The Challenge Tour will touch down on European soil for the first time this season when the Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André once again plays host to the ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne from May 10-13.
After three tournaments on three different continents, the busy summer season on the European mainland begins here for the players and the stunning French coastal region of Brittany is the first stop for the first of three ALLIANZ-sponsored events in the 2012 calendar.
Last year, Phillip Archer showed true grit and determination to claim the title in extremely difficult conditions, beating his playing partner Roland Steiner by one shot with a six over par final round of 76. The fact that the Englishman shot a nine under par 61 on the third day showed the marked difference in conditions as howling winds and rain took hold on Sunday.
Other winners include two-time Challenge Tour winner Sam Walker, who emerged victorious in 2010, and three-time European Tour winner Joakim Haeggman, who claimed his second of two Challenge Tour wins in Brittany in 2008.
Haeggman succeeded his former Ryder Cup team-mate Peter Baker, who won the inaugural title in 2007 by defeating Ross McGowan at the first play-off hole, also making it two Challenge Tour career wins.
The field at this year’s ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne will battle it out for a prize fund of €160,000.
The 6,052m Alain Prat-designed Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André is set on a stunning beachside location overlooking the English channel. A stern test, it becomes even more formidable when the winds blow in on France’s ‘Emerald Coast’.
