The 2011 Challenge Tour was 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 2011 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.

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
13–16 Jan	Gujarat Kensville Challenge Gujarat Kensville Challenge The Gujarat Kensville Challenge is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played in India. It was held for the first time in January 2011 at Kensville Golf and Country Club in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and was the season opening event on the tour....	India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...	Gaganjeet Bhullar Gaganjeet Bhullar Gaganjeet Bhullar is an Indian professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour.-Amateur career:Bhullar was born in Kapurthala, India. He was India's number one amateur in 2004 and 2006 and was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games. He finished in a tie for...  (1)	12	New tournament
10–13 Mar	Abierto Internacional 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...	Joaquín Estévez Joaquín Estévez Joaquín Estévez is an Argentinian professional golfer who plays on the Challenge Tour and the Tour de las Américas.Estévez turned pro in 2008 and picked up his first professional win in 2011, the Copa Antioquia, an event sanctioned by the Challenge Tour and the Tour de las Américas.-Challenge Tour...  (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...
31 Mar–3 Apr	Barclays 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...	Michiel Bothma Michiel Bothma Michiel Frederick Bothma is a South African professional golfer.Bothma was born in Pretoria. He turned professional in 1993 and has played predominantly on the Southern Africa Sunshine Tour. He won for the first time in 2002 at the Telkom PGA Championship, one of the most prestigious tournaments...  (1)	12
5–8 May	Allianz 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...	Nicolas Meitinger Nicolas Meitinger Nicolas Meitinger is a German professional golfer.Meitinger was born in Cologne, Germany. He turned professional in 2005 and initially played on the EPD Tour, where he has six wins...  (1)	12	New tournament
12–15 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...	Anthony Snobeck Anthony Snobeck Anthony Snobeck is a French professional golfer, who has played on both the European and Challenge Tours.-Biography:Snobeck was born in Paris; his father Dany was a successful racing driver who won the French Supertouring Championship three times and the Andros Trophy twice, and the family lived...  (2)	12	New tournament
19–22 May	Madeira Islands Open	Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...	Michael Hoey (4)	18	Dual ranking event with the European Tour
26–29 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...	Andrew Tampion Andrew Tampion Andrew Tampion is an Australian professional golfer.Tampion was born in Melbourne, Australia. He turned professional in 2006....  (2)	12
2–5 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...	Edouard Dubois Edouard Dubois Edouard Dubois is a French professional golfer.Dubois was born in Libourne, France. He turned professional in 2008.In 2009, Dubois finished sixth on the Alps Tour Order of Merit, including his maiden professional win, and progressed to the final stage of European Tour Qualifying School, which...  (1)	12
9–12 Jun	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...	Phillip Archer Phillip Archer Phillip Archer is an English professional golfer.Archer was born in Warrington. He is best known for shooting a score of 60 in the first round at the Celtic Manor Wales Open in 2006. He had a chance of being the first player on the European Tour to shoot a 59, but missed his birdie putt on the...  (2)	12
16–19 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...	Matthew Zions Matthew Zions Matthew Zions is an Australian professional golfer.Zions was born in Gosford, Australia. He grew up on the New South Wales mid-north coast. He played out of the Kempsey Golf Club. He moved to the United States and played college golf at the University of Colorado...  (1)	18	Dual ranking event with the European Tour
23–26 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...	Edouard Dubois Edouard Dubois Edouard Dubois is a French professional golfer.Dubois was born in Libourne, France. He turned professional in 2008.In 2009, Dubois finished sixth on the Alps Tour Order of Merit, including his maiden professional win, and progressed to the final stage of European Tour Qualifying School, which...  (2)	12
30 Jun–3 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....	Ricardo Santos Ricardo Santos (golfer) Ricardo Santos is a Portuguese professional golfer.Santos was born in Faro, Portugal. He turned professional in 2006....  (1)	12
7–10 Jul	Acaya Open Acaya Open The Acaya Open is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played in Italy. It was first held in 2011, when Jamie Moul won the tournament.-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...	Jamie Moul Jamie Moul Jamie Moul is an English professional golfer who became the third man to top the World Amateur Golf Ranking on 13 February 2007.Moul plays out of Stoke-by-Nayland Golf Club near Colchester in Essex...  (1)	12	New tournament
14–17 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....	Benjamin Hebert Benjamin Hebert (golfer) Benjamin Hebert is a French professional golfer.-Early life:Hebert was born in Brive, France. His parents are Jean-Luc, a former pentathlete, and Françoise, a former swimmer, both of whom now work as teachers. He also has one sister, Audrey...  (1)	12
21–24 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...	Benjamin Hebert Benjamin Hebert (golfer) Benjamin Hebert is a French professional golfer.-Early life:Hebert was born in Brive, France. His parents are Jean-Luc, a former pentathlete, and Françoise, a former swimmer, both of whom now work as teachers. He also has one sister, Audrey...  (2)	12
11–14 Aug	Norwegian Challenge Norwegian Challenge The Norwegian Challenge is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played in Norway. It was founded in 1994 and was last played in 2008, before being revived in 2011. From 2006 to 2008 the tournament was known as the Lexus Open due to sponsorship requirements. It is the leading men's tournament in...	Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...	Andrea Pavan Andrea Pavan Andrea Pavan is an Italian professional golfer who plays on the Challenge Tour.-Amateur career:Pavan won the Italian Amateur Strokeplay Championship in 2005 at the age of 16, and subsequently opted to join the collegiate circuit in the USA...  (1)	12
17–20 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...	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...	Daniel Denison Daniel Denison Daniel Denison is an English professional golfer who plays on the Challenge Tour.Denison broke both of his legs in a car accident in 2007, an injury that threatened his career. He joined the Challenge Tour in 2009 where he struggled in his rookie year...  (1)	12	Tournament reduced to 54 holes due to weather
24–27 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....	Benjamin Hebert Benjamin Hebert (golfer) Benjamin Hebert is a French professional golfer.-Early life:Hebert was born in Brive, France. His parents are Jean-Luc, a former pentathlete, and Françoise, a former swimmer, both of whom now work as teachers. He also has one sister, Audrey...  (3)	12	Limited field Pro-Am
8–11 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...	Tommy Fleetwood Tommy Fleetwood Tommy Fleetwood is an English professional golfer.Fleetwood was born in Southport, Merseyside, near Liverpool. He had a distinguished amateur career with included wins in the 2009 Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship and the 2010 English Amateur, and runner-up finishes in the 2008 Amateur...  (1)	12
15–18 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...	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...  (3)	12
22–25 Sep	Allianz Golf Open 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...	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...  (4)	12
29 Sep–2 Oct	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...	Matthew Baldwin Matthew Baldwin Matthew Baldwin is an English professional golfer who plays on the Challenge Tour.Baldwin was captain of the England Boys side before turning professional in 2008. In 2009 he played on the third-tier Alps Tour and finished 23rd on the Order of Merit, with six top-ten finishes...  (1)	12
6–9 Oct	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...	Julien Quesne Julien Quesne Julien Quesne is a French professional golfer.Quesne was born in Le Mans. He turned professional in 2003 and joined the Alps Tour. He gained a place on the second tier Challenge Tour for 2005 by reaching the final stage of the European Tour Qualifying School at the end of 2004...  (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...	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)	12
2–5 Nov	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...	Andrea Pavan Andrea Pavan Andrea Pavan is an Italian professional golfer who plays on the Challenge Tour.-Amateur career:Pavan won the Italian Amateur Strokeplay Championship in 2005 at the age of 16, and subsequently opted to join the collegiate circuit in the USA...  (2)	16

