Golf Events from the Weekend 6th November

Well it was another weekend of great Golf on the Major Golf Tours from around the world. This week the European Tour and Race to Dubai combined with the USPGA Tour and many other of the world’s biggest Golf Tours for the fourth World Golf Championship event of the year which was the WGC – HSBC Champions and was played at the Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China. And it was the Golfer by the name of Martin Kaymer (Germany) that scored rounds of 69-3, 68-4, 68-4 and a final round of 63-9 for a 72 hole total of 268-20 and won by 3 strokes. He won € 842,218 for the win and moves to 2nd position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €2,830,264 earned from the 21 events he has played to date so far this year. Luke Donald (England) still leads that list with €3,856,394 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far.

Martin Kaymer (Germany) celebrates after winning the WGC - HSBC Champions

It was an amazing final round for Martin Kaymer (Germany) who started the final round at -11. He played a solid front nine with recording birdies at the Par 5, 7th hole and Par 5, 8th hole and he went out in 34-2. But he played just amazing golf on the back nine scoring 29-7 that included 4 birdies in a row on the Par 4, 10th hole, Par 4, 11th hole, Par 3, 12th hole and Par 4, 13th hole. He could only manage par on the Par 5, 14th hole but birdied the Par 4, 15th hole. And he could only manage Par on the very short Par 4, 16th hole which is driveable. But he made a fine birdie on the difficult Par 3, 17th hole and stood on the 72nd tee at -19 and had a 1 stroke lead over Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) who was a couple of holes back. He hit a poor drive on the Par 5, 18th hole meaning he had to lay up for his 2nd shot. But Martin Kaymer (Germany) hit a fine short iron 3rd shot 15 feet underneath the hole. He calmly rolled the putt in for a birdie 4 and scored 63-9.

Meanwhile, Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) came to the Par 3, 17th tee at -18. He pulled his tee shot to the left of the green into the left rough. He chipped from the difficult lie in the rough and it stopped 12 feet short of the cup. He now knew he had to make the par putt if he was to have any chance of tying Martin Kaymer (Germany) on -20. Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) struck a good putt but it just missed on the left hand side of the cup and he tapped in for his bogey 4. He now knew he had to score a double eagle 2 on the Par 5, 18th hole to get to -20 and tie Martin Kaymer (Germany). But he hit a poor drive that landed in the right hand rough. And when he laid up in the fairway short of the water for his 2nd shot that meant Martin Kaymer (Germany) had won. Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) was able to make his Par 5. He finished on 271-17 after 72 holes in solo 2nd position and won € 473,747 for his efforts. He moves to 31st position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €709,445 earned from the 5 events he has played to date this year. And that is just amazing because he doesn’t even play a full schedule on the European Tour. He now plays the USPGA Tour full time and he had his maiden win on their this year at the Travelers Championship in June.

Getting back to the winner now. For Martin Kaymer (Germany) it was his tenth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 120th European Tour event. He won over €2 million in a single year for the third consecutive European Tour season. He moves up to fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking from sixth. It was Martin Kaymer’s (Germany) second win of the 2011 season, following the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship

Martin Kaymer (Germany) holding the Old Tom Morris Trophy he won

He becomes the ninth multiple winner of the season. They are: Luke Donald (England)  (WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship, BMW PGA Championship and Barclays Scottish Open), Thomas Björn (Denmark) (Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy, Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and Omega European Masters), Charl Schwartzel (RSA) (Joburg Open and Masters Tournament), Martin Kaymer (Germany) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and WGC – HSBC Champions), Darren Clarke (NIR) (Iberdrola Open and The 140th Open Championship), Alex Noren (Sweden) (Saab Wales Open and Nordea Masters), Simon Dyson (England) (Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland and KLM Open), Michael Hoey (NIR) (Madeira Islands Open and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship) and Sergio Garcia (Spain) (Castelló Masters and Andalucia Masters). Martin Kaymer (Germany) has now recorded multiple victories on The European Tour for the fourth consecutive season. He won two in 2008, two in 2009, four in 2010 and two so far in 2011.

