The European Challenge Tour has time and again proved to be the ultimate test for aspiring professionals looking to step up to Europe’s top tier.
That was certainly the case for Switzerland’s most successful golfer André Bossert, who become the first player from the Alpine country to win on the Challenge Tour after capturing the Neuchâtel Open on home soil in 1990.
The first Swiss player to win the contest at Neuchâtel Golf Club, the victory marked the start of a long list of firsts for Bossert, who went on to win three times on the circuit, at the 1992 Kenya Open and, notably 18 years after his first victory, at the 2008 MAN NÖ Open.
Between his second and third Challenge Tour victories, Bossert again made history, this time becoming the first player from Switzerland to win on the European Tour. The feat marked his only victory on the circuit, although he went on to represent Switzerland at the World Cup of Golf on seven occasions.
His crowning moment came at the 1995 Air France Cannes Open, where in a rain-delayed contest he saw off home favourite Jean van de Velde to win his maiden European Tour title.
Not content with winning on both the Challenge Tour and European Tour, Bossert has since enjoyed a successful Staysure Tour career, joining an exclusive group of players to win on all three European Tour sanctioned tours after he secured his first over-50s triumph at the 2016 Travis Perkins Masters.
The triumph was extra special after holding off the challenge of two-time Masters Champion Ian Woosnam to seal the historic win at Woburn Golf Club.
Home of the Rolex Trophy, the longest-standing event on the Challenge Tour, Switzerland has produced four additional Challenge Tour winners since the circuit’s inaugural event back in 1989; Dimitri Bieri, Juan Ciola, Joel Girrbach and Paolo Quirici.
