Marc Hammer is targeting back-to-back wins at GC Adamstal when he tees it up in the Euram Bank Open in Austrian this week.
The German secured a historic maiden Challenge Tour triumph at the same course in 2022 by carding a closing round of 66 to win by two strokes ahead of the chasing pack.
The 24-year-old’s win arrived just five days after he secured his first victory as a professional at the Weihenstephan Open on the Pro Golf Tour. Hammer’s back-to-back victories meant he became the first player to win two Official World Golf Ranking tournaments in the same week, and he’s pleased to return to a course that holds fond memories.
“I’m pretty excited to be here,” he said. “I don’t put myself under more pressure because I won here last year, but it feels nice being back.
“I really like this place because it’s just beautiful in the mountains. It’s similar to where I grew up, so I feel comfortable being here, on this beautiful golf course, enjoying the views.
“Last year, coming off the win on the Pro Golf Tour a couple of days before took a lot of pressure away. I knew I was in a good place in the Pro Golf Rankings, so my only thought going into the week was to make the weekend. When I did that I just played stress-free golf. My game felt very good at that point.”
Hammer admits he learned a lot following his sole Challenge Tour win to date, and after a season-best finish at last week’s Italian Challenge Open, he’s looking forward to continuing his rise up the Road to Mallorca Rankings now the season has reached a pivotal point.
“I learned a lot of things over the last six months of last season,” he added. “I gained a lot of experience and learned plenty over the last six months of last season,” he added. “I learned how to plan my schedule and what is best for me during tournament weeks.
“It’s always a struggle for me coming out of the winter, but now that it’s getting to the summer months, when you keep working and you’re playing on the course, not just practicing on the driving range, it makes a big difference.
“Keeping the ball in position is going to be big around here this week. You need to hit as many fairways and greens as possible and hope the putter is hot. You also need to keep yourself fresh. It’s a hard walk around this course, so I’ll be relaxing as much as possible afterwards.”
Hammer joins a strong field in Austria that includes Road to Mallorca Number Two and four-time DP World Tour winner Matteo Manassero, two-time DP World Tour winner Tom Lewis and 2021 Euram Bank Open winner Stuart Manley.
Play gets under way on Thursday at 7:30am local time with Hammer teeing off alongside Manassero and Euan Walker at 8:30am.
