Christian Aronsen believes he can make the most of his local knowledge as he returns to his home course for this week’s Viking Challenge.
The Norwegian who is based in Oslo, just 20 miles away from Miklagard Golf, has been attached to the picturesque venue for three years.
After a top-five finish in Finland two weeks ago, his first on the European Challenge Tour, the 40 year old admits he is full of confidence going into the first Norwegian event on Europe’s top developmental tour since 2014.
“I think home advantage will be very important this week,” he said. “You have to be very close to the flag to do well here. The greens are very big, and it is not that easy to score here so you have to hit it close.
“It is not too narrow from the tee and it is a long hitters’ course for sure. The greens are really firm this week, a lot firmer than usual, and that is going to make things really interesting.
“The par fives at 13 and 16 are key. They are both tough from the tee, but if you drive well then there are definitely some eagle opportunities there.
“I think my best score is six or seven under here, the course record is eight under, but I do still believe it is tricky to go really low around here.
“Having played this course so many times I’m hoping that my extra practice will work to my advantage.”
Aronsen, who is one of 19 Norwegian players in this week’s field, has a lot of faith in his fellow countrymen and is hopeful of seeing an eye-catching performance from one of his compatriots in Kløfta.
“There are a lot of good Norwegian players here,” he said. “In particular I would say Jarand Ekeland Arnoy, who is a very good young talent and one to keep an eye on this week.
“A lot of Norwegians are also performing well on the Nordic Golf League and in European Amateur competitions – hopefully they can bring that form on to the Challenge Tour.”
