Pedro Oriol arrives at this week’s Swiss Challenge presented by Association Suisse de Golf hoping fond memories of his stunning final round at Golf Sempachersee last year, paired with his promising recent form, can push him to a maiden title as the Spaniard continues his consistent progress on the European Challenge Tour.
The 27 year old twice holed out from the fairway for eagle twos to close out the tournament with a seven under par 64 and finish in a share of fourth place, four shots back from winner Victor Riu of France.
It was a performance which filled Oriol with belief and the Madrid native took that confidence into the 2014 season, starting the year with a runner-up finish at the Barclays Kenya Open.
A top 15 finish then arrived at the Aegean Airlines Challenge Tour by Hartl Resort two weeks ago followed by a tied fifth finish at last week’s D+D Real Slovakia Challenge to help his quest to end the season in the top 15 of the Challenge Tour Rankings.
Oriol is hoping he can pick up from where he left off last year in the picturesque hillside venue outside Lucerne and is feeling in good enough form to do so.
“Last year was a great week for me here,” he said. “I can remember finishing with a two at the 18th, holing out from 60 yards, and also doing the same from 120 yards on the sixth. I shot 64 and I came from way behind to get a good result.
“It was a crazy finish to the week. I'm going to remember those two twos at the par fours when I'm out on the course and that will be nice.
“On the Challenge Tour small things like that can often be the difference. You have to be very patient out here and sometimes you can play really well and the results don’t come, but you just need to keep fighting and the results will come.”
Oriol’s story on the Challenge Tour has been one of steady progression, finishing 80thon the Rankings in his first season in 2012 before a 63rdplace finish last year.
He feels like he is getting close to being capable of great things on Europe’s second tier, especially with the inspiration being provided by his compatriots and winners already this season, Jordi Garcia Pinto and Antonio Hortal.
“It’s a hard tour and there are a lot of very good players,” he said. “You just need to wait for your week. I had a good week in Kenya and I didn’t have many good results after that but it was better in Germany and I feel that I'm doing good things now.
“I'm not hitting the ball really well at the moment but I'm doing a good job and staying patient. I've learned from a couple of years on the Challenge Tour that I have to be patient and think day by day and the results will come.
“Every year I've been getting better, even if it has been just small steps. I feel like I'm becoming a better player. That step to winning tournaments is very small but it’s also very big.
“I know it will come but I just need to wait for it. It would be great to follow Antonio and Jordi’s steps.
“Sometimes you play with your friends and you think, ‘I’ve played with those guys and they are great players so if they can do it, who not me?’”
Garcia Pinto and Hortal will both join Oriol at Golf Sempachersee this week, along with four other winners from this season.
Among them are two-time winners Moritz Lampert and Jake Roos, who would earn instant promotion to The European Tour with victory this week, following in the footsteps of last year’s three-time champion Brooks Koepka.
The home favourites in the field include Damien Ulrich, Ken Benz and Martin Rominger, while European Tour winners Welshmen Rhys Davies and Bradley Dredge and England’s Ross McGowan are also present.
