The Andalucía Challenge de España marks the beginning of the European Challenge Tour’s Spanish Swing and we have picked out three players to keep an eye on this week.
Scott Gregory
England’s Scott Gregory travelled to the last event, the Italian Challenge Open Eneos Motor Oil, as first reserve and his optimism was rewarded with a place in the field due to a late withdrawal. He needed a top ten to extend his season and he did just that by posting rounds of 67-70-68 for an 11 under par total at the end of the weather-affected tournament at Golf Club Castelconturbia, however it was not all plain sailing. Gregory was four under par after ten holes of his final round and on course to secure his best-ever Challenge Tour finish, however three consecutive bogeys on the 12th, 13th and 14th holes left his hopes of extending his season in tatters.
What happened next, however, will not be forgotten in a hurry. He parred the next two holes to steady the ship before seeing his tee shot at the par three 17th drop in the hole for his first tournament hole-in-one. That left him one stroke outside the top ten and Gregory, 26, rode that momentum on the 18th hole to find a closing birdie and secure a tie for eighth place.
Borja Virto
A two-time Challenge Tour winner, Borja Virto will be looking to reignite his career in Cadiz this week. The 29-year-old Spaniard won the D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge and the lucrative Foshan Open in 2015 to earn a European Tour card for 2016, however he then struggled for form. Upon returning to the Challenge Tour, Virto secured six top tens in 2017 and 2018, before a disappointing 2019 season saw him make only nine of 20 cuts to finish 75th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
The Pamplona native is playing on a national invite in his home country this week and it could be the perfect opportunity to regain the form that he has already shown he possesses.
Oscar Lengden
A former Challenge de España Champion, Oscar Lengden has the pedigree and knowhow to win on the Challenge Tour and could be well-placed for a title assault this week.
The Swede picked up his second Challenge Tour victory at the 2018 edition of the event, beating Wil Besseling and Ross McGowan by four strokes at Izki Golf. He went on to finish 22nd on the Rankings following a trio of further top ten finishes, before finishing 31st on the Road to Mallorca Rankings last year. His best finish in 2019 was a play-off defeat to Spaniard Emilio Cuartero Blanco at the Stone Irish Challenge, with two additional top tens in the same season.
The 28-year-old has played on both the Challenge Tour and the European Tour this year, with his best finish being the tie for fifth place at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm Castle. His fifth place was his joint best European Tour finish and his highest placing since the 2017 D+D REAL Czech Masters.
With a recent high finish and a previous victory in the Challenge de España, this could be the week where Lengden returns to the winner’s circle.
