Another Challenge Tour season has ended with the top twenty players on the rankings graduating to the European Tour next season all with their one year exemption in hand – even it all comes with the pressure of having to win two hundred thousand in prize money - in a limited number of events to ensure they retain playing rights for the ensuing season.
As hard as it may sound there are also a number of last year’s graduates who have made it all look very easy this year as Edoardo Molinari, Rhys Davies, Gary Boyd and John Parry – not only retained their cards - but also have earned places in the top 60 at the Dubai World Championships at the end of November.
Indeed, a number are also winners in the 2010 European Tour season.
The Challenge Tour graduate winners include James Morrison [2009], who won the 2010 Madeira Islands Portugal BPI Open; Alvaro Quiros [2006], winner of the 2010 Open de España; Rhys Davies [2009], winner of the 2010 Trophee Hasan II; Peter Hanson [2003], winner of the this year’s Iberdrola Open Cala de Mallorca and Martin Wiegele of Austria a 2009 graduate the winner of the co-sanctioned SAINT-OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OB.
Undoubtedly the apprenticeship served on the Challenge Tour has proven a good foundation for what life can be on the main Tour and justifies why this traditional path is one of the best entry points to the European Tour. The results also show that alternative routes don’t always guarantee the same success and qualifying through Tour School - without playing full time on the Challenge Tour - is not always a reliable substitute.
Disappointingly Irish golfers have been absent in big numbers from the Challenge Tour top twenty over the past five years. In fact, you have to go back to 2005 to find numbers of more than one player.
That year Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey was in 8th place – and still ably earning his keep on the European Tour - David Higgins of Waterville was 12th and Stephen Browne at 19th – who has since left the professional game to pursue a career outside the sport.
In 2003 Damien McGrane finished two places outside the automatic 20 spots but secured his rights at Qualifying School that same season. In his case success at Q school followed a consistent season on the Challenge Tour along with a preceding year where he had also finished 25th after playing 10 events.
That same year it was the turn of Dubliner Peter Lawrie to finish in fourth place to become the sole Irish qualifier in 2002 to the European Tour – from whence he has gone from strength to strength -and is currently 34th in the Race to Dubai.
In 2000 David Higgins finished second to Henrik Stenson of Sweden and announced his arrival to the European Tour - emulating the achievement of his Father, Liam Higgins - following Challenge Tour wins at the Rolex Trophy; the Hamburg Classic and NCC Open. But in his first season on the main stage in 2001 he was back at qualifying school and has continued to do so intermittently until falling out of his automatic exemptions three seasons ago.
Despite missing out last year and this year at Q School, David Higgins, has dominated the Irish PGA Order of Merit, winning it for a second successive time at Mount Juliet last month - shooting a round of 65. Cleary, Higgins deserves to return to a bigger stage and a few invites on the Challenge Tour in 2011 maybe the way to reignite a return to the European Tour in 2012 – even if by then he will be thirty nine.
Although getting through twelve rounds of Tour School may offer a more appealing alternative to European Tour status one has to wonder whether competing against some of the world's best young golfing talent - week in week out - is not a better way to reach to the main tour in proper shaped – with more honed skills – to avoid becoming a one season wonder.
Such a challenge is exemplified by 2010 Tour Rookie, Simon Thornton, who secured his place after finishing 28th at the Final Stage of Qualifying School last December and now finds himself back this year after falling short of one of the key 115 guaranteed spots. That said it is a credit to his talent and ability that the Bradford born and County Down resident reached 132nd place in the Race to Dubai in the first year of asking – missing the cut 11 times out of a total 22 events.
Prior to this season Thornton only played 14 events on the Challenge Tour last season and finished 50th place and was a multiple Irish PGA order of Merit winner - which was probably not enough grounding for the intensity of the big time. On the other hand Rhys Davies qualified in fourth spot after only 12 events; Edoardo Molinari won the order of Merit playing 19 events with John Parry also doing enough in 19 tournaments to make it to the main tour.
But given that all these players graduated at the same time it was always going to be a difficult first year for Thornton. Especially when you then see that these same players have made it to the Race to Dubai as well – with Davies in 15th spot – it is clear they are exceptional talents. In that sense the Challenge Tour is clearly successful and allowing gifted players develop their potential.
Despite the strength of Irish golf at the European Tour level there were no Irish graduates in the Challenge Tour class of 2010 with the best placed being Colm Moriarty in 43rd place - and on his way to a tenth visit to Qualifying School at the PGA Catalunya next month. For another year Moriarty has been unable to make the breakthrough on the Challenge Tour which leaves him with a lot of work on hand – even if he skips through Q School – as a tour card does not suddenly magic any better results or consistency.
Unfortunately the Challenge Tour events hosted in Glasson Golf and Country Club in 2008 and Moyvalley in 2009 have been discontinued so the only international golf events in Ireland this season were the 3 Irish Open and two EUROPro Tour events. It is therefore difficult in the current economic circumstances for players to get the necessary experience at a higher level other than Irish PGA Region as travel overseas is costly.
At the 2009 event the winner was Robert Coles of England with the best placed Irish player Jonathan Caldwell in 13th spot. In the previous year the winner was Australian Andrew Tampion with Gareth Shaw in 4th, Gareth Maybin 9th, Simon Thornton and Colm Moriarty in 24th and Brendan McCaroll in 27th place. Of those only two have since played on the Tour.
In the 2008 Challenge Tour rankings Maybin was the only Irish player to finish in the top twenty – in fourth place – so his the Moyvalley result was no surprise. Nor was Gareth Shaw’s who had just returned from a scholarship at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) earned in that year his second straight Cleveland Golf All-American Scholar award.
However this year Gareth Shaw has to get through Second Stage of Q School in Spain later this month in order see what his playing plans might be in 2011 and if he has made progress.
Last Sunday Gareth Maybin was playing in the final group of the Andalucia Valderrama Masters - alongside fellow Northern Ireland professional Graeme McDowell - with the Ballyclare man not looking out of place in the high stakes event in any way. In the chasing group was another Irish Challenge Tour graduate – Damien McGrane – who had been in contention until the 16th fairway, with Peter Lawrie also a leader of the tournament on day one.
Although the Challenge Tour may not be the field of dreams in the short term it clearly inculcates a level of resilience and tenacity that are the basic tools required for the bigger golfing stages. No better example than the 1996 Challenge Tour order of merit winner, Thomas Bjørn, or the 2005 graduate, Ross Fisher.
For the future of young aspiring Irish golfers it is a pity that there is no longer an event in these parts on the Challenge Tour calendar.