This victory is his first in a WGC event and comes in his 15th career WGC appearance. This victory beats his previous best WGC performance of second in the 2011 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship. This victory comes in Martin Kaymer’s (Germany) third appearance in the WGC – HSBC Champions. He was tied sixth in 2009 and tied 30th in 2010. He becomes the first German to win a WGC event. Martin Kaymer’s (Germany) final round of 63 (-9) is the lowest final round by a winner in the WGC – HSBC Champions, beating the 67 (-5) of Francesco Molinari in 2010. His final round of 63 (-9) is the lowest final round by a winner in any WGC stroke play event, beating the previous record of 64 (-6) by Hunter Mahan at the 2010 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. He played the last nine holes in 29 (-7). This equals the lowest nine in relation to par on The European Tour in 2011.

Martin Kaymer (Germany) becomes just the third player from continental Europe to win a WGC event, following Henrik Stenson (2007 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship) and Francesco Molinari (2010 WGC – HSBC Champions). He becomes the ninth different European Tour Member to win a WGC event. He becomes the 21st different player to win a WGC event. Martin Kaymer’s (Germany) five shot final round winning comeback is the largest of the 2011 European Tour season, beating the four shots of Charl Schwartzel (RSA) (Masters Tournament), Darren Clarke (NIR)  (Iberdrola Open) and Tom Lewis (England)  (Portugal Masters). His five shot final round winning comeback is the largest in any WGC stroke play event. This beats the three shot comeback by Tiger Woods at the 2009 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and Hunter Mahan at the 2010 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational.

Martin Kaymer (Germany) at the aged of 26 years and 313 days becomes the sixth youngest player in European Tour history to record ten official victories. Here are the players that were younger: Seve Ballesteros (Spain) (22 years and 103 days), Tiger Woods (USA) (24 years and 324 days), José Maria Olazábal (Spain) (25 years and 40 days), Sir Nick Faldo (England) (26 years and 55 days) and Sandy Lyle (Scotland) (26 years and 240 days). It was the 62nd German victory in European Tour history. Martin Kaymer (Germany) moves to over €12 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings, from just 120 European Tour events. And finally it was Martin Kaymer’s (Germany) 17th professional win of his career.

I hope this win gives him heaps of confidence to keep on improving his game and soon he may be challenging Luke Donald (England) to try and regain the World Number One ranking he held last year. He is now a genuine threat to Luke Donald (England) in the Race to Dubai Money list race. And he won it last year so he will be giving it his best shot to defend that title. I feel next year he will win his second Major Championship and have a great Ryder Cup for the European Team when they defend the Ryder Cup in America. I wish him all the best for the remaining events in the 2011 season and also for the 2012 season.

In solo 3rd position at 272-16 after 72 holes was the former US Open Champion, Graeme McDowell (NIR). He won € 301,795 for his weeks work and it moves him to 13th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €1,062,852 earned from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far. He is now inside the all important top 15 on the Race to Dubai Money list and if he can stay there after the final event of the season which is the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World he will get a share of the bonus money that is shared out between the top 15 players.

In tied for 4th position at 273-15 after 72 holes were Paul Casey (England), he won € 181,311 for his efforts and now moves to 25th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €796,050 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this year so far. And he had a win at the Volvo Golf Champions in late January. He played most of his golf on the USPGA Tour this year and lost his card with only making $US 590,386 and finished in 136th position on the final money list from the 15 events he played in. If he doesn’t regain his card in the finals of USPGA Tour School he may have to look at playing the European Tour full time in 2012. Also in tied for 4th position was Rory McILroy (NIR) who will be rueing the putts he missed in the final round. It was his 11th top 10 finish of the season that included his first Major Championship win at the US Open Championship in June. He won € 181,311 for his weeks work and moves to 3rd position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €2,724,882 earned from the 17 events he has played this year to date so far. He also moved to Number Two on the Official World Golf Points Rankings list, it is the highest he has been on the rankings in his career. He too is now a serious threat to Luke Donald (England) for winning the Race to Dubai Money list title. I suggest he needs to win one of the remaining 6 European Tour events on the Race to Dubai Schedule for that to become a reality. I wish him all the best for the remaining events in 2011 and to have an even better 2012 season with winning more Major Championships and securing the World Number Ranking Golf Ranking for the first time in his career.

