Clutch Pro Tour - Hollinwell GC: 10 Players to Watch

The Clutch Pro Tour returns on June 29th with a £10,000 first prize on offer. As a result, it has attracted a stellar field with several European Tour members signed up to compete. The 18-hole event will require low scoring and I expect a tightly-packed leaderboard. Here are my ten players to look out for:

Richard Mansell

Coming off a T2 on the Jamega Tour's 18-hole event on June 25th, the Challenge Tour player will be hoping to continue his good form. He is returning to the Challenge Tour for back-to-back events in Austria, beginning on July 9th (co-sanctioned with the European Tour). Monday's event will likely be his last event before heading off to Austria.

Robert Rock

The European Tour pro shot 69 (-2) in the most recent Clutch Pro Tour event and will be hoping to shoot a few strokes better at Hollinwell against a stronger field. He will be paired with Mansell and Mitch Waite, so hopefully they can feed off each other and go low.

Charley Hull

The 25th ranked player in the Rolex Rankings has been ramping up her competitive rounds in the last few weeks. The Englishwoman triumphed in the first event of the Rose Ladies Series on June 18th and also played two tournaments on June 25th. She has the game to compete with the men and it would be great to see her near the top of the leaderboard. Both the Clutch Pro Tour and 2020 Pro Tour are open to female competitors and that is a fantastic thing for the game of golf.

Todd Clements

The talented Englishman recently competed on the TP Tour on June 18th and finished in a tie for 7th. Like Mansell, he is competing in Austria so he will be looking to post a solid result in preparation for his return to the Tour. Clements has had an impressive last two years as a professional, and his swing work with former European Tour member, Zane Scotland, has been noticeable.

Gary King

King is a former European Tour member who is trying to return to the highest level. He finished T2 on the TP Tour on June 18th and was in contention on the Clutch Pro Tour last Monday but dropped a few strokes coming in. He will be a dark horse contender at Hollinwell. 

Andy Sullivan

The popular European Tour member competed on June 25th in the Pro-Am at Worplesdon Golf Club and shot 1-under in his first competitive round since the lockdown. Sullivan has been frustrated in recent years with his winless streak but mentioned to the BBC that the prolonged break has been great for his mental well-being and he's been able to get his game back in order.

Connor Syme

The Scotsman is taking part in the event at Hollinwell partly due to the fact that his management company, Modest! Golf Management, has become a partner of the Clutch Pro Tour. Syme won the BMW Indoor Invitational presented by Trackman at Royal Portrush on May 16th competing against several top European Tour players, so he will be looking to keep the good form going. He will be playing in Austria as well.

George Bloor

Bloor was one of my picks from last week but was very disappointing as he shot 9-over (80). He did bounce back with a T4 finish on the Jamega Tour on June 25th. Hopefully his game will rise to the occasion and he can find himself challenging for the £10k first prize.

Jamie Donaldson
The 2014 Ryder Cup star has been competing on the 1836 Tour and 2020 Pro Tour in recent weeks trying to get his game back to its best. He finished T3 on the 2020 Pro Tour on June 15th and T2 on the 1836 Tour on June 23rd. His game is trending in the right direction and should be contending for the title.

OJ Farrell

Farrell was last Monday's winner on the Clutch Pro Tour in a playoff over European Tour member, Ashley Chesters. It was the Marquette University graduate's first professional victory. It will be interesting to see how he plays at Hollinwell against an even stronger field. 

Clutch Pro Tour - Sandwell Park Classic: 10 Players to Watch

The Clutch Pro Tour returns to action on June 22 at Sandwell Park Golf Club in the West Midlands. The event has a £6,000 prize fund and has attracted a very strong field of both male & female professionals. Here are a handful of players to look out for:

Paul Broadhurst

The competitor in the field with the greatest career highlights (1991 Ryder Cup, 6 European Tour wins, and 5 PGA Tour Champions wins), Broadhurst will be one of the favorites for sure. With the PGA Tour Champions season set to resume the last week in July, he has been keeping his game sharp by playing on the 1836 Tour and 2020 Pro Tour in northern England.

Robert Rock

Known for his near-perfect swing and classic style, the full-time pro and part-time coach will certainly be one of the betting favorites. With a best finish of tied-36th in Oman, "Rocky" will be looking to get his game back in shape before the Tour's re-start next month.

Oliver Farr

Another European Tour member in the field, the 32-year-old Welshman will also be looking to get his game in shape after struggling in the first six events of his season. His best finish is tied-28th in the South African Open in January. Farr wrote a blog entry on the European Tour's website describing his play last season and his wife's career working for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ashley Chesters

The third and final European Tour member in the field, the 30-year-old Englishman is currently ranked 102nd on the Race to Dubai. He will be looking forward to getting a scorecard in his hand and competing for the title.

Meghan MacLaren

This woman has a lot of talent and will be paired with Farr and James Mack. A winner on the LET in 2019, she has been billed as a future Solheim Cup player. The Englishwoman has been outspoken regarding the gap between the men's and women's game in terms of prize money and sponsorships. Do not be surprised to see her name near the top of the leaderboard at Sandwell Park.

Holly Clyburn

A member of the Ladies European Tour and Symetra Tour, the Englishwoman will certainly be itching to compete after playing only three events so far in 2020. A former top-100 ranked player in the world back in 2014, the popular player will be looking to get a competitive round in to see where her game is at before the women's game resumes.

Felicity Johnson

The third LET player in the field, Johnson is a two-time winner on the circuit but has struggled in the past few years. She lives in Birmingham so maybe she can use the home comforts to her advantage. Will be looking to get some competitive reps in before the LET resumes (next event is scheduled to be the Ladies Scottish Open in August).

