Alexander Levy’s victory at last week’s Portugal Masters marked the 350th European Tour victory for a former Challenge Tour player, as the developmental tour continues to produce more and more of the world’s finest players.
The Frenchman’s sterling performance at the rain-affected event at Oceånico Victoria Golf Club in Vilamoura earned him a second European Tour victory just two years after he treaded his path to stardom on the Challenge Tour in 2012 season.
Like so many before him, the 24 year old arrived on the second tier as a fresh-faced professional chasing The European Tour dream and he hit the ground running in his first full season, securing a top three finish in just his third event of 2012 at the Fred Olsen Challenge de España.
Another third finish at the lucrative Kazakhstan Open later that year played a huge part in his finishing 30th in the Challenge Tour Rankings, thereby earning him an automatic place at Qualifying School Final Stage, where he eventually earned a card for The 2013 Race to Dubai.
After narrowly holding on to his card for the 2014 season, finishing 109th in The 2013 Race to Dubai, Levy has since gone from strength to strength, winning his maiden title earlier this year at the Volvo China Open.
That impressive four-stroke victory was followed by a second title at the Portugal Masters, which lifted Levy to 19th in The 2014 Race to Dubai and 74th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The USA-born player’s rise to prominence is just another example of the growing success of the Challenge Tour in producing future European Tour winners.
Since its inception in 1989, the Challenge Tour has progressed to a point where it has marked all of its landmark 250th, 300th and 350th European Tour wins from former players in the last four years, Ross Fisher securing number 250 in 2010, Marcel Siem making in 300 in 2012 and Levy extending that rapidly-increasing number to 350 last week.
PLAYER WIN NUMBER YEAR EVENT
Per-Ulrik Johnansson11991Renault Belgian Open
Mathias Grönberg502000Mercedes-Benz South African Open
Ian Poulter1002003The Celtic Manor Wales Open
Thomas Björn1502006Nissan Irish Open
David Dixon2002008SAINT-OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OBC
Ross Fisher25020103 Irish Open
Marcel Siem3002012Alstom Open de France
Alexander Levy3502014Portugal Masters
