As the start of the tenth edition of the Swiss Challenge draws closer, europeantour.com looks at some of the facts and figures from the tournament’s history…
- The Swiss Challenge has been played at Golf Sempachersee since 2010, the year Italy’s Alessandro Tadini took the title. Before that it was held at Wylihof GC from 2006, following a five- year gap after the first editions took place at Patriziala GC in 2000 and 2001.
- Englishman Peter Baker is the only multiple winner of the tournament, triumphing in 2007 and 2009.
- The last two years have seen a French winner – Gary Stal 12 months ago and Benjamin Hebert in2011. Hebert went on to win the following week, and again in August that year at the Rolex Trophy, earning instant promotion to The European Tour.
- Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello won in 2008, en route to finishing the season 14thin the Challenge Tour Rankings. He has not looked back since that promotion to The European Tour, keeping his card each year and winning twice – the 2009 Austrian Open and the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
- Former tennis world number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov is in the field this week as he continues his professional golfing career. The Russian has designs on representing his country in golf at the 2016 Olympic Games, but has yet to make a cut in a European Tour or Challenge Tour event.