George Bloor

Keep an eye on this player. Plays a lot of events on the UK mini tour circuit and usually finishes in the money. Won the Portugal Pro Tour Order of Merit in 2019/2020 and will be awarded a few Challenge Tour starts in 2020 or 2021. Recently won on the 1836 Tour on 6/19/2020 after shooting a 65 which is what needs to be shot to win these 18-hole events.

Richard Mansell

Another talented Englishman who finished 2nd on the EuroPro Tour Order of Merit and has a Challenge Tour card for 2020. His form in 2020 has not been up to his standards but anyone who has shot 58 in college can go low any day of the week.

Marco Penge

In keeping with the theme of talented young Englishmen, Penge has Challenge Tour status courtesy of his finish on the EuroPro Tour in 2019. He recently won on the 1836 Tour after shooting 65 and has the game to go low. A little inconsistent but if his game is on, he will be near the top of the leaderboard.


Clutch Pro Tour website - https://www.clutchprotour.co.uk/

HOW VALUABLE ARE UK MINI TOURS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK?

It's no secret that the Coronavirus has made us drastically alter our daily routines. While there are a great majority who have the good fortune of working from home and continue to earn money, there are those who do not have that luxury. Those who make their living based on their results (i.e. no contract or salary) are in a very uncertain situation at the moment. Professional golf and tennis are two sports that are most affected by the postponement of events. Sure, those at the top level are affected in the sense that they can't compete, but financial concerns for them ended a long time ago. Those with real concern are the golfers who ply their trade on golf's lower tiers.

Prior to the Coronavirus becoming a pandemic, those not at the top level still had an ideal early-season schedule: 3 Challenge Tour events in South Africa from late January to mid-February and then compete on the MENA Tour until late April. A few weeks off and then the Challenge Tour would resume in Prague, Czech Republic, in early May. If only they knew what sort of difficulties were on the horizon.

The 3 events in South Africa did take place as planned. Although the MENA Tour did stage the first 5 events without issue, the tour decided to postpone the remaining 6 events until September-December due to the various health and travel restrictions associated with the virus. As for the Challenge Tour, they cancelled the Prague event and will now start in Switzerland in late May at the earliest.

For most players, the significant schedule change has forced them to find places to play. Mini tours in the UK have been a godsend for many players, especially The Clutch Pro Tour. Offering by far the biggest prize funds of any mini tour in the UK, the tour recently held their first "Major" of the season on March 20th. The prize fund was £25,000 and Scott Gregory took home the winner's check of £10,000. Several European Tour and Challenge Tour members competed in this 18-hole event at The Shire London. Obviously, mini tours had no idea that they would be playing an enormous role in a golf pro's season due to the postponement/cancellation of many events.

The Jamega Tour is hosting their first event April 6-7 and I would expect this field to be incredibly strong with European Tour players taking part, as their season has been postponed until late May at the earliest. This event is still scheduled to take place at the time of writing this post.

Other tours such as the 2020 Pro Tour (open to men and women), 1836 Tour, and TP Tour provide additional opportunities for male and female players at this crucial time. As far as I'm aware, there are no women-only golf tours in the UK and, with the Ladies European Tour season at a standstill, it is imperative that British female golfers have the opportunity to keep their game sharp and earn some money along the way.

All this takes on more significance because the third tier PGA EuroPro Tour has cancelled its entire season, originally set to begin in May. This is a premier developmental tour in the UK, with the top-5 on the money list earning promotion to the Challenge Tour. Many young British golfers will be leaning on the mini tours to get them through 2020. There are many individuals who rise to the top when their backs are against the wall. Unfortunately, many professionals will not have the financial resources to continue past this season. What we have to remember is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and our lives will return to a sense of normalcy in the (hopefully) not too distant future. In the meantime, let's stay isolated and prevent those who are vulnerable from being exposed to this deadly virus.  

Simon Dyson signs with Cobra Puma Golf

Cobra Puma Golf announced the signing of six-time European Tour winner Simon Dyson. Dyson, who's battled injuries and poor play the past two years, will be looking forward to breathing new life into his game. In his first event as a Cobra staff player, he missed the cut at the Trophee Hassan II after rounds of 79 and 75. The 39-year-old Englishman is playing a full schedule this season courtesy of his place in the top-40 career money list category on The European Tour. His best finish was a tie for 45th in the Australian PGA Championship in December. For someone who's won some big events on Tour, it has to have been a big hit to his confidence to see his world ranking at 1,432nd. Hopefully the man known as "Dys" can re-discover some good form and get his season going as the Tour makes its way back to European soil in a few weeks.

Dyson's bag (once he finishes testing) will have the following Cobra clubs:

KING F7+ Driver – Mitsubishi Fubuki K Series 60 X-Stiff

KING F7 3-4 14.5 Fwy – Mitsubishi Fubuki ZT 70 X-Stiff

KING F7 5-6 18.5 Fwy - Mitsubishi Fubuki ZT 70 X-Stiff

KING PRO CB/MB Irons- 4-PW Black – Project X PXI 7.0

KING PUR Versatile Wedges - 51,55,59 - KBS custom series X

Cobra doesn't have a huge stable of players, but they have some big names: Rickie Fowler, Lexi Thompson, and Bryson DeChambeau. It's not for the lack of boldness and style of their equipment, however. They make absolutely beautiful irons (especially the KING Pro CB/MB and KING Forged One-Length) and offer a lot of color for their drivers and woods. I like Cobra equipment so much that in my bag, 11 of my 14 clubs are Cobra. They are one of those brands that you just know will be a big player in golf equipment in the not-too-distant future. They have a great research and design team and are always thinking outside the box.

