, but the sun eventually came out to play on Saturday and Denison was in sparkling form.
He posted birdies on the second, eighth, 10th, 12th and the 17th on the way to his three under par round.
While a three putt for bogey on the final green meant he didn’t finish on a flourish, the 26 year old soon had reason to celebrate when his only remaining contender, Denmark’s Lasse Jensen, finished with a double bogey on the 18th.
Denison looked back on a crucial par putt on the 13th hole as the key point in his round, where he over-cooked his chip and was faced with a tough 15 foot uphill putt to avoid bogey.
“That putt was to hold the round together really,” he explained. “I had just made a couple of birdies and had a couple of tough holes coming up so if I’d have missed that it would have been a lot more difficult.”
The Englishman joins a growing group of players from the International Sports Management Group to win in 2011, including Major winners Charl Schwarzel, Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke, and Denison admitted adding his name to that list had played on his mind recently.
“I’ve been thinking about that ISM record and it seemed about right for one of us on the Challenge Tour to pick up a first win of the year and thankfully it was me!,” said Denison. “ My goal for the start of the year was to get into the top ten on the Challenge Tour and now I’m in there I want to kick on and get that second victory.”
Russo missed a birdie chance on the last which would have secured a place in a play-off, as he finished in second place on seven under par, meaning he narrowly failed to join compatriots Edouard Dubois and Benjamin Hebert as Challenge Tour winners this season.
“I was hitting the driver really well, I’m really happy with that and I hit 16 greens in regulation so it was a good performance altogether,” said Russo.
Another Englishman completed the top three as Benn Barham’s 71 meant he finished in third place on five under par. Home favourite Jensen had to settle for a share of fourth place on four under par, tied with English pair Matthew Baldwin and Steve Tiley and Swiss Julien Clément but can console himself with the honour of being the leading Dane.

Pavan claims first victory

Italian Andrea Pavan claimed his first professional title in the Norwegian Challenge after edging out Austrian Florian Praegant in a play-off.
The 22 year old from Rome made a birdie at the third extra hole to win, having carded a two under par 70 in the final round to reach nine under for the tournament alongside Praegant, who signed for a 69.
The Austrian holed an excellent putt from off the green for birdie at the first play-off hole, and Pavan followed suit from close range. Nothing could separate the pair at the second extra hole as they both tapped in for par, but at the third Pavan went close with his approach and Praegant could only make bogey.
Pavan only turned professional earlier this year and at the start of the season was relying on sponsors’ invitations, but his impressive form and flashes of brilliance took him to 31st in the Rankings prior to this week, and now he has risen to seventh.
In addition to the cheque for €28,000, Pavan was glad to lay to rest the demons which prevented him winning earlier in the season – he was second in the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda despite leading by five shots heading into the final round, and in the Credit Suisse Challenge he led at the halfway stage only to shoot 75 and 86 at the weekend to finish 70th.
“It feels fantastic to have won,” he said. “Especially after what happened in Austria and Switzerland, I proved I can finish it off. My coach this week has been very helpful. It has not been a week for playing really well, but we found a way to win.
“I holed some crucial putts today, especially on the 18th to make par and get in the play-off. Both days this weekend I’ve played well on the back nine. And to make two birdies in the play-off was great.
“I was more nervous during the round than in the play-off. Once I was in the play-off I knew the worse I could finish was second.
“My goal was always to finish in the top 20 of the Rankings but now it is much closer to happening. There are still two very big weeks coming up, in Kazakhstan and Russia, so I’m taking next week off to prepare. Even though I won, there is still plenty of improvement to be made.”
It could have been a fairytale week for Praegant, who with Roland Steiner clinched a spot in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup via the European Qualifier last Sunday, but he was not too disappointed.
“I played really well and second place is a good performance,” said Praegant. “I was third in my last Challenge Tour event (the Credit Suisse Challenge), then qualified for the World Cup and now this, so it has been a great few weeks.
“I holed some great putts today and I’m playing well so there are plenty of positives to take away.”
Scots Chris Doak and Andrew McArthur shared third place – the former impressing with a four under par 68 – while Simon Thornton of Ireland was fifth.
Marius Thorp was the highest placed Norwegian at five under, while 16 year old amateur Kristoffer Ventura, who played in last year’s Junior Ryder Cup, finished four under for a share of 16th place.

Source: European tour