The 2001 Challenge Tour was a series of golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

 tournaments known as the Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour

The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...

, the official development tour run by the PGA European Tour

PGA European Tour

The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...

. The tour was started as the Satellite Tour in 1986 and was renamed the Challenge Tour ready for the start of the 1990 season.

The Challenge Tour Rankings was won by England's Mark Foster

Mark Foster (golfer)

Mark B. Foster is an English professional golfer.Foster was born in Worksop. He won the English Amateur twice before turning professional in 1995. For the first few years as a professional he was troubled by back problems, but in 2001 he won twice on the Challenge Tour and topped the money list...

.

Tournament schedule

The table below shows the 2001 Challenge Tour schedule.

Dates	Tournament	Host country	Winner	Notes
1–4 Mar	Tusker Kenya Open	Kenya Kenya Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...	Ashley Roestoff Ashley Roestoff Ashley Trevor Roestoff is a South African professional golfer. He currently plays on the Sunshine Tour, where he has found success, winning 10 tournaments between 1992 and 2002....
8–11 Mar	Stanbic Zambia Open	Zambia Zambia Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....	Mark Foster Mark Foster (golfer) Mark B. Foster is an English professional golfer.Foster was born in Worksop. He won the English Amateur twice before turning professional in 1995. For the first few years as a professional he was troubled by back problems, but in 2001 he won twice on the Challenge Tour and topped the money list...
29 Mar–1 Apr	Segura Viudas Challenge de España	Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...	Euan Little Euan Little -Career:Little turned professional in 1996 having represented Scotland as an amateur. Having reached the final stage of qualifying school that year, he played qualified for the Challenge Tour and played steadily at that level for the next five seasons, finishing runner-up twice, before claiming his...
26–29 Apr	Open Golf Montecchia - PGA Triveneta	Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...	Andrew Sherborne Andrew Sherborne Andrew Sherborne is an English professional golfer.Sherborne was born in Bristol. He was the leading amateur at The Open Championship in 1984 and turned professional later that year. He played on the European Tour for nearly twenty years, winning the 1991 Madrid Open and the 1992 Peugeot Spanish...
3–6 May	Credit Suisse Private Banking Open	Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....	Greig Hutcheon
17–20 May	Austrian Open	Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...	Chris Gane Chris Gane Christopher Gane is an English professional golfer.Gane has mainly competed on the second tier Challenge Tour and has two wins on that tour, both in 2001. In 2009 he finished 13th in the Challenge Tour rankings to guarantee himself full European Tour status for 2010. He is one of the few...
24–27 May	Aa Open de Saint-Omer	France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	Sébastien Delagrange Sebastien Delagrange Sébastien Delagrange is a French professional golfer.Delagrange was born in Paris. He turned professional in 1995 and has spent his career fluctuating between European Tour status and playing on the second tier Challenge Tour...
31 May–3 Jun	NCC Open	Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....	Benn Barham Benn Barham Benn Barham is an English professional golfer on the European Tour.Barham was born in Ashford, Kent. He has won two tournaments on the second tier Challenge Tour, the 2001 NCC Open and the 2005 Open Mahou de Madrid...
7–10 Jun	Nykredit Danish Open	Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...	Sébastien Delagrange Sebastien Delagrange Sébastien Delagrange is a French professional golfer.Delagrange was born in Paris. He turned professional in 1995 and has spent his career fluctuating between European Tour status and playing on the second tier Challenge Tour...
14–17 Jun	Galeria Kaufhof Pokal Challenge Galeria Kaufhof Pokal Challenge The Galeria Kaufhof Pokal Challenge was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour that was played at Golfclub Rittergut Birkhof in Korschenbroich, Germany from 2001 to 2005.-Winners:-External links:*...	Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	Wolfgang Huget
21–24 Jun	DEXIA-BIL Luxembourg Open	Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...	Grant Hamerton
28 Jun–1 Jul	Open des Volcans Open des Volcans The Open des Volcans was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played in France. It ran annually from 1992 to 2007 and was always played at the Golf des Volcans.-Winners:AGF-Allianz Open des Volcans – Challenge de France*2007 Gareth Paddison...	France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	Scott Drummond Scott Drummond Scott Drummond is a British golfer.Drummond was born in Shrewsbury in England. He played amateur golf for England but decided to represent Scotland, the country of his father, when he turned professional in 1996....
5–8 Jul	Challenge Total Fina Elf	France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	Kenneth Ferrie Kenneth Ferrie Kenneth Ferrie is an English professional golfer.Ferrie was born in Ashington, Northumberland. He won the British Boys Championship in 1996 and made his first appearance in a European Tour event that year as an invitee at his local event, the Slaley Hall Northumberland Challenge...
12–15 Jul	Volvo Finnish Open Volvo Finnish Open The Volvo Finnish Open was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour from 1989 until 2004. It was played at Espoon Golfseura in Espoo, Finland. It was founded as the Scandinavian Tipo Trophy before being sponsored by Volvo from 1991.-Winners:...	Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...	Peter Hedblom Peter Hedblom Peter Mikael Hedblom is a Swedish professional golfer.-Amateur career:Hedblom was born in Gävle, Sweden. He won the 1986 Swedish Boys Championship when he was 16. The following year he won the Doral Junior Classic in the United States and the Scandinavian Amateur Open...
