As the European Challenge Tour begins a two-week Scandinavian swing, we take a look at three players who could make their mark at the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge this week.
Wilco Nienaber
South African wonderkind Wilco Nienaberopened with a top 15 finish in his first Challenge Tour and professional start at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in July. The 19-year-old, who has already made the cut in two European Tour events this season, turned professional following an acclaimed amateur career, where he rose as high as 28 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
The 2019 South African Amateur Champion also earned medalist honours in the strokeplay stage of the 2018 Amateur Championship, form he will be looking to continue as he seeks to make his mark in the professional ranks.
Ewen Ferguson
The Scotsman comes into the week off the back of a runner-up finish at the Euram Bank Open in Austria, where he finished four shots behind compatriot Calum Hill.
It is the latest strong performance from the 23-year-old who reached the semi-final of the Belgian Knockout on the European Tour in June, a result he quickly followed with a top ten finish at the Swiss Open Presented by Swiss Golf the following week.
At the midway stage of the season and in the race to secure one of the 15 available European Tour cards, Ferguson sits in 17th position. He will look to break into the coveted promotion spots with a winning performance this week.
Antoine Rozner
With two wins already under his belt this year, at the Prague Golf Challenge and the Challenge de España, Rozner is just one victory away from securing his European Tour playing rights.
The Frenchman remains atop the Challenge Tour Rankings, with a tied fourth finish also to his name at the Italian Challenge Open Eneos Motor Oil this year.
He will be inspired by the heroics of 2018 Vierumäki Finnish Challenge champion Kim Koivu, who would go on to secure automatic promotion to the European Tour less than a month after victory in Finland with his third Challenge Tour win at the Rolex Trophy.
It has been a mixed few weeks for the Frenchman, who has missed the cut in his last two events, but with a flying start to the year, few would put it past him to step back into the winner’s circle.
Could this be the week he seals the deal?