The last player to tie for 4th position was the current Masters Tournament Champion, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) who scored a splendid final round of 65-7. He too won € 181,311 for his weeks work and moves to 4th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €2,265,525 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. Perhaps too far behind Luke Donald (England) on the Race to Dubai Money list to be considered a serious threat to winning the Race to Dubai Money list title. But a couple more wins in the next few weeks could change all that. I wish him all the best with the rest of the 2011 season. And hope he can win his 2nd Major Championship in 2012.

In tied for 7th position at 274-14 after 72 holes was Hunter Mahan (USA), he earned € 108,786 for the week, but because he isn’t a member of the European Tour so the money he earned doesn’t go towards the Race to Dubai Money list. But it will give him some confidence as he heads to Australia for the Australian Open in Sydney this week and the following week he plays the Presidents Cup for the US Team in Melbourne, Australia against the International Team. Also tied for 7th position was former Open Champion, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), who too earned € 108,786 for his weeks work. He played the best tee to green game all week, but had one of his worst weeks on the greens in a long time. He moves to 22nd position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €826,943 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. He will need a couple more top 10 finishes in the final 6 tournaments on the European Tour to move inside the all important top 15 on the Race to Dubai Money list and get some of the Bonus Money on offer. I wish all the best for the rest of the 2011 season. The final player to tie for 7th position was Justin Rose (England), he scored a brilliant final round of 66-6 and he too earned € 108,786 for his efforts. He moves to 57th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €479,588 earned from the 11 events he has played in to date so far this year. It is a fine effort for him as well because he like Paul Casey (England) plays the USPGA Tour full time. He has had a fine season on the USPGA Tour as well with winning $US 3,401,420 from the 23 events he played in and won the BMW Championship in mid September to finish in 18th position on the final USPGA Tour Money list. He will want at least one more top 10 finish in the remaining 5 events before the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World so he can secure his place in the top 60 players that get to play in it. I wish him all the best with that.

Rounding out the top 10 in solo 10th position at 275-13 after 72 holes was Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela), he earned € 87,731for his weeks work. But he like Hunter Mahan (USA) isn’t a member of the European Tour so the money he won doesn’t go towards the Race to Dubai Money list rankings. He had a fine rookie season on the USPGA Tour where he plays most of his golf. He finished in 46th position on the final USPGA Tour Money list with earnings of $US 1,854,414 from the 25 events he played in and he won his maiden Tournament at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation in late January. I hope he can continue on the good form in 2012.

Best of the Chinese players was Xin-jun Zhang (China) who scored rounds of 74+2, 68-4, 64-8 and a final round of 72 even par for a 72 hole total of 278-10 and he tied for 13th position. He won the biggest pay cheque of his career which was € 63,166, but he isn’t a member of the European Tour so can’t get a ranking on the Race to Dubai Money list. But it was a fine showing by the 24 year old Xin-jun Zhang (China) who used to be a Security Guard at the Sheshan International GC before he turned professional. I wish him all the best in the future with his Professional Golf Career.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai head to Singapore for the Barclays Singapore Open and it is being played at the The Tanjong & the Serapong, Sentosa GC, Singapore. With a huge prize purse of $US 6,000,000 up for grabs it is going to attract another fine field of European Tour Professionals. Adam Scott (Australia) is the defending Champion but won’t be able to defend his title he won last year because he is committed to playing in the Emirates Australian Open in Sydney, Australia. So there will be a brand new Champion. It starts on Thursday 10th November and I will report back who took home the Trophy next week.

And on the Australasian Tour it is the first of the real big tournaments this summer which is the Emirates Australian Open which is being played at the Lakes GC, Sydney, Australia. With a prize purse of $AUD 1,500,000 on offer it is one of the richest tournaments on the Australasian Tour and this year is being played the week before the Presidents Cup which is being staged at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia the following week. Most of the US Team players and International Team players will be competing including Tiger Woods (USA), Adam Scott (Australia), Jason Day (Australia), Greg Norman (Australia) (The International Team Captain), Dustin Johnson (USA) and the defending Champion, Geoff Ogilvy (Australia). It starts on Thursday 10th November and I will report back who got their name engraved on the Stone Haven Cup next week.

