Marcel Schneider will go in search of his second European Challenge Tour victory of the season when the Rolex Trophy gets under way tomorrow.
The 28 year old claimed his first Challenge Tour title at the Swiss Challenge presented by Association Suisse de Golf in June in impressive fashion, by carding rounds of 63-64-68-67 to become the first wire-to-wire winner of the season.
The German lies in 23rdplace on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah following his sensational win in Lucerne and a top-five finish in Prague, and after injury troubled his previous month’s progress Schneider is raring to go.
“It’s nice to be back in Switzerland after my win this year and coming back to this country is always fantastic,” he said. “My game is getting better again and I’m looking forward to the week and I’m expecting a lot from myself.
“The way I’m hitting the ball off the tee allows me to play a bit more aggressively. When I look at the prize money breakdown you have to play aggressively here because from 15thto 30thisn’t a big change in money and ranking points. So, I’ll try and go for it.”
Golf Club de Genève welcomes 40 Challenge Tour players to the exclusive Rolex Trophy where a victory could set them on a path to graduation to the European Tour, with four of the last five winners of the event sealing promotion at the end of the season.
Schneider will make his debut at the Rolex Trophy and get a taste of the Pro-Am format, where the professionals will be joined by two amateurs on the opening day and three for the rest of the week.
In a week of new challenges Schneider will face this format, and the stunning Golf Club de Genève course, for the first time.
“I played the course this morning and it’s looking great,” he said. “It’s in fantastic shape, the greens are perfect with a good roll to them. The fairways are cut perfectly, so I am looking forward to the tournament.
“Playing with amateurs this week is new to me. Of course, I’ve played a few Pro-Am events, but playing a whole tournament in a format like this is a new experience.”
Schneider is joined in the 40-man field by Joachim B. Hansen and Kim Koivu, who could both gain automatic promotion to the European Tour if they triumph this week. Flying the flag for Switzerland are Joel Girrbach and Marco Iten, who will look to impress in front of the home crowds.
