The European Challenge Tour travels to Belgium this week and we take a look at some of the facts and figures from the history of the KPMG Trophy.
1 –There has been one albatross in the history of the KPMG Trophy. The tournament was first staged on the Challenge Tour’s International Schedule in 2006, then known as the Telenet Trophy. The first – and only – albatross in the tournament’s history arrived the following year at Royal Waterloo Golf Club, courtesy of Anthony Snobeck. He carded a two on the par five fifth in his final round in 2007.
1 – There’s been just one home winner of the KPMG Trophy in its 11-year history. Nicolas Vanhootegem, who was born in the Belgian capital of Brussels, triumphed in 2007 when he finished on 17 under par, four shots clear of nearest challenger Felipe Aguilar.
4 –Vanhootegem’s win in 2007 is also a record for the largest margin of victory, along with Lee Slattery’s 2010 triumph. Whilst the Belgian finished on 17 under par for a four-shot win, Slattery finished on 21 under par to beat Edouard Dubois by the same margin.
7 –There have been seven hole-in-ones in the history of the KPMG Trophy. Seven players have carded aces since its inception in 2006, the first of whom was 2007 winner Vanhootegem. Other players to register a one on their cards in Belgium are Jacob Glennemo, Birgir Hafthorsson, Joachim B. Hansen, Jean Relecom, Charles-Edouard Russo and Kristof Ulenaers.
8 –Past KPMG Trophy winners have gone on to win a combined total of eight European Tour titles. Austrian Martin Wiegele and Italian Marco Crespi both have a solitary win apiece, while Lee Slattery has triumphed twice on the European Tour, at the M2M Russian Open and the Bankia Madrid Masters. The most successful KPMG Trophy winner is Englishman David Horsey, who has four victories on the European Tour. His most recent triumph was the 2015 Made in Denmark where he finished two shots clear of the chasing pack.
21 – Lee Slattery’s 2010 victory came six years after his maiden Challenge Tour victory, at the 2004 Telia Grand Prix. The Englishman’s victory in Belgium is the lowest under par total in the history of the tournament, as he finished on 21 under par at Rinkven International Golf Club.
23 –Last year’s winner Martin Wiegele finished on 19 under par, one shot clear of runner up Pedro Oriol of Spain. The Austrian enjoyed a bogey-free final round of 66, as six Sunday birdies increased his total to 23 birdies across the week. He also carded two eagles, both of which occurred in his first round.
29.9 –The average age of KPMG Trophy winners. There is a 14-year range between the ages of past winners of the KPMG Trophy, the oldest of which was last year’s winner Wiegele. The Austrian was 38 when he triumphed in Lasne, while David Horsey was just 23 when he raced to victory in 2008, becoming the youngest winner to date.
63 - The lowest round at last year’s KPMG Trophy was Joachim B. Hansen’s opening nine under par 63. The 2018 Turkish Airlines Challenge winner went out in 33, before a stunning back nine 30 gave him the first-round lead. He ended his round with a hole-in-one on the par three 15th, before a birdie and an eagle followed in his closing three holes.
6,994 yards – The total length of L’Empereur Golf and Country Club is 6,944 yards. Located around an hour outside of Brussels, L’Empereur features three par fives and four par threes on its 71-par course. The longest hole is the 574-yard par five 15th, while the shortest is the 188-yard par three second.