So to the top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week and coming in at Number 1 for the 24th week in a row is Luke Donald (England) with 10.47 Official World Golf Ranking Points, coming in at Number 2 is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 7.51 Official World Golf Ranking Points and it is the highest he has reached in the Official World Golf Rankings in his career so far, coming in at number 3 is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.48 Official World Golf Rankings Points, coming in at number 4 is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 7.11 Official World Golf Ranking Points and he moves up 2 places from last week, and rounding out the top 5 is Dustin Johnson (USA) with 6.06 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week slips two more places to 58th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 2.43 Official World Golf Rankings Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer with 1.01 Official World Golf Ranking Points. He moves up 4 places on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and is now in 178th position on the list.

The second event I am reporting on this week was on the Champions Tour and was the climax to the Charles Schwab Cup for 2011. Only the 30 best players on the Charles Schwab Cup Points list qualified to play in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and it was played at the TPC Harding Park GC, San Francisco, California. And it was Jay Don Blake (USA) who scored rounds of 71 even par, 68-3, 66-5 and a final round of 71 even par for a 72 hole total of 276-8 and he won by 2 stokes. He earned $US 440,000.00 for his winner’s cheque and that moved him to 4th position on the final Champions Tour Money list with $US 1,531,877 earned from the 20 events he played this year. Tom Lehman (USA) won the 2011 Champions Tour Money list with earning $US 2,081,526 from the 21 events he played in.

On left Jay Don Blake (USA) holding the Charles Schwab Cup Championship Trophy he won and on the right Tom Lehman (USA) holding the Charles Schwab Cup Trophy he won

Jay Don Blake (USA) also finished in 4th position on the final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 1,803 points earned from the 20 events he played in. He was 619 points behind the 2011 Charles Schwab Cup Points Winner who was Tom Lehman (USA) with 2,422 points he earned from the 21 events he played in. He won the 2011 Charles Schwab Cup by 74 points from Mark Calcavecchia (USA). It was one of the closest fought Charles Schwab Cups ever.

For Jay Don Blake (USA) it was just a great tournament for him. He played a solid final round with going out in 35-1 on the front nine with birdies on the Par 5, 4th hole and Par 5, 9th hole. But he had a poor bogey on the Par 3, 8th hole. He came in with a back nine 36+1 that included a birdie at the Par 4, 12th hole, but he made two poor bogeys coming in at the Par 4, 14th hole and Par 3, 17th hole. So he ended up scoring 71 even par.

For Jay Don Blake (USA) it was his 2nd win on the Champions Tour this year having won the Songdo IBD Championship Presented by Korean Air in mid September. He just had an amazing year on the Champions Tour. And at the age of 53 he has started to prove himself on the Champions Tour. He recorded 9 top 10 finishes which shows how consistent he was. I hope he continues this great form on to the 2012 Champions Tour Season. And maybe next year he can go one better and win a Champions Tour Major Championship. I wish him all the best for the 2012 season on the Champions Tour.

Jay Don Blake (USA) in action during the Charles Schwab Cup Championship

In tied for 2nd position at 278-6 after 72 holes was Mark Calcavecchia (USA), he finished in 2nd position on the Final Champions Tour Money list with $US 1,867,991 earned from the 22 events he played in this year. And he finished in 2nd position also in the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 2,348 points earned from the 22 events he played in this year. He was only 74 points short of the eventual winner Tom Lehman (USA). Also tied for 2nd was Loren Roberts (USA) who finished in 21st position on the Final Champions Tour Money list with $US 762,265 earned from the 19 events he played in. He also finished in 19th position on the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 893 points earned from the 19 events he played in; he was 1,529 points behind Tom Lehman (USA). Michael Allen (USA) also finished in tied for 2nd position and finished in 11th position on the Final Champions Tour Money list with $US 1,161,306 earned from the 19 events he entered. He also finished in 11th position on the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 1,346 points earned from the 19 events he entered. He was 1,076 points behind Tom Lehman (USA). And the final player to tie for 2nd was the Legendary Jay Haas (USA), he finished in 12th position on the final Champions Tour Money List with $US 1,067,467 earned from the 21 events he played in. He also finished in 14th position on the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points with 1,127 points earned from the 21 events he played in. He finished 1,295 points behind Tom Lehman (USA).