Rankings

For full rankings, see 2011 Challenge Tour graduates

2011 Challenge Tour graduates

This is a list of players who graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2011. The top 20 players on the Challenge Tour's money list in 2011 earned their European Tour card for 2012.* European Tour rookie in 2012- External links :*...

.

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	Tommy Fleetwood Tommy Fleetwood Tommy Fleetwood is an English professional golfer.Fleetwood was born in Southport, Merseyside, near Liverpool. He had a distinguished amateur career with included wins in the 2009 Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship and the 2010 English Amateur, and runner-up finishes in the 2008 Amateur...		148,913
2	Andrea Pavan Andrea Pavan Andrea Pavan is an Italian professional golfer who plays on the Challenge Tour.-Amateur career:Pavan won the Italian Amateur Strokeplay Championship in 2005 at the age of 16, and subsequently opted to join the collegiate circuit in the USA...		133,052
3	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...		130,798
4	Ricardo Santos Ricardo Santos (golfer) Ricardo Santos is a Portuguese professional golfer.Santos was born in Faro, Portugal. He turned professional in 2006....		97,516
5	Benjamin Hebert Benjamin Hebert (golfer) Benjamin Hebert is a French professional golfer.-Early life:Hebert was born in Brive, France. His parents are Jean-Luc, a former pentathlete, and Françoise, a former swimmer, both of whom now work as teachers. He also has one sister, Audrey...		91,293

External links

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