Daniel Vancsik
From Daniel Vancsik in 2003 to David Vanegas last year, events co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour and the Tour de las Americas (TLA) have traditionally given South American players the chance to expand their horizons and, in some instances, rub shoulders with golf’s elite.
Vanegas, who starts the defence of his Abierto International Copa Antioquia title on Thursday , became the latest in a long line of previously unheralded players to come to the wider attention of the golfing public courtesy of his four-stroke victory 12 months ago at Club Campestre, near his hometown of Medellin.
The Colombian was ultimately unable to progress to The European Tour, finishing 34th in the final Challenge Tour Rankings last year, but will hope to make the step up in this, his second season on Tour.
In 2008, Colombia also proved a happy hunting ground for Argentina’s Estanislao Goya, who won the Abierto VISA del Centro before adding the season-ending Apulia San Domenico Grand Final – where he birdied four of the last five holes – en route to finishing fifth in the Challenge Tour Rankings.
One year later Goya entered the winner’s enclosure on The European Tour when he triumphed at the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal, the same tournament won in 2007 by his compatriot Vancsik, who would later add the 2009 BMW Italian Open.
Vancsik, who is seeking to return to The European Tour through the Challenge Tour this season after finishing in 140th place in The 2010 Race to Dubai, is bidding to capture his third co-sanctioned title this week, having won the Telefonica CA Guatemala Open in 2003 and 2004.
More recently the likes of Argentina’s Rafael Echenique and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti, respectively 82nd and 75th in The 2010 Race to Dubai, began their journeys to The European Tour with victories in co-sanctioned events in 2006.
Last year two of the 20 Challenge Tour graduates, two-time Challenge Tour champion Mark Tullo of Chile and ultra-consistent Argentine Julio Zapata, also originally heralded from the TLA, which has now co-sanctioned 29 events with the Challenge Tour.
With 85 players provided by the TLA this week, when the prize money awarded in co-sanctioned events will pass the US$5million mark, there is every chance another South American star will be born in Colombia on Sunday night.
Niall Kearney is the only Irish entry.
