The 2010 Challenge Tour is a series of professional 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 collectively 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 Challenge Tour is Europe's official developmental tour

Professional golf tours

Professional golf tours are the means by which otherwise unconnected professional golf tournaments are organised into a regular schedule. There are separate tours for men and women, with each tour being based in a specific geographical region, although some of their tournaments may be held in other...

 and is organised 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...

. It was introduced in 1986 and was originally called the Satellite Tour, before being renamed with its present title in 1990.

Tournament schedule

The 2010 schedule is set out below. The numbers in brackets after winners' names show the player's total number of wins on the Challenge Tour including that event. It is rare for someone to accumulate many wins on the Challenge Tour because success at this level soon leads to promotion to the European Tour.

The 2010 season began in February with the Abierto Internacional de Golf II Copa Antioquia in Colombia, a new tournament to the Challenge Tour schedule. After further tournaments in Kenya and Turkey, the tour visited Europe for the first time in May for the Allianz Open Côtes d'Armor Bretagne, one of four events on the schedule that also formed part of the Allianz Golf Tour, the official tour organised by the French Golf Federation. The season concluded with the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final at the end of October.

Dates	Tournament	Host country	Winner	OWGR Official World Golf Rankings The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers... Points	Notes
18–21 Feb	Abierto Internacional de Golf II Copa Antioquia	Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...	David Vanegas David Vanegas David Vanegas is a Colombian professional golfer.Vanegas was born in Medellín. He attended Johnson & Wales University in Florida, United States before turning professional in 2008 and joining the Tour de las Américas...  (1)	12	Co-sanctioned with the Tour de las Américas Tour de las Americas The Tour de las Américas is the men's professional golf tour for Latin America.Top level tournament golf in Latin America has had an unstable history. Some of the national open championships in the region are long established, but they did not traditionally form a coherent tour...  and Canadian Tour
25–28 Mar	Kenya Open Kenya Open The Kenya Open is a golf tournament in Kenya and has been an event on the European based Challenge Tour schedule since 1991. It was founded in 1967, and has been held at Muthaiga Golf Club near Nairobi every year except 1968 and between 2004 and 2008, when the tournament was held at Karen Country...	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...	Robert Dinwiddie Robert Dinwiddie (golfer) -Early years:Dinwiddie was born in Dumfries, Scotland. He went to college in the United States, where he attended Tennessee State University, and was the number one ranked English golfer....  (3)	12
29 Apr–2 May	Turkish Airlines Challenge Turkish Airlines Challenge The Turkish Airlines Challenge was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played in Turkey. It was played only in 2010 when Charlie Ford triumphed in a sudden-death playoff over Oscar Florén.-Winners:-External links:*...	Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...	Charlie Ford Charlie Ford (golfer) Charles Philip Ford is an English professional golfer.Ford was born in Leicester. He attended the University of Tennessee in the United States before turning professional in 2009. He qualified for the second tier Challenge Tour for the 2010 season by reaching the final stage of qualifying school...  (1)	12
6–9 May	Allianz Open Côtes d'Armor Bretagne	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...	Sam Walker Sam Walker (golfer) Sam James Walker is an English professional golfer.Walker was born in Birmingham and turned professional in 2000. He came through the ranks, starting his career on the third tier MasterCard Tour before graduating to the Challenge Tour and finally the top level European Tour...  (2)	12
20–23 May	Mugello Tuscany Open Mugello Tuscany Open The Mugello Tuscany Open is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played in Italy. It was held for the first time in 2010 when Floris de Vries triumphed in a sudden-death playoff over Thorbjørn Olesen.-Winners:-External links:**...	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...	Floris de Vries (1)	12
27–30 May	Telenet Trophy Telenet Trophy The Telenet Trophy is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, Europe's second tier men's professional golf tour. It was first played in 2006, with the host course being alternated between Limburg Golf & Country Club in Houthalen-Helchteren, Royal Waterloo in Lasne, and Rinkven Golf Club.As the...	Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...	Lee Slattery Lee Slattery Lee Andrew Slattery is an English professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour.Slattery was born in Southport, Lancashire. He turned professional in 1998 and spent his early career playing in minor tournaments on mini-tours in the United Kingdom. He won the Tour Championship on the...  (2)	12
3–6 Jun	Kärnten Golf Open Kärnten Golf Open The Kärnten Golf Open is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played in Austria. It was held for the first time in 2009 and is contested over the Pete Dye designed course at the Golf Club Klagenfurt-Seltenheim....	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...	Martin Wiegele Martin Wiegele Martin Wiegele is a Austrian professional golfer.Wiegele was born in Graz. He turned professional in 2003 when he joined the second tier Challenge Tour. He enjoyed some success during his first season finishing fourth on the end of season rankings to graduate to the top level European Tour for 2004...  (2)	12
10–13 Jun	Scottish Hydro Challenge	Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...	George Murray George Murray (golfer) George Murray is a Scottish professional golfer.Murray was born in Anstruther, Fife and having had a successful amateur career turned professional in 2006 when he reached the final stage of the European Tour Qualifying School. That qualified him for the Challenge Tour where he won for the first...  (1)	12
17–20 Jun	Moroccan Golf Classic	Morocco Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...	Chris Baker Chris Baker (golfer) Christopher Ryan Baker is an American professional golfer.Baker won the 2003 Indiana High School State Championship. He played college golf at Iowa State University....  (1)	12	Postponed from 22–25 Apr due to air travel issues Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption In response to concerns that volcanic ash ejected during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland would damage aircraft engines, the controlled airspace of many European countries was closed to instrument flight rules traffic, resulting in the largest air-traffic shut-down since World War II... .
17–20 Jun	Saint-Omer Open	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...	Martin Wiegele Martin Wiegele Martin Wiegele is a Austrian professional golfer.Wiegele was born in Graz. He turned professional in 2003 when he joined the second tier Challenge Tour. He enjoyed some success during his first season finishing fourth on the end of season rankings to graduate to the top level European Tour for 2004...  (3)	18	Also an official money event on the European Tour