David Frost (RSA) finished in solo 6th position with a 72 hole total of 279-5. He finished in 20th position on the Final Champions Tour Money list with $US 802,019 earned from the 23 events he played in. He also finished in 23rd position on the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 700 points earned. He was 1,722 points behind Tom Lehman (USA). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 7th position at 280-4 after 72 holes was Fred Couples (USA), he finished in 13th position on the Final Champions Tour Money list with $US 1,042,953 earned from the 10 events he played in. He also finished in 8th position on the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 1,458 points earned. He was 964 points behind Tom Lehman (USA). Also tied for 7th position was Russ Cochran (USA), he finished in 5th position on the Final Champions Tour Money list with $US 1,503,090 earned from the 18 events he played in. He also finished in 6th position on the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 1,678 points earned. He was 744 points behind Tom Lehman (USA). Also tied for 7th position was David Eger (USA), he finished in 14th position on the Final Champions Tour Money list with $US 982,904 earned from the 22 events he entered. He also finished in 16th position on the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 1,032 points earned from the 22 events he entered. He was 1,390 points behind Tom Lehman (USA). Also tied for 7th position was Kenny Perry (USA), he finished in 15th position on the Final Champions Tour Money list with $US 964,851 earned from the 10 events he played in. He also finished in 15th position on the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 1,041 points earned from the events he played in. He was 1,381 points behind Tom Lehman (USA). And the last player to finish tied for 7th position was Joey Sindelar (USA). He finished in 23rd position on the Final Champions Tour Money list with $US 708,337 earned from the 19 events he played in. He also finished in 21st position on the Final Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 747 points earned from the 19 events he played in. He was 1,675 points behind Tom Lehman (USA).

So Tom Lehman (USA) secured his very first Charles Schwab Cup win for the 2011 season. He was on top of the Charles Schwab Cup Points list from when he won the 2nd tournament of the season which was the Allianz Championship in Mid February and never lost the lead for the rest of the 2011 season, although Mark Calcavecchia (USA) pushed him very hard this week at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. But he did enough to hang on by 74 points. So here are the Final 5 place getters in the 2011 Charles Schwab Cup Points List: Charles Schwab Cup Winner: Tom Lehman (USA) with 2,422 Charles Schwab Cup Points and won $US 1, 000, 000 of the $US 2,100,000 Annuity money, In second place was Mark Calcavecchia (USA) with 2,348 Charles Schwab Cup Points and won $US 500,000 of the $US 2,100,000 Annuity money, In third place was Peter Senior (Australia) with 1,874 Charles Schwab Cup Points and won $US 300,000 of the $US 2,100,000 Annuity money, and he must be due a win on the Champions Tour in 2012. In fourth place was Jay Don Blake (USA) with 1,803 Charles Schwab Cup Points and won $US 200,000 of the $US 2,100,000 Annuity money and round out the top 5 place getters was John Cook (USA) with 1,798 Charles Schwab Cup Points and won $US 100,000 of the $US 2,100,000 Annuity money.

Next event on the Champions Tour is in Mid January 2012 and is the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and it is being played at the Hualalai Golf Course, Ka'upulehu-Kona, Hawaii. It will have most of the winners on the Champions Tour in 2011 playing in it. And the players get to play for a prize purse of $US 1,800,000. John Cook (USA) is the defending Champion and will be looking for back to back titles. I will report back who took home the trophy next year.

The third and final event I am reporting on this week was on the European Challenge Tour and was the final event of the season which was the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final that was played on the San Domenico Golf, Puglia, Italy. Only the top 45 players on the Challenge Tour Rankings Money list were eligible to play in it. Andrea Pavan (Italy) scored rounds of 66-5, 65-6, 65-6 and a final round of 71 even par for a 72 hole total of 267-17 and he won by 1 stroke. He won € 56,650 for the win and that moves him to 2nd position on the final Challenge Tour Ranking Money list with €133,052 earned from the 19 events he played this year. He now will be playing the European Tour for the first time next year in 2012 because he finished inside the top 20 players on the Challenge Tour Ranking Money list that earned their 2012 European Tour cards. Tommy Fleetwood (England) won the Challenge Tour Ranking Money list for 2011 with €148,913 earned from the 19 events he played this year.