19–22 Jul	Günther Hamburg Classics Günther Hamburg Classics The Günther Hamburg Classics was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour between 2000 and 2002. It was played annually near Hamburg, Germany.-Winners:-External links:*...	Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	Peter Hanson Peter Hanson Peter Hanson is a Swedish professional golfer.Hanson was born in Svedala, Sweden. He turned professional in 1998 and has played on the Challenge Tour and the European Tour. His professional wins include the 1998 Gunther Hamburg Classics on the Challenge Tour and the 2005 Open de España on the...
26–29 Jul	Charles Church European Challenge Tour Championship	England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...	Mark Foster Mark Foster (golfer) Mark B. Foster is an English professional golfer.Foster was born in Worksop. He won the English Amateur twice before turning professional in 1995. For the first few years as a professional he was troubled by back problems, but in 2001 he won twice on the Challenge Tour and topped the money list...
2–5 Aug	BMW Russian Open	Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...	Jamie Donaldson Jamie Donaldson Jamie Ross Donaldson is a Welsh professional golfer.Donaldson was born in Pontypridd. He turned professional in 2000. Having failed to come through the European Tour's qualifying school, in 2001 he played predominantly on the second tier Challenge Tour...
9–12 Aug	Talma Finnish Challenge Talma Finnish Challenge The Talma Finnish Challenge was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour between 2001 and 2003. It was played annually at Golf Talma in Sipoo, Finland.-Winners:-External links:*...	Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...	Klas Eriksson Klas Eriksson Klas Eriksson is a Swedish professional golfer.Eriksson was born in Växjö and turned professional in 1991 having won the European Amateur and the French Amateur Stoke Play Championship the previous year. He won three times on the second tier Challenge Tour in 1993 on his way to the top of the...
16–19 Aug	North West of Ireland Open North West of Ireland Open The North West of Ireland Open was a golf tournament which was played annually from 1999 to 2002. It was a "double-badge" tournament that featured on the schedules of both the European Tour and the Challenge Tour...	Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...	Tobias Dier Tobias Dier Tobias Dier is a German professional golfer.Dier was born in Nürnberg. He won the 1998 German Amateur Open Championship and turned professional later that year. He won a European Tour card by finishing sixth on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit in 1998...	Also a European Tour event
23–26 Aug	Rolex Trophy Rolex Trophy The Rolex Trophy is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, that is played in Geneva, Switzerland. It has been held annually since 1991.Unlike many Challenge Tour events, the Rolex Trophy has been played at the same venue, the Golf Club de Genève, every year...	Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....	Stuart Little
23–26 Aug	Skandia PGA Open Skandia PGA Open The Skandia PGA Open was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour. It was played annually in Sweden from 2001 to 2005.-Winners:-External links:*...	Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....	Christophe Pottier
30 Aug–2 Sept	Formby Hall Challenge Formby Hall Challenge The Formby Hall Challenge was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour that was played annually from 1996 to 2002. It was also an event on the third-tier MasterCard Tour....	England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...	Sam Little Sam Little (golfer) -Career:Little turned professional in 1997, and joined the Challenge Tour in 1999, where he recorded his first win in 2001. In 2004 he won for the second time at that level, and graduated to the European Tour at the end of the season via qualifying school...
5–8 Sept	Muermans Real Estate Challenge	Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...	Dominique Nouailhac
13–16 Sept	Telia Grand Prix	Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....	Jamie Donaldson Jamie Donaldson Jamie Ross Donaldson is a Welsh professional golfer.Donaldson was born in Pontypridd. He turned professional in 2000. Having failed to come through the European Tour's qualifying school, in 2001 he played predominantly on the second tier Challenge Tour...
27–30 Sept	PGA of Austria Masters	Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...	Iain Pyman Iain Pyman Iain Pyman is an English golfer.Pyman was born in Whitby. He was English Boys Stroke Play Champion in 1991, and played in a winning Jacques Léglise Trophy team the same year. In 1993 he won The Amateur Championship by defeating Paul Page after 37 holes at Royal Portrush, and was the leading...
3–6 Oct	San Paolo Vita & Asset Management Open	Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...	Mads Vibe-Hastrup Mads Vibe-Hastrup Mads Vibe-Hastrup is a Danish professional golfer.Vibe-Hastrup was born in Helsingør. He turned professional in 1999.Vibe-Hastrup qualified for the European Tour after finishing 11th on the 2001 Challenge Tour rankings...
11–14 Oct	Hardelot Challenge de France	France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	Mårten Olander Mårten Olander Mårten Olander is a Swedish professional golfer.Olander attended the University of Alabama for four years, and was awarded the Ben Hogan Trophy for the best student golfer nationwide in 1993. He turned professional in 1995, and joined the Challenge Tour in 1996, winning promotion to the European...
18–21 Oct	Terme Euganee International Open Padova	Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...	Chris Gane Chris Gane Christopher Gane is an English professional golfer.Gane has mainly competed on the second tier Challenge Tour and has two wins on that tour, both in 2001. In 2009 he finished 13th in the Challenge Tour rankings to guarantee himself full European Tour status for 2010. He is one of the few...
1–4 Nov	Challenge Tour Grand Final Challenge Tour Grand Final The Challenge Tour Grand Final is the season ending tour championship on the Challenge Tour. It has been played annually since 1995 at various courses. Usually it takes place in Southern Europe, but in 1999 and 2000 it was played in Cuba. The tournament has had several sponsored names. The field...	France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	Richard Bland Richard Bland (golfer) Richard Bland is an English professional golfer.Bland was born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. He turned professional in 1996 and reached the final stage of the European Tour's qualifying school in 1997 to gain his card on Europe's second tier Challenge Tour for 1998. In 2001 he won for the...

