Dane Lasse Jensen is ready to make an assault on the top of the Challenge Tour Rankings by maintaining his fine early-season form in this week’s Madeira Islands Open – Portugal.
The 27 year old finished second in the Barclays Kenya Open at the end of March, losing a play-off to Englishman Seve Benson, and hopes he can produce another good performance to make the most of the increased prize fund of €675,000 on the Portuguese island.
Although the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal is on The European Tour International Schedule, roughly half the field is made up of Challenge Tour players, and the prize money counts for both The Race to Dubai and the Challenge Tour Rankings – although it is capped at €500,000 for the latter.
“This tournament, along with Saint Omer and the Kazakhstan Open, are like three Majors for the Challenge Tour,” said Jensen. “The prize fund is much larger than what we usually play for on the Challenge Tour so it’s important to play well in these events.
“If you do well in two or even all three you know you’re going to be up there in the Rankings. I’m fifth at the moment so this is a great opportunity to really make my mark for the rest of the season and give myself a good chance of getting a European Tour card for the first time.”
Jensen had two superb weekend rounds in Nairobi, Kenya to come close to claiming his first Challenge Tour title, but a bogey at the first extra hole meant he had to settle for the runner-up spot. However, instead of dwelling on that near-miss, he sees it as a positive and hopes it will stand him in good stead for the rest of the campaign.
“I was happy with finishing second in Kenya, of course, but you do find yourself thinking why didn’t I win instead of him, and about how small the margins are between winning and coming second,” he said.
“But it was early in the season and I see it as a bonus to do well outside Europe. If you can get a good start and do well in those tournaments in India, Colombia and Kenya before the season really gets going in Europe, it’s a boost for the rest of the year.
“After Easter I went to Spain to play in a few events on the mini tour out there. There has been a long break between Kenya and this tournament so I’ve just been trying to keep busy and keep my game in good shape.
“It feels like my game is getting there. I felt a bit rusty on Monday and yesterday because it has been so long since the last Challenge Tour event, but today I’m feeling good and that will give me some confidence going into the first round tomorrow.”
