Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour

Current season, competition or edition: 2022 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 Senior 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 received 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]

History[]

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 player's 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 Korn Ferry Tour.

Satellite tours[]

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 part of Europe. These circuits are known as the satellite tours. Each season the top five players from the Order of Merit of each of these tours win a place on the Challenge Tour for the following season. The Challenge Tour also has an annual qualifying school.

Schedule[]

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]

Year	Winner	Earnings
2021	Marcus Helligkilde	€222,628
2020	Ondřej Lieser	€116,345
2019	Francesco Laporta	€210,122
2018	Joachim B. Hansen	€192,320
2017	Tapio Pulkkanen	€210,799
2016	Jordan Smith	€209,985
2015	Ricardo Gouveia	€251,952
2014	Andrew Johnston	€190,856
2013	Andrea Pavan	€147,811
2012	Espen Kofstad	€131,099
2011	Tommy Fleetwood	€148,913
2010	Álvaro Velasco	€134,297
2009	Edoardo Molinari	€242,980
2008	David Horsey	€144,118
2007	Mike Lorenzo-Vera	€128,927
2006	Mark Pilkington	€119,152
2005	Marc Warren	€103,577
2004	Lee Slattery	€95,980
2003	Johan Edfors	€94,509
2002	Lee S. James	€121,531
2001	Mark Foster	€97,737
2000	Henrik Stenson	€108,711
1999	Carl Suneson	€69,642
1998	Warren Bennett	£81,053
1997	Michele Reale	£51,679
1996	Ian Garbutt	£37,661
1995	Thomas Bjørn	£46,471
1994	Raymond Burns	£43,584
1993	Joakim Grönhagen	£48,366
1992	Paul Affleck	£39,769
1991		£35,533
1990	Giuseppe Calì	£28,383
1989		£9,464

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[]

Originally, the Challenge Tour events were held in Western Europe. In 1991, the five Safari Circuit events in Africa were added, of which the Kenya Open continues today, and the Zambia Open was last played in 2004. Also the Moroccan Golf Classic was held from 2002 to 2010. The Challenge Tour featured Latin American tournaments co-sanctioned with the Tour de las Américas from 2003 to 2012. Since 2011, the tour has added events in Asia, such as the Gujarat Kensville Challenge (India), National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, Challenge Tour Grand Final (Oman), Ras Al Khaimah Golf Challenge (Dubai) and Foshan Open (China).

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]

See also[]

• List of golfers with most Challenge Tour wins
• List of golfers to achieve a three-win promotion from the Challenge Tour

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Official website