The stunning Hauger Golfklubb on the outskirts of Oslo will host the inaugural Norwegian Challenge from August 11-14.
Built on rolling parkland approximately 20km north of the Norwegian capital, the Jeremy Turner creation opened in 1998 and has since been voted the “Number One Course in Norway” by Golf Digest USA.
Measuring some 6,970 yards (6,374 metres) from the back tees, the par 72 course features a number of elevation changes, tree-lined fairways and water hazards.
Hauger Golfklubb has previously hosted the Nordic Championship, and last year was the venue for Norway’s National Junior Championship.
Geir Ove Berg, Secretary General of the Norwegian Golf Federation (NGF), said: “Hauger Golfklubb has been chosen on the basis of factors such as the club’s extensive experience in organising events, its course meeting international standards, and the desire to see this event as a step towards raising the profile of the sport in Norway.”
Øivind Bjerkeli, General Manager of Hauger Golfklubb, said: “NGF’s request was discussed by the board last week, and with the financial framework that we eventually settled on we will deliver an event that both the Challenge Tour and Norwegian golf can be proud of.”
The €175,000 tournament is the first Challenge Tour event to be played in Norway since 2008, when Denmark’s Jeppe Huldahl won the Lexus Open, before capturing the Celtic Manor Wales Open title a year later.
Challenge Tour Member Espen Kofstad, who missed out on gaining his European Tour card by one shot at the 2010 Qualifying School Final Stage, will spearhead the home challenge.
The 21 year old, who was a member of Norway’s triumphant World Boys Championship team in 2006, is bidding to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Marius Thorp, now a European Tour Member after finishing 16th in the final Challenge Tour Rankings last year.
Frode Scheie, Sports Director of the NGF, said: “Norway won the World Boys Championship for the first time in 2006. These guys are now at the outset of their professional careers, and for them the Challenge Tour is the most important Tour to play on if they want to climb the World Ranking.”
Alain de Soultrait, Director of the Challenge Tour, said: “We are pleased to be returning to Norway after a three-year absence, and especially pleased to be playing at Hauger Golfklubb, which should provide our Members with a true test. The tournament will give young Norwegian golfers the chance not only to play in this tournament, but also in other tournaments on the Challenge Tour Schedule through the NGF’s exchange programme with their fellow Federations.”
