When Adri Arnaus missed the first two cuts of his European Challenge Tour career it was probably not surprising or even particularly notable considering he had, after all, only turned professional a few months prior.
In response to those early miscues, the former Spanish Amateur Champion assembled an extraordinary run of strong showings that marked him as one of the most exciting prospects to watch from this year’s graduating class.
The 24 year old pocketed his first Challenge Tour cheque in his third start, on home soil at the Challenge de España by way of a tied 34thplace finish, which began a run of 19 made cuts in his remaining 20 starts.
The numbers from those final 20 tournaments are downright staggering. The big-hitting Barcelona native recorded 15 top 20s, 12 top 15s, eight top tens, six top fives, three podium finishes and, saving his best for last, a win at the season-ending Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final, which saw him close the year out as Road to Ras Al Khaimah Number Two.
“There’s a lot of mixed feelings right now, in between so happy, emotive, almost wanting to cry, a lot of energy inside me right now, it’s just been so surreal,” he said after finally stepping into the winners' circle.
The Challenge Tour plays a crucial role in the development of talented up and comers, and after spending a season hanging around the top of leaderboards everywhere from China to Kazakhstan, Arnaus was quick to identify the growth he had made in a relatively short period of time.
“It’s unbelievable, honestly, I’ve had many chances during the season and all of those took part in the win because I really learned many things and I put them in practice and I was able to get it done,” he said.
There were close calls all season, like at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge in May, where he finished in a tie for third, and the Swedish Challenge hosted by Robert Karlsson, where a final round 73 derailed his title hopes.
He also came close at the Cordon Golf Open in August, where he led after 36 holes but ultimately failed to keep pace with eventual winner Jack Singh Brar. After a tied fourth place finish at the Hainan Open, and with only two events remaining, the Texas A&M University graduate faced the looming possibility of a winless season.
When he sank a four-foot birdie putt on the 72ndhole of the Grand Final to win by one shot, Arnaus’ reaction fittingly summarised both the moment and his entire campaign as a rookie professional.
“I was feeling really nervous and at the same time just trying to focus on what I needed to do for that putt to go in and the good thing is that it went in,” he said.
“I tend to get really excited and that was the moment to show it. Before that I didn’t really have a chance to show it, it was all about focusing on the present, but after that putt I could let it go.”
Armed with a European Tour card, and the fresh taste of victory, Arnaus is now looking forward to making the same sort of impact on tournament leaderboards, when he joins the Race to Dubai at the Honma Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi.
“I’m thrilled", he said. "I couldn’t be more excited to take this new step in my career and I’m going to enjoy it a lot.”