Andrew Marshall gains sponsor's invite into Trophee Hassan II

Veteran Englishman Andrew Marshall was handed a sponsor's invite for this week's Trophee Hassan II at Royal Golf Dar Es Salaam in Morocco. The 43-year-old was most likely given the invite based off his play on the MENA Tour last year and in two events this year in Morocco. He's always been known as a great ball striker but he struggled in 2015 on the European and Challenge Tours and has resorted to playing on the EuroPro Tour and MENA Golf Tour for the past couple of years. He's picked up three wins over that period of time and he finished T2 in his last event. This is a huge event for him as the prize fund is €2.5 million and will probably be the only European Tour event he plays in this season. I know he's friends with many of the players in the field and will want to show that he can compete with them. He will certainly want to take full advantage of this opportunity. He knows the climate and has played well in the region so I would certainly expect him to make the cut. Anything after that is a bonus but I wouldn't be surprised if he posts a high finish. Watch this space when I recap the tournament.

Nike golfers are playing really well now just weeks after company announces they won't be making clubs anymore

On August 3, 2016, Nike announced that they would no longer be making clubs, balls, and bags due to, basically, not enough sales. Nike will still continue producing apparel. This came as a huge surprise to the golf world, especially because two of golf's biggest names, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, are Nike players. As a result, it will be fascinating to see where all the Nike staff players land.

Despite the disappointing news, several "swoosh" players have been playing really well. American Paul Peterson was an Asian Tour player who had conditional status on the European Tour when he won the D+D REAL Czech Masters last week. Englishman Tom Lewis just shot 62 (-9) yesterday in the first round of the Made in Denmark tournament and it could have been a lot lower had he parred his way in after he was -12 thru 13 holes. Scotsman Scott Jamieson has had a pretty poor season by his standards but shot a 67 (-6) yesterday.

As far as where certain Nike players will land, it is difficult to predict. Some might stay with Nike clubs and balls for another year or two then sign with a new company. Of course, some players might stick with Nike apparel but play a full set of another company's irons or a mixture of irons from different companies. It will surely be interesting.

Open Championship: News & Notes

The 145th Open Championship begins Thursday at Royal Troon, and there are a few talking points to discuss:

1. 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie is back with Wilson Staff after playing Titleist clubs for the past year and a half. Lawrie has played the majority of his career with the equipment company that has won more majors than any other iron brand. The 47-year-old Scotsman has struggled this season with his putting, which has lead to a lack of confidence with all other facets of his game. Lawrie has also battled a four-year-old foot injury that will require surgery later this year. Hopefully a change of clubs will give him some optimism for this week.

2. Colin Montgomerie will hit the first tee shot in what is going to be a special moment for the 53-year-old Scot. "Monty" is a member of Royal Troon and learned how to play the game there. His father was the club secretary for 20 years and he still considers it his home course. The current PGA Tour Champions player qualified through one of four 36-hole qualifiers two weeks ago and it would not surprise me at all to see him in contention over the weekend.

3. American Brooks Koepka withdrew from the championship, citing a wrist injury. Koepka was a European Tour member the previous two seasons but gave it up this season. He has a lot of talent and should be a major winner very soon.

4. Look out for Padraig Harrington this week. The two-time Open Champion has played well the past two weeks, finishing T30 in the French Open and T21 in the Scottish Open, respectively. The 44-year-old Irishman seems to always play well on links courses and I really like his chances this week.

Challenge Tour implements interesting strategy to include amateurs in rankings

With the Challenge Tour beginning its 2016 season in Kenya this week, it is important to discuss the interesting new strategy that the Tour is implementing. Amateurs will be included in the season-long rankings list, which will now be converted to a points list, with each euro earned equating to one point. In previous years, the Road to Oman was a money list and amateurs were not able to be included because they are not able to earn prize money. With this new initiative, amateurs who play a minimum of four tournaments and pay a membership fee will be given a ranking.

The creation of this new initiative is designed to make the transition from the amateur ranks to the professional game easier. Many times, players will play well in amateur events or even a select few pro events, but they struggle to make it onto a professional tour once they turn pro due to finances, performance, etc. Scotland, in particular, has struggled with its amateurs making the transition to the pro game. With this new strategy, the requirement to start over from scratch once they join the paid ranks is over.

This strategy, no doubt, has another objective: to keep European amateurs in the European professional golf system. While the number of European amateurs attending college in the United States will always stay consistent, this new initiative gives those players more incentive to play Challenge Tour events during their summers and offers them a place to play once they graduate instead of turning pro immediately. While there will always be some European amateurs who choose to stay in the United States after graduation and ply their trade on mini tours, this new strategy gives them a viable alternative and another option to consider.

I feel that this initiative will be extremely popular among amateurs and the Challenge Tour will be reaping the rewards almost immediately.

The European Tour returns to Perth

ISPS Handa Perth International (Perth, Australia)
February 25-28, 2016
Prize fund: A$1,750,000 (€1,147,592/US$1,264,707)
Course: Lake Karrinyup GC
Yardage: 7,143 yards

The ISPS Handa Perth International returns after a one-year absence. The event, now tri-sanctioned with the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia, will be played at Lake Karrinyup GC for the fourth year running. This is a classic course, with plenty of trees and bunkers, not to mention the kangaroos who frequent the course. The wind usually is a factor in this part of western Australia.

The winning scores have been better than average, with Thorbjorn Olesen winning at -17 in 2014, Jin Jeong winning at -10 in the preceding year and Bo Van Pelt winning the first edition at -16. This year's field is headlined by Louis Oosthuizen, ranked 21st in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Other notable players include Perth's own Brett Rumford, last week's winner Marcus Fraser, Victor Dubuisson, Olesen, Stephen Gallacher, and impressive rookies Paul Dunne and Ricardo Gouveia.

It's nice to see two Australian tournaments (Australian PGA Championship took place in December) on the European Tour schedule. If there can be some kind of partnership between the two tours where a few more tournaments could be co-sanctioned, that would be great. The courses, fans, and weather are fantastic but the country presents a similar option to South Africa. The Rainbow Nation stages five tournaments co-sanctioned with the European Tour. Maybe one South African tournament could be taken off the schedule in favor of the addition of one Australian event.