Rankings

The top 15 on the Challenge Tour Rankings gained membership of the European Tour for the 2002 season.

Position	Player	Country	Prize money (€ Euro The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,... )
1	Mark Foster Mark Foster (golfer) Mark B. Foster is an English professional golfer.Foster was born in Worksop. He won the English Amateur twice before turning professional in 1995. For the first few years as a professional he was troubled by back problems, but in 2001 he won twice on the Challenge Tour and topped the money list...		97,737
2	Jamie Donaldson Jamie Donaldson Jamie Ross Donaldson is a Welsh professional golfer.Donaldson was born in Pontypridd. He turned professional in 2000. Having failed to come through the European Tour's qualifying school, in 2001 he played predominantly on the second tier Challenge Tour...		92,740
3	Philip Golding Philip Golding Philip Keith Golding is an English professional golfer.Golding was born in Luton, Bedfordshire. He was a promising cricketer who played for Middlesex Colts before he took up golf at the age of 17...		79,731
4	Andrew Marshall Andrew Marshall (golfer) Andrew Charles Marshall is an English professional golfer.Marshall was born in Sutton-in-Ashfield and turned professional in 1995. In 2001, he finished 4th on the Challenge Tour Rankings to earn his card on the top level European Tour. In late 2001, in one of his first tournaments as a full member...		75,841
5	Gary Clark Gary Clark (golfer) Gary Ben Clark is an English professional golfer.Clark was born in London. He attended the University of Arkansas before turning professional in 1995. He qualified for the European Tour through qualifying school at the end of that year....		72,950
6	Sébastien Delagrange Sebastien Delagrange Sébastien Delagrange is a French professional golfer.Delagrange was born in Paris. He turned professional in 1995 and has spent his career fluctuating between European Tour status and playing on the second tier Challenge Tour...		71,237
7	Klas Eriksson Klas Eriksson Klas Eriksson is a Swedish professional golfer.Eriksson was born in Växjö and turned professional in 1991 having won the European Amateur and the French Amateur Stoke Play Championship the previous year. He won three times on the second tier Challenge Tour in 1993 on his way to the top of the...		66,933
8	Robert-Jan Derksen Robert-Jan Derksen Robert-Jan Derksen is a Dutch professional golfer.Derksen was born in Nijmegen. He won the Dutch Amateur Championship four years in a row from 1993 to 1996 and turned professional in 1996....		61,595
9	Chris Gane Chris Gane Christopher Gane is an English professional golfer.Gane has mainly competed on the second tier Challenge Tour and has two wins on that tour, both in 2001. In 2009 he finished 13th in the Challenge Tour rankings to guarantee himself full European Tour status for 2010. He is one of the few...		60,778
10	Richard Bland Richard Bland (golfer) Richard Bland is an English professional golfer.Bland was born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. He turned professional in 1996 and reached the final stage of the European Tour's qualifying school in 1997 to gain his card on Europe's second tier Challenge Tour for 1998. In 2001 he won for the...		60,693
11	Mads Vibe-Hastrup Mads Vibe-Hastrup Mads Vibe-Hastrup is a Danish professional golfer.Vibe-Hastrup was born in Helsingør. He turned professional in 1999.Vibe-Hastrup qualified for the European Tour after finishing 11th on the 2001 Challenge Tour rankings...		60,677
12	Peter Hanson Peter Hanson Peter Hanson is a Swedish professional golfer.Hanson was born in Svedala, Sweden. He turned professional in 1998 and has played on the Challenge Tour and the European Tour. His professional wins include the 1998 Gunther Hamburg Classics on the Challenge Tour and the 2005 Open de España on the...		60,432
13	Grant Hamerton		59,581
14	Stuart Little		58,650
15	Mårten Olander Mårten Olander Mårten Olander is a Swedish professional golfer.Olander attended the University of Alabama for four years, and was awarded the Ben Hogan Trophy for the best student golfer nationwide in 1993. He turned professional in 1995, and joined the Challenge Tour in 1996, winning promotion to the European...		58,306

External links

• Official homepage of the Challenge Tour