Martin Couvra is targeting a first Challenge Tour victory since turning professional when he tees it up in the Blot Open de Bretagne at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André this week.
The Frenchman arrives in Brittany in impressive form with five top-ten finishes this season and sitting in 15th position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
The 21-year-old had a break-through 2023 after becoming only the seventh amateur in history to win on the Challenge Tour when he triumphed at the Challenge de España, and he is now hoping to add to his trophy cabinet on home soil.
“It feels so good to be back in France for the next couple of weeks,” he said. “It’s so nice to be around familiar people and it makes you feel comfortable out on the golf course.
“I hope to get my first win of the season and my game feels good enough to win again on the Challenge Tour. To get my first win as a professional in France would be a dream come true for me. I’m going to keep patient and I’m confident that the win is not too far away.”
The Blot Open de Bretagne will be the first of back-to-back Challenge Tour events in France, with the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge taking place next week, and Couvra is hoping to harness home comforts at an important stage of the Road to Mallorca campaign.
“I have some friends and family supporting me over the next two weeks and I’m very excited to play the course,” he said. “It’s important to be patient on this layout and make sure you hit the fairways. The wind can make it very difficult, but I am looking forward to the challenge.
“I’ve played pretty well so far this year and I feel confident in my game. I need to remain patient, keep my focus at every tournament and hopefully I can finish in the top 20 to earn my DP World Tour card this year.”
Couvra will be joined in the field this week by Road to Mallorca Number Two John Parry, 2016 Ryder Cup player Chris Wood, five-time DP World Tour winner Alexander Levy and Englishman Brandon Robinson-Thompson, who played at last week’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No.2.
Ugandan Ronald Rugumayo will also make his first Challenge Tour start at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André this week. The 31-year-old made history at the Magical Kenya Open earlier this season by becoming the first player from Uganda to make the cut at a DP World Tour event.
The first round will get under way at 7:50am local time, with Couvra teeing it up alongside Robinson-Thompson and Sweden’s Mikael Lindberg at 1:10pm.
