The Road to Mallorca heads to Golf Saint Apollinaire this week for the Swiss Challenge. Here’s everything you need to know…
Del Rey’s 58
Alejandro Del Rey made professional golf history at the Swiss Challenge in 2021 after posting a 14 under par second round of 58 at Golf Saint Apollinaire – the lowest score to par ever recorded on a major golf Tour. Del Rey joined an exclusive club of golfers who have carded rounds of 58 on major Tours, including Jim Furyk (PGA TOUR, 2016), Stephan Jäger (Korn Ferry Tour, 2016), Ryo Ishikawa (Japan Golf Tour, 2010) and Kim Seong-hyeon (Japan Golf Tour, 2021) – all of their rounds were 12 under par on par 70 golf courses.
Adrien Mörk, Nicolò Ravano and Lauri Ruuska all carded rounds of 59 on the Challenge Tour in 2006, 2016 and 2023 respectively, while on the DP World Tour, a score of 59 has been achieved just once – by Oliver Fisher in 2018 at the Portugal Masters.
Golf Saint Apollinaire
Golf Saint Apollinaire is Basel’s largest golf club which is situated just 13km from EuroAirport Basel. It’s also the sister club of Golf Sempach which hosted the Swiss Challenge from 2010-2019.
The club has two championship courses, the Fruit Garden and the Tree Garden, and one nine-hole course, all designed by renowned golf course architect Kurt Rossknecht. Every hole on the course requires a different strategy and the numerous water hazards and strategically placed bunkers provide a tough test for even the highest calibre of golfer. Players can also take advantage of the state-of-the-art practice facilities, including a driving range, chipping area and two large putting greens.
All to play for…
There are just five tournaments left of the 2024 Road to Mallorca season, with time running out for those targeting promotion to the DP World Tour. The top 20 players on the Rankings after the season-ending Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A will earn graduation to Golf’s Global Tour.
The Swiss Challenge and the Czech Challenge next week will see a full field tee it up, before the top 72 players in the Rankings travel to China for the Hainan Open and Hangzhou Open. From there, only the top 45 players in the Rankings will earn their place in the field for the Rolex Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada. It’s all still to play for.
