A host of new faces are competing on the 2017 Race to Dubai, after an exciting crop of young players made their mark on the European Challenge Tour this season.
With 13 rookies amongst the Class of 2016 who graduated to the European Tour, and 11 of the top 25 on the 2016 Road to Oman being under the age of 25, it has been a remarkable year for some of Europe’s finest young talents.
Leading from the front all season was Jordan Smith. The then 23 year old started his rookie Challenge Tour campaign in March at the Barclays Kenya Open after a breakthrough year on the satellite EuroPro Tour – where he topped the Order of Merit.
A wire-to-wire victory in Egypt got the Englishman off to the perfect start, and he continued to dominate throughout, topping the Rankings for a total of 16 weeks before being crowned Challenge Tour Number One.
Also in contention for top spot on Europe’s top developmental tour in 2016 was Romain Langasque. The Frenchman turned professional aged 20 in Egypt after an impressive performance at the Masters Tournament, where he fired a four under par 68 to equal the best fourth round score by an amateur in Masters’ history.
The former Amateur Champion came close to victories in Kenya, Slovakia and Finland, and would eventually finish ninth in the Challenge Tour Rankings, making him one of three French graduates under the age of 25 inside the top 16 – Joël Stalter and Matthieu Pavon are both 24.
Also graduating on to the European Tour after their debut Challenge Tour seasons were Pep Angles and Thomas Detry. The 23 year olds arrived in Europe after completing American college educations, and both made an immediate impact in their first starts in 2016.
Spain’s Angles caught the eye at the Real Club Valderrama Open de España, hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation, keeping his composure in tricky conditions at Valderrama to finish inside the top 20.
Detry’s first appearance of the year came on home soil too, when he joined the paid ranks with a tied sixth finish at the KPMG Trophy in June.
Both impressed all season long, finishing 14thand 15thon the Road to Oman. Detry’s record-breaking victory at the Bridgestone Challenge was the most comprehensive by any player in Europe in2016, after he won by 12 shots.
Also in the running for European Tour cards all season were Adrien Saddier, Aaron Rai, Max Orrin, Ben Stow and Clément Sordet.
Although both still only 24, Sordet and Saddier are experienced competitors. After turning professional in 2013 Saddier went on to earn a European Tour card through Qualifying School, while his fellow countryman Sordet is a two-time winner on the Challenge Tour, after victories in Northern Ireland last year and Turkey this season.
The promising Frenchmen both came agonisingly close to places in the top 16, as did England’s Rai and Stow. Aged just 21, Rai proved to be one of the most consistent performers on the Challenge Tour this season, making the cut 20 times in 23 starts.
Stow, aged 24 for the duration of the 2016 Road to Oman, also had a hugely successful season, narrowly missing out on a maiden professional triumph after losing out in a three-man play-off in Sweden in August.
The Englishman finished one position behind 22 year old Orrin, who came 21stin the final Rankings.
After a strong finish to his third successive Challenge Tour campaign, Orrin went on to earn a European Tour card at Q-School – and made the perfect start to the 2017 Race to Dubai with a five under par opening round of 67 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship two weeks later.
