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Challenge Tour
Professional golf tour in Europe
Professional golf tour in Europe
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | Challenge Tour |
| current_season | 2026 Challenge Tour |
| logo | PGA European Challenge Tour logo.png |
| pixels | 200px |
| sport | Golf |
| founded | 1986 |
| inaugural | 1989 |
| countries | Based in Europe |
| most_champs | Tournament wins: |
| ENG Iain Pyman (8) | |
| website | http://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/ |
| Director | Alain de Soultrait |
| related_comps | European Tour |
| Founder | PGA European Tour |
the golf event series
ENG Iain Pyman (8) The Challenge Tour, currently titled as the HotelPlanner Tour for sponsorship reasons and also sometimes referred to as the European Challenge Tour, is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and similarly with the main European Tour and the European Senior Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe.
History
The tour was introduced in 1986, when the national tours of Sweden, France and Italy became open to foreign players, and was initially called the Satellite Tour. The Order of Merit was introduced in 1989, with the top five players on it winning membership of the European Tour for the following season. The following year the tour was renamed the Challenge Tour, a name already used in 1989. Up to 1993 the Challenge Tour rankings were based on each player's best several results, but since 1994 it has been a straightforward money list, with all results counting.
Players who are successful on the Challenge Tour qualify for membership of the European Tour the following year. Twenty players earn direct promotion to the European Tour. Players finishing 21–45 may also gain qualification for occasional low-prize-money European Tour events, but can improve their status through European Tour Qualifying School. Players who win three Challenge Tour events in a season are fast-tracked onto the main tour immediately and are fully exempt the following season, similar to that of the US-based Korn Ferry Tour.
In January 2025, it was announced that the tour had signed a title sponsorship agreement with HotelPlanner, being renamed as the HotelPlanner Tour.
World ranking points
Official World Golf Ranking points are awarded for high finishes in Challenge Tour events. Formerly, most events awarded 12 points to the winner, with European Tour dual-ranking events awarding 18 points. The Challenge Tour Grand Final gave 17 points to the winner.
In 2014, a number of events received slightly higher points totals, with three events earning a minimum of 13 points and the Challenge Tour Grand Final winner receiving 17 points, up from 16.
Satellite tours
One competitive level down from the Challenge Tour are five third-level developmental tours, the Alps Tour, the Pro Golf Tour, the PGA EuroPro Tour (ceased in 2022; replaced by the Clutch Pro Tour and the Tartan Pro Tour) and the Nordic Golf League, each of which is based in a different part of Europe. These circuits are known as the satellite tours. The top players not otherwise exempt (five each from the Alps, Pro Golf, and Nordic Golf League, three from the Clutch Tour, two from the Tartan Pro Tour) from the Order of Merit of each of these tours earn status on the Challenge Tour for the following season. The Challenge Tour also offers status to players competing in the European Tour Qualifying School, giving privileges to those who make the 72-hole cut at the final stage but fail to place in the top 20.
In December 2022, it was announced that the Clutch Pro Tour and the Tartan Pro Tour would become official feeder tours to the Challenge Tour; in place of the now defunct PGA EuroPro Tour. The Tartan Pro Tour would offer Challenge Tour status to the leading player on the Order of Merit, whereas the Clutch Pro Tour would offer Challenge Tour status to the top two players on the Order of Merit. In 2024, with inclusion into the OWGR, the Clutch Pro Tour increased the number of Challenge Tour cards to three, with the Tartan Pro Tour increasing the number of cards to two. In 2024, the China Tour offered a Challenge Tour card to the player second in the rankings.
Players can also earn immediate access to the Challenge Tour for a three-win season on the Clutch Pro Tour, Tartan Pro Tour, Alps Tour, Pro Golf Tour and Nordic Golf League.
Schedules
Main article: 2026 Challenge Tour
Originally, the Challenge Tour events were held in Western Europe. In 1991, the five Safari Circuit events in Africa were added. Only the Kenya Open (until 2018) remained a regular event on the tour for more than a few years, although the Zambia Open returned to the tour between 2001 and 2004 as the first Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned event. In 2020, the tour re-entered into South Africa, again co-sanctioning events with the Sunshine Tour. Another African tournament, the Moroccan Golf Classic, was held from 2002 to 2010. The Challenge Tour featured tournaments co-sanctioned with the Tour de las Américas in Latin America from 2003 to 2011.