MENA Tour is growing at a rapid pace

Picture courtesy of SunshineTour.com

Although this topic does not pertain to the European Tour, it is something I have wanted to write about. The Middle East North Africa (MENA) Tour was created in 2011 and has grown from four events in its inaugural year to 11 last season to 20 this season. Before this season, all the events were staged in the Middle East and North Africa. This season, showing the rapid growth of the Tour, events will also be staged in Spain and South Africa. The Tour staged Qualifying School earlier this week which gives them the opportunity to become eligible for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. Former European Tour players Andrew Marshall, Jamie Elson, and Peter Gustafsson, along with Challenge Tour player Duncan Stewart, were among those to get playing rights for this season.

The Tour will boast more than $1 million in prize funds over the course of the season. In an agreement signed with the Sunshine Tour, the top-five finishers on the MENA Tour Order of Merit will have full playing privileges on the Southern Africa-based Tour in the following season. Players ranked 6-15 on the MENA Tour Order of Merit will be exempt into the stage of Sunshine Tour Qualifying School. The partnership is a welcomed move forward for MENA Tour players. In past seasons, they were granted exemptions into Asian Tour Q-School. Spots in the European Tour's Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Trophee Hassan II have been available to top finishers on the MENA Tour money list in the past few seasons. This season, the Maybank Championship Malaysia gave 2015 Order of Merit winner Thriston Lawrence a spot in the event. Lawrence won $27,679 over the course of the season. At 19 years old, the South African is a definitely a player to watch. He made the cut in this week's European Tour event in Malaysia and he will also get a start in the Trophee Hassan II event in Morocco in May.

Darren Clarke, the 2016 European Ryder Cup team captain, is a patron of the MENA Tour and he has high hopes for the Tour in the future. "A lot of fresh talent coming up through the ranks over the last few years, but the opportunities to play are limited," the 2011 Open champion said during a press conference in Dubai two weeks ago. "This exchange program with the South African tour will provide another platform for young professionals to develop and showcase their skills on a global basis. This MENA Golf Tour is the fastest growing professional golf tour in the world. With the help of the Sunshine Tour and, indeed, all the events that we have had already, I think this is going to go in one direction."

Although the Tour is made up of primarily Europeans, there are a growing number of Middle Eastern players who will be making significant progress in the coming years. The future is bright for this rapidly expanding Tour. The first event on the MENA Tour will be later next month in Morocco.

Follow the MENA Tour at https://menagolftour.com/home.

South Africa is producing young and hungry players who are eager to prove themselves on bigger stages

So far on the 2015-16 season on the European Tour, we have seen the emergence of two young South Africans who look ready to assert themselves in the world of golf. 22-year-old Brandon Stone won the BMW SA Open and 21-year-old Haydn Porteous won the Joburg Open. The two are close friends and it was Porteous who beat Stone in a playoff in the Barclays Kenya Open in 2015 on the Challenge Tour. The victory enabled Porteous to become a Challenge Tour member en route to finishing 20th on the Race to Oman rankings. While he fell just short of the the all-important top-15 who got their European Tour cards, Stone finished one spot inside the qualifying mark and has hit the ground running in his maiden main Tour season. He finished T18 in the Alfred Dunhill Championship before he won his national open. He followed that potentially life-changing victory with a T28 at the Joburg Open.

Both wins carry European Tour exemptions until the end of the 2016-17 season. This is massive for both players in the early stage of their careers. As a result, they aren't under any serious pressure if they desire to make swing, equipment, or coaching changes. Stone and Porteous lead a pack of up-and-coming South Africans who have lots of potential.

Zander Lombard is 21 years old and has had quite the start to this season. In three events, he's finished 2nd, T12, and 4th. With his earnings already he would finish 126th on last year's Race to Dubai. I would expect him to get some sponsor's invitations to future events and would not be surprised if he earns the additional approximately €90,000 that would be needed to earn a card for next season.

Dylan Frittelli has been on the radar for many years, going back to his days at the University of Texas when he holed the winning putt in the 2012 NCAA Championship. He hasn't had the start to his career like he would have hoped, but 2016 could put an end to that. In four events so far this season, he's earned €141,023, mostly courtesy of a playoff loss to Nathan Holman in the Australian PGA Championship. Like Lombard, Frittelli is in a great position to earn full playing rights for next season on the European Tour. He probably needs to earn another €110,000. I would expect him to have five or six more opportunities this season.

19-year-old Thriston Lawrence is player who has taken a different route than most South Africans. He spent most of 2015 on the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Tour, where he was the Order of Merit champion. Courtesy of winning the money list on that Tour, he earned a place in this week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic, where he missed the cut by one shot. He also played five events on the Challenge Tour, but only made one cut. He is managed by ISM (International Sports Management), headed by Chubby Chandler. Lawrence won the 2014 South African Amateur Championship as a 16-year-old. This season, he will get starts on the European, Challenge, Sunshine, and MENA Tours as he looks to make more progress in the professional game.

Web.com top-25 graduates vs. Challenge Tour top-15 graduates

I got to thinking about the Web.com and Challenge Tour graduates and what Tour's graduates are more successful the following season on the main tour. For the purpose of this blog post, I am only counting the top-25 graduates from the regular season money list on the Web.com and the top-15 graduates from the Challenge Tour. I will be using the 2014-15 season as my sample for the 2014 graduates.