24–27 Jun	Fred Olsen 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...	Álvaro Velasco Álvaro Velasco (golfer) Álvaro Velasco Roca is a Spanish professional golfer.Velasco was born in Barcelona and attended Coastal Carolina University on a golf scholarship where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration...  (1)	12
1–4 Jul	The Princess	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....	Thorbjørn Olesen Thorbjørn Olesen Jacob Thorbjørn Olesen is a Danish professional golfer.Olesen was born in Furesø and turned professional in 2008. He finished in fourth place on the third tier Nordic League rankings in 2009, having won three tournaments, to graduate to Europe's second tier Challenge Tour for 2010...  (1)	12
8–11 Jul	Allianz Golf Open de Lyon	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...	Bernd Wiesberger Bernd Wiesberger Bernd Wiesberger is a Austrian professional golfer.Wiesberger was born in Vienna and turned professional in 2006. He qualified for the European Tour for 2009 at qualifying school. He was unable to win enough money during his rookie season to retain his card and dropped down to the second tier...  (1)	12
15–18 Jul	Credit Suisse Challenge Credit Suisse Challenge The Credit Suisse Challenge is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, held in Switzerland. It was first played as the Credit Suisse Private Banking Open in 2000 and 2001 at the Golf Club Patriziale Ascona in Ascona. Following a four year hiatus, the tournament returned in 2006 and was held at the...	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....	Alessandro Tadini Alessandro Tadini Alessandro Tadini is an Italian professional golfer.Tadini was born in Borgomanero and turned professional in 1994. He finally qualified for the European Tour for 2003 after his sixth visit to qualifying school. He was unable to win enough money during his rookie season to retain his card and...  (3)	12
22–25 Jul	English Challenge English Challenge The English Challenge is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played in England. It was held for the first time in 1993 and after the following edition there was a nine year break before it made a one-off return in 2004....	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...	Daniel Gaunt Daniel Gaunt (golfer) Daniel Stephen Gaunt is an Australian professional golfer.Gaunt was born in Lancefield, Victoria near Melbourne. His brother Chris is also a professional golfer. He lives in New Malden, England with his wife, Caroline, and two children...  (1)	12
29 Jul–1 Aug	Green Challenge	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...	n/a	n/a	Tournament cancelled due to withdrawal of sponsor.
11–14 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....	Mark Tullo Mark Tullo Mark Tullo is a Chilean professional golfer.Tullo was born in Santiago. He attended North Carolina State University in the United States on a golf scholarship, graduating with a degree in Business Management, and turned professional in 2003. He has entered the European Tour's qualifying school...  (1)	12	Limited field Pro-Am
19–22 Aug	ECCO Tour Championship ECCO Tour Championship The ECCO Tour Championship is the most prestigious golf tournament on the Denmark based ECCO Tour, being jointly sanctioned by Europe's second tier Challenge Tour. It has run annually since 2006...	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...	Andreas Hartø Andreas Hartø Andreas Hartø is a Danish professional golfer.In August 2010, Hartø became just the fourth amateur to win on the European Challenge Tour when he captured the ECCO Tour Championship. He turned professional later in 2010, winning on the Challenge Tour for a second time in October of that year...  (amateur) (n/a)	12
25–28 Aug	SWALEC Wales Challenge	Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...	Oscar Florén Oscar Florén Oscar Florén is a Swedish professional golfer.Florén was born in Mölndal near Gothenburg. He attended Texas Tech University in the United States. Since turning professional in 2007, he has competed on Europe's second tier Challenge Tour...  (1)	12
2–5 Sep	Allianz EurOpen Strasbourg	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...	Romain Wattel Romain Wattel Romain Wattel is a French professional golfer.In September 2010, Wattel became just the fifth amateur to win on the European Challenge Tour, when he captured the Allianz EurOpen Strasbourg...  (amateur) (n/a)	12
9–12 Sep	Kazakhstan Open Kazakhstan Open The Kazakhstan Open is a men's professional golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, the official developmental tour of the PGA European Tour. First played in 2005, it was held at the Nurtau Golf Club in Almaty, Kazakhstan for the first four editions before moving to the Zhailjau Golf Resort, also in...	Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...	Álvaro Velasco Álvaro Velasco (golfer) Álvaro Velasco Roca is a Spanish professional golfer.Velasco was born in Barcelona and attended Coastal Carolina University on a golf scholarship where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration...  (2)	12
16–19 Sep	M2M Russian Challenge Cup M2M Russian Challenge Cup The M2M Russian Challenge Cup is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played in Russia. It was held for the first time in 2010.-Winners:-External links:*...	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...	Carlos del Moral Carlos del Moral -Amateur and early professional career:Born in Valencia, he was a successful junior, winning the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy before taking up a scholarship at the University of Oklahoma, where he played on the golf team alongside Anthony Kim...  (2)	12	New tournament
7–10 Oct	Allianz Golf Open du Grand Toulouse	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...	Bernd Wiesberger Bernd Wiesberger Bernd Wiesberger is a Austrian professional golfer.Wiesberger was born in Vienna and turned professional in 2006. He qualified for the European Tour for 2009 at qualifying school. He was unable to win enough money during his rookie season to retain his card and dropped down to the second tier...  (2)	12
13–16 Oct	Roma Golf 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...	Andreas Hartø Andreas Hartø Andreas Hartø is a Danish professional golfer.In August 2010, Hartø became just the fourth amateur to win on the European Challenge Tour when he captured the ECCO Tour Championship. He turned professional later in 2010, winning on the Challenge Tour for a second time in October of that year...  (2)	12
20–23 Oct	Egyptian Open Egyptian Open The Egyptian Open is the national open golf tournament of Egypt. It was first played in 1921, and is the oldest professional competition in the Middle East...	Egypt Egypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...	Mark Tullo Mark Tullo Mark Tullo is a Chilean professional golfer.Tullo was born in Santiago. He attended North Carolina State University in the United States on a golf scholarship, graduating with a degree in Business Management, and turned professional in 2003. He has entered the European Tour's qualifying school...  (2)	14
27–30 Oct	Apulia San Domenico Grand Final	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...	Matt Haines Matt Haines Matthew Haines is an English professional golfer.Haines turned professional in May 2010 after a successful amateur career, during which he became the yourngest ever winner of the Lytham Trophy and represented Great Britain and Ireland in the 2009 Walker Cup...  (1)	16

