If any further proof were needed that Challenge Tour graduates are increasingly finding their feet on The European Tour with almost indecent haste, then last week’s inaugural Sicilian Open surely provided it.
For not only did Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin take the number of European Tour victories by former Challenge Tour players to 265, but 11 of the top 12 players on the leaderboard – with England’s Simon Dyson the odd man out – also learned their trade on the Challenge Tour.
The class of 2010 were particularly prominent, with Sweden’s Joel Sjöholm finishing joint third to record his highest European Tour finish, and his compatriot and playing partner Oscar Floren finishing in a tie for fifth place alongside Spaniard Carlos Del Moral of Spain, Italian Lorenzo Gagli and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, all of whom also graduated from the Challenge Tour last year.
Similarly, the class of 2009 were well represented in the shape of Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts and Scotland’s Peter Whiteford, who along with the English duo of Dyson and Jamie Elson – another Challenge Tour player – made up the throng of players in a tie for fifth.
Challenge Tour champions also littered the upper echelons of the leaderboard, with Jacquelin and Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara finishing first and joint third respectively, whilst England’s Anthony Wall, who took second place, is another player whose formative years were spent on the Challenge Tour.
All 11 will now hope to take the victory tally to 266 at this week’s Open de Andalucia by Turkish Airlines, where home hero Alvaro Quiros – winner of the 2006 Morson International Pro-Am on the Challenge Tour – is the highest-ranked player in the field.
