The 2004 European Challenge Tour schedule has been released with a first visit to Egypt one of the highlights of a diverse and exciting calendar, that begins in Central America and travels extensively through Africa and Europe between now and the end of October.
The Al Ahram-Jolie Ville Sharm El Skeikh Challenge will represent the first time any official European golf tournament has taken place in the land of the Pyramids, its staging at the spectacular Jolie Ville Golf Resort from April 22-25 highly appropriate.
For if there ever existed a perfect metaphor for the European Challenge Tour it is the pyramid itself, a strong and solid foundation reaching for the stars with the pinnacle and peak of achievement being qualification for The European Tour.
As always, the top 15 players on the Challenge Tour Rankings at the end of the season will gain their playing privileges for The 2005 European Tour and, as with last season, the first three events will be staged in Central America.
The difference this year is that the curtain-raising tournament, this week, sees another first for the Challenge Tour, a visit to Panama City for the Panama Masters 2004 at the Summit Golf & Resort, before the second stagings of the Costa Rica Open and the Telefonica Centro America Guatemala Open.
From there the Tour will move to Africa for the Stanbic Zambia Open and the Kenya Open, the latter tournament at the Karen Golf Club in Nairobi, representing a return to the schedule of a tournament which had been a Challenge Tour fixture from 1989 to 2002.
After that, and with the trip to Egypt aside, the Challenge Tour focuses on Europe with an eclectic mix of golf courses, venues and countries adding to the intrigue and excitement as the burgeoning talents of European golf strive to make the top 15.
‘I believe the 2004 schedule reflects our needs to continue the development of the Challenge Tour which is now the most proven route onto The European Tour,’ said Alain de Soultrait, Challenge Tour Director.
For more details contact:
Gordon Simpson
Director of Communications
The European Tour
Tel: + 44 (0) 1344 840454
Fax:+44 (0) 1344 840444
Mobile: +44 (0) 7899 940030