The 1997 Challenge Tour was the ninth season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
| Duration | 5 March 1997 – 26 October 1997 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 35[a] |
| Most wins |  Andrew Collison (2) Fredrik Henge (2) Raphaël Jacquelin (2) Anssi Kankkonen (2) Michele Reale (2) Erol Şimşek (2) |
| Rankings | Michele Reale |
← 1996 1998 → | |
Schedule edit
The following table lists official events during the 1997 season.[1]
Unofficial events edit
The following events were sanctioned by the Challenge Tour, but did not carry official money, wins were still official however.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (£) |
Winner[b] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun | Memorial Olivier Barras | Switzerland | 40,000 | Raphaël Jacquelin (1) |
Rankings edit
For full rankings, see 1997 Challenge Tour graduates.
The rankings were based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Pound sterling.[3] The top 15 players on the rankings earned status to play on the 1998 European Tour.[3]
| Rank | Player | Prize money (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michele Reale |
51,679 |
| 2 | Kalle Brink |
36,112 |
| 3 |  Greg Chalmers |
35,267 |
| 4 | Raphaël Jacquelin |
34,537 |
| 5 | Anssi Kankkonen |
32,128 |
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ A further two tournaments were scheduled but were either cancelled or abandoned.
- ^ a b The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Challenge Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Challenge Tour members. It is rare for someone to accumulate many wins on the Challenge Tour as success at this level usually leads to promotion to the European Tour.
- ^ Tournament abandoned due to persistent bad weather.[2]
References edit
- ^ "1997 Tournament schedule". European Tour. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Wash out!". The Sunday People. London, United Kingdom. 27 July 1997. p. 60. Retrieved 30 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Leading 15 players on rankings who earn European Tour cards for 1998". The Birmingham Post. Birmingham, United Kingdom. 27 October 1997. p. 21. Retrieved 29 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.