Chris Lloyd arrives at this week’s Bridgestone Challenge with plenty to play for after an outstanding season that has already seen him triumph three times.
The Englishman has been in imperious form on the satellite EuroPro Tour, claiming three victories over a seven-week stretch which has put him in with a chance of winning a £250,000 bonus prize if he can add another 2017 title to his growing trophy cabinet.
Those three wins have also gained Lloyd promotion on to the European Challenge Tour for the remainder of this campaign and next season.
The 25 year old, who earned a European Tour card through Qualifying School in 2012 and 2014, has his sights set on returning to Europe’s top tier, and believes another winning performance this week would help him to achieve that.
😄😄😄 🏆 🏆🏆#3 pic.twitter.com/aBmu9JrlTj
— Chris Lloyd (@C_Lloydy1) August 4, 2017
“It has been a very good year,” he said. “Wrapping up a Challenge Tour card already is brilliant and it will be a nice week for me as, with it not being a EuroPro Tour event, I won’t have the pressure of playing for all that money – I have nothing to lose and am very much looking forward to it.
“I think this year I still have plenty to play for though. All being well, I would like to get my card back through the Qualifying School. I’m in a good position as I have nothing to lose – it can be awful going to Q-School when you have nothing to fall back on.
“The ideal scenario would be to get another win on the EuroPro Tour then to get my European Tour card back – then it would be a fantastic Christmas.”
Lloyd returns to Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa for the second time this season having competed in the Matchroom Sport Championship on the EuroPro Tour in July.
After admitting to having a fondness for this week’s format – which is Modified Stableford – Lloyd is looking to improve on the tied 17thplace finish he achieved at the English course earlier this year.
“The golf course is a bit different this week,” he said. “There are no bunkers, and that is definitely a first for me. They have made two of the par fives par fours too, so they have obviously made things a little bit more tricky.
“The different format is something that us players enjoy too. I have only really played the format as a junior before – apart from play a qualifying competition for this event earlier in the year and it was the same format. It tends itself to being more aggressive, which is fine by me.”