2014 Web.com Tour Top-25 Graduates (2014-15 PGA Tour season money list rank)

1. Carlos Ortiz (106)

2. Andrew Putnam (178)

3. Zach Sucher (212)

4. Adam Hadwin (110)

5. Justin Thomas (37)

6. Alex Cejka (79)

7. Blayne Barber (122)

8. Tony Finau (40)

9. Jason Gore (92)

10. Steven Alker (185)

11. Andres Gonzales (111)

12. Jon Curran (95)

13. Derek Fathauer (158)

14. Cameron Percy (151)

15. Daniel Berger (25)

16. Jonathan Randolph (182)

17. Max Homa (171)

18. Mark Hubbard (176)

19. Steve Wheatcroft (105)

20. Ryan Armour (199)

21. Byron Smith (198)

22. Bill Lunde (204)

23. Fabian Gomez (59)

24. Roger Sloan (203)

25. Kyle Reifers (84)

*top-125 on PGA Tour money list retain their cards for the following season

2014 Challenge Tour Top-15 Graduates (2014-15 European Tour Race to Dubai ranking)

1. Andrew Johnston (70)

2. Benjamin Hebert (65)

3. Byeong-hun An (7)

4. Moritz Lampert (151)

5. Mark Tullo (176)

6. Sam Hutsby (190)

7. Jordi Garcia Pinto (173)

8. Jason Palmer (191)

9. Michael Lorenzo-Vera (78)

10. Oliver Farr (156)

11. Edouard Espana (94)

12. Florian Fritsch (120)

13. Jerome Lando-Casanova (172)

14. Jake Roos (143)

15. Jason Barnes (175)

*top-110 on Race to Dubai retain their cards for the following season

If I compare the number of graduates who retained their cards for the following season, the Web.com Tour had 13 (52%) and the Challenge Tour had 5 (33%). There may be a few reasons for this. First, the Web.com Tour had ten more graduates than its European counterpart. Second, the European Tour has 15 fewer players than the PGA Tour who retain their cards every season. Third, the number of PGA Tour rookies who graduated from the 2014 Web.com Tour numbered 11 (44%) versus 8 (53%) from the Challenge Tour. Lastly, Challenge Tour players are much younger than on its American equivalent. A lot of that has to do with the smaller prize funds, making it harder for players to compete on that tour for multiple years if they haven't yet made it to the European Tour. The financial situation of Challenge Tour players is more of an issue than it is for Web.com players. 

The 2014 Web.com graduate list included Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger (PGA Tour Rookie of the Year), who many project to have stellar careers. The one player from the 2014 Challenge Tour list that is in the same conversation as the two Americans is An. The 24-year-old South Korean won the BMW PGA Championship en route to winning the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award. An is going to be a player who steps up his game in the bigger events.

While the Challenge Tour produces younger players than the Web.com Tour, its graduates don't experience as much success when they reach the European Tour. With the announcement of the 2016 Challenge Tour schedule and an increase from 24 to 27 tournaments, let's hope that Europe's second-tier Tour can continue to produce stars of the future and have a healthy competition with the Web.com Tour.

Why Keith Pelley is going to bring the European Tour back to prominence

Keith Pelley has been at the helm of the European Tour as Chief Executive since August 2015. His first four months on the job has been anything but unproductive. The moves he's made include removing the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational from this year's schedule (because it would clash with the Alstom Open de France) and decreasing the number of tournaments for members from 13 to 5 (excluding majors and WGCs/team events). 

The 51-year-old Canadian took over from George O'Grady, who had been at the helm since 2005. Pelley brings a different outlook to the job, someone who hadn't had any experience in the golf world. He brings more of a business mindset, which is something that the Tour needed. His enthusiasm and drive has been easily noticeable. His relationship with the Tour members will only develop over time, but he's gotten off to a good start in that respect. From an outsider's view, the players have been more open towards Pelley than they were towards O'Grady.  They're confident that he's the man to get the Tour nearer to the PGA Tour. 

Following this paragraph is an excerpt from a TSN interview with Pelley in December 2015 discussing his goals for the Tour going forward, specifically with increasing prize funds. Pelley has lofty goals for the Tour and it's hard not to believe that he'll accomplish those goals. Just based on his career history with media and television in Canada, he views his new job with the Tour as a challenge that he will overcome. A crucial thing is that the Tour seems to be 100% behind him and wants to see his goals come to fruition. I will be very interested to see if and when these proposals come into play. 

Q. To get the players back you’ll need to increase purses. How difficult will that be to do?

A. We have a robust plan in place. We need to provide a viable alternative for our members. We need to be too important to be dismissed by our sponsors, by our stakeholders or by our players, and to do that we are going to have to increase our prize purses. That won’t happen overnight and it’s not necessarily going to happen in 2016. But you’ll start to see it happen in 2017 and come to fruition in 2018. Within three to five years we will definitely have a viable alternative, so that a 17-, 18-, 19-year-old doesn’t necessarily need to go to America to be able to make as much money as he possibly can.

Source: http://www.tsn.ca/pelley-on-his-plans-for-the-european-tour-1.413486 

A big week is in store at Woburn for the return of the British Masters

British Masters supported by Sky Sports
Woburn Golf Club, Marquess Course (Woburn, England)
Purse:  £3,00,000 

This week the European Tour sees the return of the British Masters, which last appeared on the schedule in 2008.  It was about time the prestigious event returned to the golfing calendar.  The UK, especially England, needs more European Tour events and the addition of this week's event is certainly a start.  Woburn GC is a tree-lined gem that all the players will enjoy.  I, for one, love tree-lined courses because of the serenity and visual appeal.  Pre-tournament reviews of the course are that it is playing long due to rain earlier in the week, but the greens are in immaculate condition.  Players will be wearing out long irons so longer hitters might have an advantage this week.  The event is being played on the Marquess Course, which measures 7,150 yards and is a par 71.

Out of the field of 120 players, 48 are British (35 Englishmen, 7 Scotsmen, 3 Northern Irishmen, 3 Welshmen).  The English fans always come out and support in big numbers so this week should be stellar in all aspects.  With Sky Sports promoting the event, it will reach a wider audience.

