The 2011 Challenge Tour was the 23rd season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
| Duration | 13 January 2011 – 5 November 2011 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 25 |
| Most wins |  Benjamin Hébert (3) Sam Little (3) |
| Rankings | Tommy Fleetwood |
← 2010 2012 → | |
Schedule edit
The following table lists official events during the 2011 season.[1]
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (€) |
Winner[a] | OWGR points |
Other tours[b] |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jan | Gujarat Kensville Challenge | India | 200,000 |  Gaganjeet Bhullar (n/a)
|
12 | PGTI | New tournament |
| 13 Mar | Abierto Internacional Copa Antioquia | Colombia | US$230,000 |  Joaquín Estévez (1)
|
12 | TLA | |
| 3 Apr | Barclays Kenya Open | Kenya | 195,000 |  Michiel Bothma (1)
|
12 | ||
| 8 May | Allianz Challenge de France | France | 150,000 |  Nicolas Meitinger (1)
|
12 | ||
| 15 May | Mugello Tuscany Open | Italy | 150,000 | Anthony Snobeck (2)
|
12 | ||
| 22 May | Madeira Islands Open | Portugal | 500,000 |  Michael Hoey (4)
|
18 | EUR | |
| 29 May | Telenet Trophy | Belgium | 160,000 |  Andrew Tampion (2)
|
12 | ||
| 5 Jun | Kärnten Golf Open | Austria | 160,000 | Édouard Dubois (1)
|
12 | ||
| 12 Jun | Allianz Open Côtes d'Armor Bretagne | France | 150,000 | Phillip Archer (2)
|
12 | ||
| 19 Jun | Saint-Omer Open | France | 500,000 | Matthew Zions (1)
|
18 | EUR | |
| 26 Jun | Scottish Hydro Challenge | Scotland | 220,000 | Édouard Dubois (2)
|
12 | ||
| 3 Jul | The Princess | Sweden | 200,000 |  Ricardo Santos (1)
|
12 | ||
| 10 Jul | Acaya Open | Italy | 160,000 | Jamie Moul (1)
|
12 | New tournament | |
| 17 Jul | Credit Suisse Challenge | Switzerland | 155,000 | Benjamin Hébert (1)
|
12 | ||
| 24 Jul | English Challenge | England | 160,000 | Benjamin Hébert (2)
|
12 | ||
| 14 Aug | Norwegian Challenge | Norway | 180,000 |  Andrea Pavan (1)
|
12 | ||
| 20 Aug | ECCO Tour Championship | Denmark | DKr 1,200,000 | Daniel Denison (1)
|
12 | DNK | |
| 27 Aug | Rolex Trophy | Switzerland | 190,000 | Benjamin Hébert (3)[c]
|
12 | ||
| 11 Sep | Kazakhstan Open | Kazakhstan | 400,000 | Tommy Fleetwood (1)
|
12 | ||
| 18 Sep | M2M Russian Challenge Cup | Russia | 250,000 | Sam Little (3)
|
12 | ||
| 25 Sep | Allianz Golf Open Grand Toulouse | France | 160,000 | Sam Little (4)
|
12 | ||
| 2 Oct | Fred Olsen Challenge de España | Spain | 150,000 | Matthew Baldwin (1)
|
12 | ||
| 9 Oct | Allianz Golf Open de Lyon | France | 150,000 | Julien Quesne (2)
|
12 | ||
| 16 Oct | Roma Golf Open | Italy | 160,000 | Sam Little (5)[d]
|
12 | ||
| 5 Nov | Apulia San Domenico Grand Final | Italy | 330,000 | Andrea Pavan (2)
|
16 | Flagship event |
Rankings edit
For full rankings, see 2011 Challenge Tour graduates.
The rankings were based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Euros.[4][5] The top 20 players on the rankings earned status to play on the 2012 European Tour.[6]
| Rank | Player | Prize money (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tommy Fleetwood |
148,913 |
| 2 | Andrea Pavan |
133,052 |
| 3 | Sam Little |
130,798 |
| 4 | Ricardo Santos |
97,516 |
| 5 | Benjamin Hébert |
91,293 |
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.
- ^ DNK − Danish Golf Tour; EUR − European Tour; PGTI − Professional Golf Tour of India; TLA − Tour de las Américas.
- ^ Hébert earned immediate promotion to the European Tour, as this was his third win of the season.[2]
- ^ Little earned immediate promotion to the European Tour, as this was his third win of the season.[3]
References edit
- ^ "2011 Tournament schedule". European Tour. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Hebert wins Rolex Trophy, advances to Euro Tour". Fox News. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Little secures stunning hat-trick in Rome". European Tour. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
As a three time winner this season, Little has the option of joining the Challenge Tour's other triple champion of 2011, Benjamin Hebert, on The European Tour straight away but he will stay focused on the Challenge Tour until after the Grand Final, where he hopes to end the season as Number One.
- ^ "2011 Rankings". European Tour. Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Pavan wins Grand finale as Fleetwood tops Rankings". European Tour. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ Tindell, Dave; Rhodes, John; Cooper, Matt (14 November 2011). "Up to the challenge?". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
The top 20 money earners on the Challenge Tour were handed their 2012 European Tour cards on Sunday following the conclusion of the Grand Final in Italy.