Rankings

For full rankings, see 2010 Challenge Tour graduates

2010 Challenge Tour graduates

This is a list of players who graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2010. The top 20 players on the Challenge Tour's money list in 2010 earned their European Tour card for 2011.Correct through the Andalucía Masters, 30 Oct 2011*European Tour rookie in 2011...

.

Rank	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	Álvaro Velasco Álvaro Velasco (golfer) Álvaro Velasco Roca is a Spanish professional golfer.Velasco was born in Barcelona and attended Coastal Carolina University on a golf scholarship where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration...		134,297
2	Matt Haines Matt Haines Matthew Haines is an English professional golfer.Haines turned professional in May 2010 after a successful amateur career, during which he became the yourngest ever winner of the Lytham Trophy and represented Great Britain and Ireland in the 2009 Walker Cup...		107,152
3	Thorbjørn Olesen Thorbjørn Olesen Jacob Thorbjørn Olesen is a Danish professional golfer.Olesen was born in Furesø and turned professional in 2008. He finished in fourth place on the third tier Nordic League rankings in 2009, having won three tournaments, to graduate to Europe's second tier Challenge Tour for 2010...		104,754
4	Floris de Vries		101,288
5	Bernd Wiesberger Bernd Wiesberger Bernd Wiesberger is a Austrian professional golfer.Wiesberger was born in Vienna and turned professional in 2006. He qualified for the European Tour for 2009 at qualifying school. He was unable to win enough money during his rookie season to retain his card and dropped down to the second tier...		99,989

External links

• Schedule on the European Tour's official site
• Rankings on the European Tour's official site