The 2006 Challenge Tour was the 18th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
| Duration | 1 December 2005 – 22 October 2006 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 31 |
| Most wins |  Johan Axgren (2) Martin Kaymer (2) Adrien Mörk (2) |
| Rankings |  Mark Pilkington |
← 2005 2007 → | |
OWGR points increase edit
In July 2005, the Official World Golf Ranking announced that the minimum points awarded to Challenge Tour events, beginning in 2006, would be increased from 6 to 12.[1]
Schedule edit
The following table lists official events during the 2006 season.[2]
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (€) |
Winner[a] | OWGR points |
Other tours[b] |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Dec | Abierto Mexicano Corona | Mexico | US$305,000 |  Antonio Maldonado (1) |
6 | TLA | |
| 11 Dec | Abierto Visa de la República | Argentina | US$250,000 |  Kevin Stadler (n/a) |
12 | TLA | New to Challenge Tour |
| 5 Feb | Abierto Movistar Guatemala Open | Guatemala | US$150,000 |  Miguel Ángel Carballo (1) |
12 | TLA | |
| 12 Feb | Kai Fieberg Costa Rica Open | Costa Rica | US$125,000 | Johan Axgren (2) |
12 | TLA | |
| 26 Feb | Estoril Challenge | Portugal | 120,000 | Kyron Sullivan (1) |
12 | ||
| 12 Mar | Tusker Kenya Open | Kenya | 160,000 | Johan Axgren (3) |
12 | ||
| 9 Apr | Peugeot Challenge R.C.G. El Prat | Spain | 120,000 |  David Drysdale (2) |
12 | ||
| 30 Apr | Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata | Italy | 120,000 | Anthony Snobeck (1) |
12 | ||
| 14 May | Parco di Monza Challenge | Italy | 130,000 |  Álvaro Salto (3) |
12 | New tournament | |
| 21 May | Telenet Trophy | Belgium | 130,000 |  Toni Karjalainen (2) |
12 | New tournament | |
| 28 May | Tikida Hotels Agadir Moroccan Classic | Morocco | 130,000 | Adrien Mörk (1) |
12 | ||
| 3 Jun | Morson International Pro-Am Challenge | England | £100,000 | Álvaro Quirós (1) |
12 | ||
| 11 Jun | Thomas Bjørn Open | Denmark | 120,000 |  Marcus Higley (1) |
12 | ||
| 18 Jun | Aa St Omer Open | France | 400,000 | César Monasterio (2) |
18 | EUR | |
| 18 Jun | Lexus Open | Norway | 120,000 | Kalle Brink (3) |
12 | ||
| 25 Jun | Credit Suisse Challenge | Switzerland | 140,000 | Francisco Cea (2) |
12 | ||
| 2 Jul | Open Mahou de Madrid | Spain | 120,000 | Juan Parrón (1) |
12 | ||
| 9 Jul | Scottish Challenge | Scotland | 200,000 | Sam Walker (1) |
12 | New tournament | |
| 16 Jul | Texbond Open | Italy | 120,000 | Carlos del Moral (1) |
12 | ||
| 23 Jul | MAN NÖ Open | Austria | 130,000 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello (1) |
12 | New to Challenge Tour | |
| 30 Jul | Ryder Cup Wales Challenge | Wales | 130,000 | Sion Bebb (1) |
12 | ||
| 6 Aug | Ireland Ryder Cup Challenge | Ireland | 130,000 |  John Wade (1) |
12 | ||
| 13 Aug | Vodafone Challenge | Germany | 120,000 | Martin Kaymer (1) |
12 | New tournament | |
| 20 Aug | Rolex Trophy | Switzerland | 200,000 | Alex Norén (1) |
12 | ||
| 27 Aug | ECCO Tour Championship | Denmark | 130,000 | James Heath (1) |
12 | NGL | New tournament |
| 3 Sep | Telia Challenge Waxholm | Sweden | SKr 1,130,000 | Rafael Echenique (1) |
12 | ||
| 17 Sep | Open des Volcans – Challenge de France | France | 120,000 | Martin Kaymer (2) |
12 | ||
| 24 Sep | OKI Mahou Challenge de España | Spain | 130,000 | Adrien Mörk (2) |
12 | ||
| 1 Oct | Kazakhstan Open | Kazakhstan | 300,000 | Mark Pilkington (1) |
12 | ||
| 8 Oct | Golf Open International de Toulouse | France | 120,000 | Julien Forêt (1) |
12 | ||
| 22 Oct | Apulia San Domenico Grand Final | Italy | 250,000 | James Hepworth (2) |
12 | Tour Championship |
Rankings edit
For full rankings, see 2006 Challenge Tour graduates.
The rankings were based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Euros.[3][4] The top 20 players on the rankings earned status to play on the 2007 European Tour.[5]
| Rank | Player | Prize money (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Pilkington |
119,152 |
| 2 | Johan Axgren |
105,699 |
| 3 | Alex Norén |
99,631 |
| 4 | Martin Kaymer |
93,321 |
| 5 | James Hepworth |
84,236 |
Notes edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ EUR − European Tour; NGL − Nordic Golf League; TLA − Tour de las Américas.
References edit
- ^ "Official World Golf Ranking Governing Board approves minimum points adjustments". Official World Golf Ranking. 20 July 2005. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "2006 Tournament schedule". European Tour. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "2006 Rankings". European Tour. Archived from the original on 17 November 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Hepworth and Pilkington Crowned Challenge Tour Champions at the Grand Final". European Tour. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Challenge Tour Poised for Nail-Biting Climax". European Tour. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
...where the top 45 players on the Rankings will do battle for the 20 available European Tour cards on offer through the Challenge Tour.