Nick Dougherty, a three-time European Tour winner and Sky Sports golf analyst, will be mic'd up during competition, which will be a first in golf television history.  He will speak to Sky Sports announcers during his round at various points.  Dougherty is paired with two young and talented Englishmen, Eddie Pepperell and Tyrrell Hatton.  The 33-year-old Englishman finished T27 last week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, his best finish on the main tour since 2010.  He'll be looking to continue that good play this week and also at next month's European Tour Final Stage of Qualifying School in Spain.  He has also signed a deal to play with Lynx Golf clubs.

Ian Poulter, Woburn's touring professional, is the host this week.  The British Masters will then be hosted by three other English players: Luke Donald, Justin Rose, and Lee Westwood.  These players, like Poulter, will be able to choose the host course.  It should be a fantastic week on this historic course.  There are only two events left in the "regular season" (this week and the Portugal Masters next week) and four Final Series events, so that will only add to the excitement of the week.

US TV Times (Eastern Standard Time)

Thursday: 7:00 AM-12:00 PM (Golf Channel)
Friday: 7:30 AM-10:00 AM (Golf Channel)
Saturday: 8:00 AM-11:00 AM (Golf Channel)
Sunday: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM (Golf Channel)

Notables participating in Final Qualifying for The Open Championship on June 30

*There are three qualifying spots available from each site

Gailes Links (Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland)

Notables:

Lloyd Saltman
Matias Dominguez
James Byrne
Pierre Relecom
Alvaro Velasco
Scott Henry
Grant Forrest (amateur)
Craig Lee
Andrew McArthur
Daniel Im
Paul Dwyer
Sam Walker
Peter Whiteford
Duncan Stewart
Maarten Lafeber
Garrick Porteous
Jamie McLeary
Andrew Oldcorn
Gareth Wright
Terry Pilkadaris
Scott Jamieson
Greig Hutcheon
Shiv Kapur
Callum Macaulay
Rhys Enoch
Rhys Davies
Ewen Ferguson (amateur)
Joakim Lagergren
Jack Doherty
Elliot Saltman
George Murray
Paul McKechnie
Kevin Phelan
Carlos Del Moral
Manuel Trappel
Vijay Singh
Ryan Fox

Hillside (Hillside, Southport, England)

Notables:

Dale Whitnell
Luke Goddard
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Pelle Edberg
Jordan Niebrugge (amateur)
Paul Streeter
Alan Dunbar
Gavin Moynihan (amateur)
Paul Howard
Merrick Bremner
Martin Rominger
David Coupland
Michael McGeady
John Singleton
Philip Archer
Jimmy Mullen (amateur)
Jordan L Smith
Ruaidhri McGee
Jack Senior
Todd Sinnott
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
Marcus Armitage
Matthew Cort
John Parry
Simon Wakefield
Jason Scrivener
Scott Arnold
Jamie Howarth
Tom Whitehouse
Ryan Ruffels
Peter Baker
George Woolgar
Scott Drummond
Tom Lewis


Royal Cinque Ports (Deal, Kent, England)

Notables:

Mark Laskey
Gregory Bourdy
Jason Barnes
Paul Broadhurst
Estanislao Goya
Chris Paisley
Wade Ormsby
Steven Tiley
Raymond Russell
Robert Coles
Zane Scotland
Matt Ford
Jamie Elson
Florian Fritsch
Lloyd Kennedy
Marco Penge (amateur)
Oliver Fisher
Max Orrin
Andrea Pavan
James Heath
Oliver Farr
Kristoffer Broberg
Neil Raymond
Benn Barham
William Harrold
Matt Haines
Justin Walters
Chris Gane
Matthew Southgate
Rikard Karlberg
Daniel Chopra
Callum Shinkwin
Martin Sell
Ben Evans
Andrew Marshall
Ross McGowan
Jason Levermore
Steven Brown
Chris Rodgers

Woburn (Little Brickhill, Milton Keynes, England)

Will Roebuck
Marcus Kinhult (amateur)
Chris Lloyd
Jamie Little
Steve Surry
Jack Harrison
Robert Rock
Jamie Moul
Colin Montgomerie
Daan Huizing
Scott Fallon
Daniel Gaunt
Dean Burmester
Adam Gee
Richard Green
Daniel Brooks
Oliver Bekker
Paul Maddy
Brinson Paolini
Paul Dunne (amateur)
Florian Praegant
Thorbjorn Olesen
Nick O'Hern
Nathan Kimsey
Simon Griffiths
Ryan Evans
Kenneth Ferrie
Charlie Ford
Chris Doak
Billy Hemstock
Alexandre Kaleka
Thomas Detry (amateur)
Thomas Pieters
John Hahn
Mikael Lundberg
Retief Goosen
Nick Dougherty
Sam Hutsby
Dylan Frittelli
Robert Dinwiddie

Lyoness Open Powered by Greenfinity provides opportunities for various participants

Lyoness Open Powered by Greenfinity 

Diamond Country Club (Atzenbrugg, Austria)

Purse: €1,500,000

Yardage: 7,417 

Daniel Gaunt (Race to Dubai: 210th, Challenge Tour: 122nd)

The Australian-born Englishman finished T24 last week in the Nordea Masters.  The 38-year-old finished T32 at this event last year and seems to play well when he gets into a European Tour event.  Having Category 16 membership as a result of finishing 26th on the Challenge Tour last year, he'll get into 5-6 more main tour events for the remainder of the season.  He's already played four events on the main tour so far, with Sweden being the first cut he made.  I expect him to play well this week based off his play last week and his ability to play well in European Tour events when given the opportunity.

