Oscar Floren carded what he describes as the best round of his career at the Turkish Airlines Challenge back in 2010, so it is no wonder the Swede is looking forward to the return of the event to the Challenge Tour schedule this week.
The 30 year old came from seven shots back four years ago, courtesy of a nine under par final round 63, to force a play-off with Charlie Ford, who eventually took the title after birdieing the first extra hole.
It was a round which Floren describes as the best of his career and, although this week’s event takes place at a different venue – National Golf Club – the official player hotel overlooks the course on which he made a stunning final day charge on his last visit to Belek.
“I have some good memories,” said the Gothenburg native. “The official hotel is at the course where we played that event in 2010 and I was actually given an honourary membership for that course because I shot the course record on Sunday.
“I haven’t been back so I'm really looking forward to it. It was probably the best round of my career. Hopefully there will be some better ones in the future but I made 17 greens and missed one fairway. I was really close to winning, maybe I could have had a few more birdies.
“I lost in the play-off but I couldn’t be too disappointed about it because it was a great day’s golf. In the play-off, I hit it to 12 feet and he hit it to around ten feet and I missed it and he made it. I hit two great shots and just missed the putt so he beat me fair and square, I didn’t give it away.”
Floren’s runner-up finish in this event in 2010 came early on in a season which yielded his first Challenge Tour victory and graduation to The European Tour, where he remained for three full seasons.
Having returned to the second tier, the former Texas Tech University student believes he needs to start enjoying his tournament golf more and is hoping his return to Turkey’s south coast can provide that.
“I hope I can get my game back in shape a bit and I just have to try and enjoy it,” he said. “I need to go out and just have fun and play.
“I've heard great things about this course. Usually courses out there are in great shape and there’s a good set up so it should be good.
“Obviously I hope going back there will give me a boost and I can play well. My practise is going well at the moment and everything feels right with my game. It’s more about my head.
“That’s what’s missing at the moment, the joy of playing. I can’t try to be perfect on the course and accept what comes around.
“I know what it takes to do well on the Challenge Tour and it was great taking a break this winter. I just took a job in a sports bar in Gothenburg and I got to know some new people, non-golfers, so that was really fun.
“I love practising and I enjoy playing socially but I'm having a harder time enjoying it during tournaments so I'm going to work on that.”
