The Road to Mallorca remains in Denmark this week with the second tournament of the Danish Swing as the Sydbank Esbjerg Challenge teeing off on Tuesday August 17 and here is everything you need to know before play begins…
A field in fine form
Ricardo Gouveia set the pace for this coming week in last week’s Made in Esbjerg Challenge Presented by FREJA and TotalEnergies in which he produced a sensational round of golf to secure his fifth European Challenge Tour title and his second of the 2021 Road to Mallorca. Also in fine form is Austria’s Niklas Regner, who finished in a tie for second last week and has recorded four top 20 finishes in the season so far. Scotsman Ewen Ferguson recorded yet another top ten finish at the Made in Esbjerg Challenge, finishing in tied fifth place and moving up one position into sixth place on the Road to Mallorca Rankings. Dormy Open winner Felix Mory also finished in tied fifth and has moved up seven positions into 17th place on the Rankings.
A proven tough course
Esbjerg Golfklub proved a tough course for many of the players in last week’s event with the winner Ricardo Gouveia finishing on eight under par, the highest winning total on the 2021 Road to Mallorca. With the cut falling at one over par and 70 players managing to survive the tough test over the first two rounds of the Made in Esbjerg Challenge, they will be hoping that the stunning weather from week one carries on into week two of the Danish Swing.
The tricky 16th
The 16th hole, a par four at 383 yards, is described as the signature hole at Esbjerg Golfklub and is one of the course’s hardest holes comprising of woodland on each side of the fairway and four bunkers to give the players a stern test from the tee and on the fairway. Last week at the Made in Esbjerg Challenge, it gave the players something extra to think about on the home stretch, with many happy to par the difficult hole.
A brand-new event
This week will see the introduction of the Sydbank Esbjerg Challenge, which makes its debut on the Road to Mallorca International Schedule. Esbjerg Golfklub has been hosting events for many years now with many legendary names competing here in Denmark, including when 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn hosted the Thomas Bjørn Open presented by Multidata in 2005.
