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Schedule Announced for European Challenge Tour 2003

The European Challenge Tour will visit no fewer than 21 countries within and beyond the boundaries of Europe during the 2003 season comprising a minimum of 28 tournaments.

Seven new tournaments, including three in Latin America to launch the season, visits to Mallorca and Wales for the first time and new events in Austria and France are among the exciting new developments on the 2003 Challenge Tour Schedule.

The season starts with five tournaments played outside Europe, the opening event being next week’s MasterCard Costa Rica Open, the first of three joint sanctioned tournaments with the Tour de las Americas, from January 30 to February 2.

The following week the Challenge Tour moves to Guatemala for the Telefonica Centro America Abierto de Guatemala from February 6-9 while the ‘Latin American Swing’ is completed with the Los Encinos Open in Mexico from February 13-16.

Early season opportunities for Challenge Tour Members, at a time when courses in Northern Europe are not in ideal condition for tournament play, continue in Africa with the Kenya Open which moves to the new venue of Karen Golf Club from February 27 to March 2. Moving south, Lusaka Golf Club will once again play host to the Stanbic Zambia Open a week later. The Challenge Tour will then return to Africa from April 10-13, following a visit to the Island of Madeira, for the Panalpina Banque Comercial du Maroc Classic played once again over the magnificent Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat.

The Challenge Tour hits mainland Europe in May with the Tessali Metapono Open di Puglia e Basilicata in Italy from May 8-11, marking the start of the main body of the 2003 Schedule. From Tessali at the start of May, until the Challenge Tour Grand Final at the end of October, there will be a full schedule with one tournament per week through the height of the summer.

Included among these are the three dual ranking events with all prize money counting towards both the Volvo Order of Merit and the Challenge Tour Rankings. The Aa St Omer Open and the BMW Russian Open, which have set the highest of standards on the Challenge Tour, have both been upgraded while the Turespaña Mallorca Classic, to be played at Pula Golf Club from October 16-19, will also be dual ranking in its first appearance on the Challenge Tour Schedule.

The dual ranking tournaments confirm the Challenge Tour’s progress as do the new events on the season. The Wales Challenge at the De Vere Northop Country Park from October 9-12 will be the first ever appearance of the Challenge Tour in Wales while the Kitzbühel Open in Austria and the Open de Toulouse in France provide further evidence of the commitment of these countries to golf.

In addition to the new events, the Challenge Tour will also visit five new venues, namely Karen Golf Club for the Kenya Open, Gilleleje in Helsingor for the Nykredit Danish Open, Fontana Golf Club near Vienna for the Austrian Open, Falsterbo for the Skandia PGA Open and a new venue for the Fortis Challenge Open.

Alain de Soultrait, Challenge Tour Director, said: ‘In an uncertain environment the Challenge Tour can still produce an attractive schedule for its Members both in terms of opportunity and incentive. We are delighted to be visiting so many new countries to take up the challenge of new venues.

‘With the four co-sanctioned events with the Tour de las Americas and the Sunshine Tour we are establishing new relations which will further strengthen the Challenge Tour in its future development. The three new dual ranking tournaments offer new challenges for our Members, new opportunities to demonstrate their skills and follow the route of those previous Challenge Tour players who have won more than 80 events on The European Tour, the latest being Mark Foster, the 2001 winner of the Challenge Tour Rankings who claimed his maiden European Title yesterday with victory in the dunhill championship.

‘With the full support of the Federations, courses, sponsors and promoters, we are confident that 2003 will identify many more stars of the future.’

For further information please contact:

Communications Division
The European Tour
T: +44 1344 840400
F: +44 1344 840444
E: media@europeantour.com