Morten Ørum Madsen, one of Denmark’s many fledgling European Challenge Tour stars, has many reasons to be optimistic this week as he looks to impress his childhood hero and tournament host, Thomas Björn, at a venue where he equalled the course record merely two weeks ago.
Madsen hails from Silkeborg in central Denmark, the same town and club as Björn, and he admits that the two-time Ryder Cup winner is a player that he has always looked up to since he was a kid.
“I wouldn’t say I know Thomas but I have spoken to him on several occasions. He’s always been a big hero of mine so it is pretty special to be from the same club and the same town,” said Madsen, ahead of this week’s ECCO Tour Championship hosted by Thomas Björn & Mercedes Benz.
The 23 year old is eager to impress and is in red-hot form, having won twice this summer, at the Nordic League’s Finnish Open in July and the ECCO Tour’s ACTONA PGA Championship a fortnight ago.
His last win, however, is the most significant as it came at the Lübker Golf Resort, in Nimtofte, where he equalled the course record of 67 en route to victory and the course where he will this week be searching for his first Challenge Tour victory.
With the likes of Thorbjørn Olesen and Andreas Hartø having progressed through the ranks of the Challenge Tour recently, there is plenty of inspiration for young Danish golfers at the moment.
Madsen believes he has the game and confidence to make the step up to Challenge Tour golf and is confident that he can turn in a good performance this week in just his third appearance on the tour.
“It’s going well so far since I turned professional,” he said. “It’s been a hectic ride. I didn’t play that well in the beginning but I got over the hump and it is going well now.
“I was on the Denmark National team since I was 16. We had a couple of good runs and took silver at the World Amateurs last year for the team.
“I feel like I had a good run in amateur golf and played some big events like the World Amateur Championships and the British Amateur Championships. I played pretty solid in those tournaments so I feel it’s time to step up.”
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