Left Tommy Fleetwood (England) with the Challenge Tour Rankings Champion Trophy he won and right Andrea Pavan (Italy) with the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final Trophy he won

Andrea Pavan (Italy) started the final round with a 1 stroke lead over Tommy Fleetwood (England). He got off to an okay front nine with scoring a bogey on the Par 4, 5th hole but came straight back with a birdie on the Par 4, 6th hole to go out in 34 even par. He came home well with a back nine even par 37 which included a birdie at the Par 5, 11th hole and a poor bogey at the Par 4, 14th hole. His final round of 71 even par was good enough for a 1 stroke victory. It was his 2nd win on the Challenge Tour having won the Norwegian Challenge in mid August this year. He has now earned his European Tour card for the 2012 season. And when he plays on the European Tour in 2012 it will mean there will be another Italian Player on the European Tour to join the Molinari Brothers and the amazing Matteo Manassero who has already won 2 times on the European Tour at the tender age of 18 years old. I wish Andrea Pavan (Italy) all the best for the 2012 and his Maiden year on the European Tour and hope he can secure his maiden win.

Coming in solo 2nd with a 72 hole total of 268-16 after 72 holes was Tommy Fleetwood (England). And with the € 37,620 he earned it was enough to secure him the number 1 position on the Challenge Tour Ranking Money list for 2011 with €148,913 earned from the 19 events he played this year. For that he won the Challenge Tour Ranking Trophy and he has his 2012 European Tour Card. It is a fine achievement for the 20 year old Englishman who won the Kazakhstan Open in early September this year. And he has already played in 9 European Tour events with making 5 cuts and his best finish was tied for 5th at the recent Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in early October this year where he earned a cheque for € 126,334.40. He current sits in 143rd position on the Race to Dubai Money List with €151,969 earned from the 6 events he has played in. I wish him all the best for his maiden year on the European Tour in 2012.

Tommy Fleetwood (England) holding the Challenge Tour Rankings Trophy he won

In tied for 3rd position at 270-14 after 72 holes were Andrew Marshall (England) and Andrew Johnston (England). In solo 5th position at 271-13 after 72 holes was Pelle Edberg (Sweden). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 6th position at 272-12 after 72 holes were Simon Thornton (Ireland), Jorge Campillo (Spain), Julien Guerrier (France), Steven Tiley (England) and Sam Walker (England).

The 20 Challenge Tour Players that earned their 2012 European Tour Cards

The 20 players that gained their 2012 European Tour Cards for finishing in the top 20 on the final European Challenge Tour Rankings were Number 1, Tommy Fleetwood (England) with €148,913. Number 2 was Andrea Pavan (Italy) with €133,052, Number 3 was Sam Little (England) with €130,798, Number 4 was Ricardo Santos (Portugal) with €97,516, Number 5 was Benjamin Hebert (France) with €91,293, Number 6 was Daniel Denison (England) with €86,898, Number 7 was Federico Colombo (Italy) with €81,834, Number 8 was Jamie Moul (England) with €80,771, Number 9 was Jorge Campillo (Spain) with €80,041, Number 10 was Matthew Baldwin (England) with €76,972, Number 11 was Edouard Dubois (France) with €75,623, Number 12 was Simon Thornton (Ireland) with €74,712, Number 13 was Julien Quesne (France) with €74,027, Number 14 was Craig Lee (Scotland) with €73,792, Number 15 was Andrew Johnston (England) with €70,987, Number 16 was Sam Walker (England) with €67,584, Number 17 was Charles-Edouard Russo (France) with €67,192, Number 18 was Pelle Edberg (Sweden) with €66,282, Number 19 was Chris Gane (England) with €64,488 and Number 20 was Alessandro Tanini (Italy) with €62,630. 

The European Challenge Tour takes a break now till mid January in 2012 where it will start up again in India for the playing of the Gujarat Kensville Challenge which is played at the Kensville GC, Ahmedabad, India. Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) is the defending Champion and will be looking to defend his title.

So until then remember when the greens have just been cored hit your putts hard and firm because the greens are slower and they will take less break.

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com