In 2011, the tour added its first events in Asia, the Gujarat Kensville Challenge in India and the Kazakhstan Open. In 2023, the tour re-expanded their schedule into India, playing two events co-sanctioned alongside the Professional Golf Tour of India. This came after the European Tour had entered into a partnership with the PGTI.
Rankings winners
| Year | Winner | Points | Year | Winner | Prize money (€) | Year | Winner | Prize money (£) | Year | Winner | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ZAF J. C. Ritchie | 1,674 | |||||||||
| 2024 | DNK Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | 1,826 | |||||||||
| 2023 | ENG Marco Penge | 1,285 | |||||||||
| 2022 | ENG Nathan Kimsey | 208,918 | |||||||||
| 2021 | DNK Marcus Helligkilde | 222,628 | |||||||||
| 2020 | CZE Ondřej Lieser | 116,345 | |||||||||
| 2019 | ITA Francesco Laporta | 210,132 | |||||||||
| 2018 | DNK Joachim B. Hansen | 222,320 | |||||||||
| 2017 | FIN Tapio Pulkkanen | 210,799 | |||||||||
| 2016 | ENG Jordan Smith | 239,985 | |||||||||
| 2015 | PRT Ricardo Gouveia | 251,952 | |||||||||
| 2014 | ENG Andrew Johnston | 190,856 | |||||||||
| 2013 | ITA Andrea Pavan | 147,811 | |||||||||
| 2012 | NOR Espen Kofstad | 131,099 | |||||||||
| 2011 | ENG Tommy Fleetwood | 148,913 | |||||||||
| 2010 | ESP Álvaro Velasco | 134,297 | |||||||||
| 2009 | ITA Edoardo Molinari | 242,980 | |||||||||
| 2008 | ENG David Horsey | 144,118 | |||||||||
| 2007 | FRA Mike Lorenzo-Vera | 128,927 | |||||||||
| 2006 | WAL Mark Pilkington | 119,152 | |||||||||
| 2005 | SCO Marc Warren | 103,577 | |||||||||
| 2004 | ENG Lee Slattery | 95,980 | |||||||||
| 2003 | SWE Johan Edfors | 94,509 | |||||||||
| 2002 | ENG Lee S. James | 121,531 | |||||||||
| 2001 | ENG Mark Foster | 97,737 | |||||||||
| 2000 | SWE Henrik Stenson | 108,710 | |||||||||
| 1999 | ESP Carl Suneson | 69,641 | |||||||||
| 1998 | ENG Warren Bennett | 81,053 | |||||||||
| 1997 | ITA Michele Reale | 51,679 | |||||||||
| 1996 | ENG Ian Garbutt | 37,661 | |||||||||
| 1995 | DNK Thomas Bjørn | 46,471 | |||||||||
| 1994 | NIR Raymond Burns | 43,583 | |||||||||
| 1993 | SWE Klas Eriksson | 48,365 | |||||||||
| 1992 | WAL Paul Affleck | 39,768 | |||||||||
| 1991 | ENG David R. Jones | 35,533 | |||||||||
| 1990 | ITA Giuseppe Calì | 28,383 | |||||||||
| 1989 | ENG Neal Briggs | 9,464 |
Notes
References
References
- (December 1989). "Challenge Tour 1989".
- (17 January 2025). "Challenge Tour welcomes HotelPlanner as Title Partner". European Tour.
- Glendinning, Matthew. (20 January 2025). "HotelPlanner's title deal 'elevates' Challenge Tour". SportBusiness.
- (6 August 2014). "OWGR Board Announces Adjustments To Ranking System". Official World Golf Ranking.
- (28 September 2022). "PGA EuroPro Tour Final Season". PGA EuroPro Tour.
- (20 December 2022). "Farmfoods Tartan Pro Tour to become Official Feeder Tour to the Challenge Tour". European Tour.
- (21 December 2022). "Clutch Pro Tour to become Official Feeder Tour to the Challenge Tour". European Tour.
- Dempster, Martin. (13 December 2023). "Paul Lawrie delighted to see Tartan Pro Tour offer two Challenge Tour cards in 2024". The Scotsman.
- Bentum-Williams, Kojo. (23 January 2020). "Limpopo Championship receives European Challenge Tour approval". Voyages Afriq.
- (15 December 2022). "Challenge Tour unveils 2023 schedule with record-breaking prize fund and 29 events". Golf Business News.
- (16 December 2022). "Professional Golf Tour of India partners with DP World Tour, PGA Tour". European Tour.
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