The European Challenge Tour heads to Spain this week for the first tournament of a two-event Spanish Swing - the Challenge de Cadiz. Here are our Three to Watch at Iberostar Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri …
Matthew Baldwin
Matthew Baldwin has been in solid form so far this season with three top 20 finishes in just five starts. The Englishman has finished in 18th place in his last two Challenge Tour tournaments, at the Dormy Open in Sweden and last week’s Czech Challenge where he played all four rounds under par to finish eleven under for the week. The 35-year-old has also proven his ability to perform at the Iberostar Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri, finishing in a tie for second and just one shot off the lead at last year’s Challenge de Cadiz. Baldwin’s only previous Challenge Tour win came on Spanish soil, when he overcame Frenchman Julien Guerrier in a tense play-off at the 2011 Fred Olsen Challenge de España.
Eduard Rousaud
Eduard Rousaud will be looking to claim his maiden Challenge Tour victory on home soil this week at the Challenge de Cadiz. The 21-year-old has had a fine start to the 2021 season, with a second place finish in the Irish Challenge followed by a tie for 29th at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge, and currently sits in 13th place on the Road to Mallorca Rankings. The Spaniard also impressed in his first European Tour events as a professional during the Canary Islands Swing, finishing in a tie for 18th place at the Tenerife Open and tied 34th at the Canary Islands Championship. Rousaud certainly knows his way around the Iberostar Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri, finishing in fourth place at last year’s Challenge de Cadiz.
Kristian Krogh Johannessen
Kristian Krogh Johannessen narrowly missed out on his first European Challenge Tour victory after Santiago Tarrio triumphed in a dramatic three-way play-off at last week’s Czech Challenge. The second place finish saw Johannessen climb to eighth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings in what has been a fantastic start to the season for the Norwegian, having already finished fifth at the Dormy Open in Sweden. The 26-year-old also finished in a tie for fifth place at the Challenge de Cadiz in 2020 and he will be hoping that a combination of course experience and good form will enable him to lift his maiden Challenge Tour trophy this week.