Andrew Marshall (Race to Dubai: 205th, Challenge Tour: 80th)

The 41-year-old Englishman made every cut on the Challenge Tour last season en route to finishing 38th on the money list.  Known as a great ball-striker, Marshall needs to putt a little better in events where the scoring is good.  His form leading into this event is not good, having missed his last three cuts.  He finished T14 at this event last season.  He shot a pair of 75s last week in Sweden to miss the cut.  Marshall should gain entry into 3-4 main tour events after this event but needs to play better on the Challenge Tour in order to make it inside the top 15 to get a main Tour card for next season.

Phillip Archer (Challenge Tour: 42nd)

The 43-year-old Englishman missed the cut last week in Sweden after shooting rounds of 75 and 77.  Archer has admitted to being more focused when playing on the main tour and will need to take advantage of that this week.  He finished T62 at this event last year.  He finished T3 on the Challenge Tour in early May but has missed his last three cuts.  Like Marshall, he needs to putt better in events like this where the scoring will be pretty good.  I have a feeling that this could be the three-time Challenge Tour winner's last season on the developmental circuit if he doesn't gain full Tour rights.  He needs to take advantage of the 5-6 more starts on the main tour and play well in the right events on the Challenge Tour.   

Andrew McArthur (Race to Dubai: 169th, Challenge Tour: 6th)

The 36-year-old Scotsman is playing some good golf at the moment.  He's made every cut this season and has already earned more euros on the main tour this season than he did all of last season (€47,459 versus €40,587).  He's played in four main tour events and has a similar category ranking as last season when he played in nine European Tour events.  I would be shocked if he didn't finish inside the top 15 on the Challenge Tour this season.  Actually, if he keeps playing well, he might make enough money to finish inside the top 110 on the main tour.  He's currently the sixth-ranked Scot in the Official World Golf Rankings at 258th.  I expect him to play well this week and continue his good form, despite missing the cut at this venue last year. 

Kenneth Ferrie 

The 38-year-old Englishman has played one European Tour event as a past champion (Open de Espana) and one Challenge Tour event (Challenge de Madrid) and missed the cut in both.  The 6'5" man from North East England is a past champion at the Lyoness Open, which he won in 2011.  His form has suffered over the past few seasons, but he did make the cut at the European Tour Qualifying School in November so that guarantees him entry into every Challenge Tour event and a small number of main tour events as well.  It'll be interesting to see what events Ferrie plays in the rest of the season.  He finished T25 at this event last season so I expect him to play decently well this week. 

Dougherty and Ferrie play limited schedules

At the end of 2007, Nick Dougherty was ranked 48th in the Official World Golf Rankings.  He won the lucrative Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and finished 11th on the European Tour's Order of Merit.  He was on the fringe of a Ryder Cup place the following year and was brought by Nick Faldo to Valhalla to give him a taste of what was destined for him.  The Liverpudlian was branded the next Faldo due to his prestigious amateur play.  Fast forward to now and Dougherty is ranked 1184th in the world and has only played in one Tour event this season.  

Kenneth Ferrie was ranked 68th in the world at the end of 2005.  He won the prestigious Smurfit European Open that year and finished 11th in the Order of Merit.  The man from North East England has struggled since, with few bright spots but did win the 2011 Austrian Golf Open, the most recent of his three European Tour titles.  The 6'5" Englishman lost his playing privileges in 2012 and spent 2013 on the Challenge Tour.  Since 2013, he's played in five main tour events and two Challenge Tour events.  

In terms of the rest of 2015, Dougherty looks like playing in at least two more main Tour events (BMW International Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he is a past champion of both events).  Ferrie will be playing in the Lyoness Open and European Open as a past champion of both events and will be eligible via his Challenge Tour ranking to play in the Madeira Islands Open (co-sanctioned with the Challenge Tour) in July.  There will also be opportunities for both to gain entry via invitations for Made in Denmark, D+D REAL Czech Masters, M2M Russian Open, and the Italian Open.  These tournaments generally have weak fields and would be prime opportunities for the two Englishmen to gain entry into those events.  But for both players, qualifying school in November will be their best chance to reclaim their full playing rights on the European Tour in 2016.

Garcia is the clear favorite in the Open de Espana, but he faces a tough challenge from the field

Open de España (May 14-17)

Course: Real Club de Golf El Prat (Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain)

Yardage: 7,326 yards

Purse: €1,500,000

The European Tour finally begins its European portion of the schedule with this week's Open de España.  The Madeira Islands Open (co-sanctioned with the Challenge Tour) was supposed to be the first event on European soil, but the tournament was canceled due to bad weather and rescheduled for July 30-August 2. Miguel Angel Jimenez is the defending champion, with world number seven Sergio Garcia and Ryder Cup stars Victor Dubuisson, Thomas Bjorn, and Francesco Molinari also taking part.  In addition to Jimenez and Garcia, the Spanish contingent also includes Pablo Larrazabal (El Prat is his home course), Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Alejandro Canizares, Alvaro Quiros, and Jose Maria Olazabal.  The course is projected to play firm and fast, which should make it a tough test for the field.  

This is Spain's only tournament on the schedule, a significant reduction from when the country staged six in 2011.  The economic recession has hit Spain particularly hard, but there are signs of improvement.  The fact that it's the only event in Spain makes the tournament extra special, especially for the home players.  The event was last held at El Prat in 2011, an event overshadowed by the death of Seve Ballesteros.  Thomas Aiken won at -10.  I would expect scoring to be around that number this week, due to the firmness of the course.  

Here are two of my dark-horse picks:

Paul Lawrie: Has only played five Tour events this season but seems to play well on tough courses.  His ball-striking is always good but his putting can be inconsistent at times.  If he can put four rounds together, the Scot could challenge for the title.  Lawrie finished T5 at this course in 2011.

