Dylan Frittelli will hope to take advantage of the home comforts enjoyed by last year’s Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge winner Brinson Paolini as he prepares to stay at the same house that hosted the American en route to a maiden victory.
The South African has won before, at last year’s Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda, and will hope the successful surroundings he inhabits – which are just 200 metres from the clubhouse – will spur him on to yet more silverware this week.
He and Paolini are good friends from college, with the American having followed in Frittelli’s footsteps by claiming the prestigious Byron Nelson Award in 2013, and he has since gone on to earn his European Tour card at last year’s Qualifying School Final Stage.
Frittelli will hope to kick start a period of similar success this week, having perhaps struggled for his best form so far in 2013. He finished in a tie for fourth at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil a year ago, which will give him heart, as will a recent bit of fine tuning back in the States.
"I went back to the US a month ago to see my coach because I have been struggling with my game,” said the 24 year old from Johannesburg. “I feel way better now though, just much more consistent. Last year I spent eight months away without coming back home, and that was too much, but I have learned my lesson.
“I didn’t get enough practice time in during 2013, travelling week to week, and that’s really the biggest take home I got from last year. You’ve got to take time off and keep logging the practice hours, you can’t just travel all the time.
“I didn’t think of it last year, before it happened, but once it did it was plain to see. I was on the road travelling where you can’t really log eight hour practice days so it was a good learning curve for me and it will help in my career going forwards scheduling wise.”
The Challenge Tour has always been a proving ground for talent, but there are lessons to be learned too about how to be a professional golfer, and Frittelli will hope to put those to good use the rest of the season as he looks to improve on a best finish in 2014 of a tie for 22nd at both the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda and the Aegean Airlines Challenge Tour by Hartl Resort.
Also in the field looking to take advantage of being on home soil is Julien Guerrier who is attached to the venue this week.
The Frenchman receives support from the owner, Jean-Claude Forestier, and will no doubt be looking for a strong performance as he tries to improve on his current 50th place on the Challenge Tour Rankings.
Eight of this year’s winners are also in the field with the latest to taste Challenge Tour success – Pierre Relecom – ready to tee it up fresh from his Swiss Challenge presented by Association Suisse de Golf victory last week.
Rankings leader Jordi Garcia Pinto is also in attendance, as he looks to increase his advantage. While the only Frenchman to win so far this season, Thomas Linard, is also in the field and looking to add to the maiden silverware he earned back in June at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge.
