A new European Challenge Tour season brings a new wave of talent. Here we profile Curtis Griffiths, who claimed a maiden EuroPro Tour title en route to qualifying for this year’s Road to Oman during a breakthrough 2016.
After the success of 2015 EuroPro Tour Number One Jordan Smith, who, having topped the Road to Oman Rankings in November, is now in the top 100 in the world after amassing two top-ten finishes just five events into his debut European Tour campaign, the bar has been set extremely high for this year’s satellite tour graduates.
With the likes of Gary King, Aaron Rai and Ben Stow all also impressing on the 2016 Road to Oman, the EuroPro Tour’s reputation as the breeding ground for some of the game’s finest young talents continues to grow.
Of last season’s crop, Griffiths caught the eye with a series of impressive performances following a difficult start to life as a professional.
The 23 year old joined the paid ranks in 2013 and was immediately successful with victories on both the Jamega Tour and the TP Tour, but after struggling with glandular fever, he did not play at all in 2014.
After a mixed first season on the EuroPro Tour in 2015, Griffiths showed promise when starting his second, notching up four top-ten finishes in his first five starts.
Thanks so much for the messages. Chuffed to win and a massive thanks to @maccaforgolf for an awesome job on the bag pic.twitter.com/kVfPvLxZAD
— Curtis Griffiths (@curtisg63) August 20, 2016
It would not be long before Griffiths joined the winners’ circle, holding his nerve in a play-off against 2016 Qualifying School graduate Ashley Chesters to triumph at the Matchroom Sport Championship in August last year.
That victory would push the Englishman into the top five of the satellite tour’s Order of Merit, a position he cemented with a third place finish at the Clipper Logistics Championship – followed by a share of seventh in the final event of the season.
With his Challenge Tour playing rights secured for 2017, Griffiths will be looking to follow in the footsteps of some of the EuroPro Tour’s finest alumni – Smith, Tyrrell Hatton, Ross Fisher and Tommy Fleetwood, among others.
Congrats to Peter Tarver-Jones & his fellow EuroPro Tour grads Matt Cort, Curtis Griffiths, Richard James & Mark Laskey - see you next year! pic.twitter.com/EO61eDpWPA
— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) October 21, 2016
2016 EuroPro Tour graduates: Matthew Cort (England), Peter Tarver-Jones (England), Curtis Griffiths (England), Richard James (Wales), Mark Laskey (Wales)