Simon Dyson: The Englishman has many similarities with Lawrie.  He has had a disappointing season so far, with his best finish being T37.  He switched club companies and hasn't played since missing the cut at the Tshwane Open almost two months ago.  Dyson's ball-striking, much like Lawrie's, is always good.  But, like Lawrie, his putting is erratic.  Dyson is always a favorite on tough courses.  He, again like Lawrie, finished T5 at El Prat in 2011.

Notable groupings (Eastern Standard Time; first round/second round)

Alvaro Quiros, Thomas Pieters, Ross Fisher (2:00 AM/7:00 AM)

Thomas Bjorn, Pablo Larrazabal, Andy Sullivan (2:10 AM/7:10 AM)

Victor Dubuisson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Tommy Fleetwood (2:20 AM/7:20 AM)

Nicolas Colsaerts, Peter Uihlein, Richie Ramsay (2:30 AM/7:30 AM)

Jose Maria Olazabal, Raphael Jacquelin, Peter Hanson (7:00 AM/2:00 AM)

Matteo Manassero, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, David Howell (7:10 AM/2:10 AM)

Francesco Molinari, Thomas Aiken, Sergio Garcia (7:20 AM/2:20 AM)

Y.E. Yang, Thorbjorn Olesen, Alejandro Canizares (7:30 AM/2:30 AM)

TV Coverage (Eastern Standard Time; Golf Channel)

Thursday: 5:30-7:30 AM, 9:30 AM-12:30 PM

Friday: 5:30-7:30 AM, 9:30 AM-12:30 PM

Saturday: 7:30-11:30 AM

Sunday: 7:00-11:30 AM

Paul Casey forfeits membership in 2015; Patrick Reed joins the Tour

13-time European Tour winner Paul Casey has forfeited his Tour membership for this season and will focus solely on the US PGA Tour.  Casey, 37, has been a European Tour member since 2001, the year he turned pro after playing collegiality at Arizona State University.  The Englishman's primary residence is Scottsdale, Arizona, and he has played the majority of his golf in the States since 2005.

There were two keys to this decision.  First, he is outside the top-50 in the world rankings and, as a result, is not exempt for majors and World Golf Championships, which count for both Tours.  In order to be members of the PGA and European Tours, players must play 15 and 13 events, respectively.  In 2014, Casey played 16 PGA Tour events and 13 European Tour events (some events counted for both tours).  Casey probably did not want go through all the traveling again.  My feeling is that once he gets himself back into the top-50, he will rejoin his home tour.  But it will not be until 2016.  Another reason for focusing on the PGA Tour this season is the fact that he became a father late last year and he wants to spend more time with his new son and fiancé, English TV presenter, Pollyanna Woodward.  The repercussions of this announcement include not being able to be selected for the Ryder Cup, unless he rejoins the Tour.  All potential European Ryder Cup players must be members of the European Tour.  Casey has played in three Ryder Cups (2004, 2006, and 2008).

Quotes from Casey regarding this situation:

"For as long as I have been a professional I have been a member of the European Tour, so it was a very tough decision," he said. "But I live in Arizona and playing in America full-time will enable me to spend more time at home with Pollyanna (his wife) and Lex (his son). That’s really become the focus for me."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-2912939/Paul-Casey-sacrifices-future-Ryder-Cup-selection-quitting-European-Tour-America.html#ixzz3P6JIS8nV
 
"For a long, long time now, I've been trying to play both the PGA Tour and the European Tour, and some years I've done it brilliantly, and other years I've failed miserably, and I just didn't want to keep putting myself in kind of a position where I'm struggling to fly around the world, play the numbers, keep my World Ranking at a certain number, and not being in the top 50 is really difficult to play both tours."

Read more: http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=105645 

Other news

In other news, four-time PGA Tour winner Patrick Reed will be joining the European Tour.  Reed, who has four wins since late 2013, was one of the few bright spots for the United States in last year's Ryder Cup.  Reed, 24, made a bold statement following his win at last year's WGC-Cadillac Championship when he said that he was "a top-5 player."  The quote seemed crazy at the time, but he is up to 14th in the world rankings and looks to be a potential star in the making.  Another American, Rickie Fowler, is likely to join the Tour in the coming years as well.  There could very well be a trend of top Americans joining Europe's tour.

Tour players will help sponsor three events in 2015

Rory McIlroy, Paul Lawrie, and Ian Poulter have been long-standing supporters of the European Tour.  Next season, they will be big reasons why events will be staged.  McIlroy's foundation, The Rory Foundation, will be the "host" of the Irish Open.  Lawrie will actually have his name in the following tournament's title: Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Matchplay.  And, while not formally announced by the Tour, Ian Poulter will be "host" of the British Masters (October 8-11), to be held at Woburn GC, Poulter's home club in England.  The British Masters was last played in 2008.

Lawrie's involvement in golf continues.  The Paul Lawrie Foundation has provided an abundant amount of money for Scottish youngsters to get involved with the game and Lawrie is very involved in everything the foundation does.  The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open was staged in Lawrie's home city of Aberdeen at Royal Aberdeen GC and he wanted to get another event in the "Granite City."  Murcar Links GC will be the host venue for the 64-man matchplay event, which will be staged the week after the Open Championship.

The news of another event in England is welcomed on all fronts.  The British Masters will be "hosted" by Justin Rose, Luke Donald, and Lee Westwood, separately, over the next four years.  Each player will have the choice of host course when it comes to their year to host the tournament.  I still think that there needs to be more English tournaments.  The revival of the English Open has been discussed in recent years, but nothing has come to fruition.  Tour officials have been saying for years that there will be more English events, that everything goes in cycles.  Woburn has had a history of hosting prestigious tournaments, most recently on the European Senior Tour.  According to Poulter, the Queen's Course will be the course used during the event.

The news that Tour players are giving back to their home Tour is a great sign.  Players like Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sergio Garcia helped organize events in Spain in the past, so it is not like it has not been done before.  All the credit to these three players and I hope that more players follow their example.