The European Challenge Tour announced today that two events in Spain, the Empordà Challenge and the Challenge Costa Brava, will take place in consecutive weeks at Empordà Golf this October.
The Empordà Challenge will be held from 14th to 17th October, while the Challenge Costa Brava will take place from Tuesday 19th to Friday 22nd October. The latter will mark the end of the regular season of the Road to Mallorca, determining the field of forty-five players for the Grand Final of the Rolex Challenge Tour sponsored by The R&A from 4 to 7 November.
Empordà Golf Course is the former venue for the European Tour and European Tour Qualifying School events, and the two Challenge Tour tournaments will be played on the Links Course, which underwent major renovation works during 2020. These two back-to-back events replace the Hainan Open and Foshan Open in China, which were cancelled earlier this month due to the continuing effects of the global pandemic.
“We thank Empordà Golf and the promoter, JGolf, for their help in bringing these events to fruition. It was important to us to provide our members with these replacement tournaments to ensure that playing opportunities were maximised at an important time of the season and, having enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Javier Gervás and his team, we knew it would be possible to organise a solution with their help,” said Jamie Hodges, head of Challenge Tour.
“Empordà Golf has stood the test of time in terms of hosting professional events and we are excited to spend two weeks in Spain at such a wonderful venue,” adds Hodges.
“When the slot on the Road to Mallorca calendar came up, we worked hard to help cover those crucial two weeks on the calendar. We knew that Empordà Golf was keen to go one step further in terms of the professional tournaments it has hosted and so we set out to host the last two Challenge Tour tournaments before the Grand Final,” explains Javier Gervás, general manager of JGolf.
“They have made a great effort and I am sure they will be rewarded. We are now going to have two decisive tournaments in Spain this season with international coverage that will put Empordà Golf in the world golfing spotlight,” adds Gervás.
“The decision to hold the Empordà Challenge confirms the efforts being made by all the clubs on the Costa Brava to improve their facilities and become a world-class sports destination,” says Emilio Cuatrecasas, President of Empordà Golf Club.
“It is also worth noting that the growing popularity of these international tournaments is driving many young people to play golf, and the clubs are feeding not only their energy but also an updated vision of the sport that will bring considerable progress in the sporting, social and environmental fields,” adds Cuatrecasas.
The Empordà Challenge and the Challenge Costa Brava will be the second Spanish swing of the Road to Mallorca 2021 after the Challenge de España and the Challenge de Cádiz, held at the Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri last June.
The Empordà Challenge and the Challenge Costa Brava will be supported by the Challenge Tour, Empordà Golf, Girona Provincial Council through the Costa Brava Tourist Board, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and Kyocera. The promoter and organiser is JGolf.
You can also read other posts about Golf in Spain:
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Sotogrande Golf Challenge
