With the first Rolex Series of the year in the bag, we take a look at the performances of our former European Challenge Tour players at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Presented by EGA.
6 – the top six on the 2019 Road to Mallorca Rankings played in the opening Rolex Series event of the year. Of the six, three made the cut with Number One Francesco Laporta leading the way, finishing in a tie for 17th position.
4 – of the top five were former Challenge Tour players. Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Victor Perez finished in a tie for second place, while Louis Oosthuizen finished fifth.
8 – of the top ten can trace their roots back to the Challenge Tour. Behind the top five, Ross Fisher came tied sixth while Scott Jamieson, Martin Kaymer and Bernd Wiesberger finished in a share for eighth.
63 – Victor Perez’s final round at Abu Dhabi Golf Club was his lowest European Tour round to date. The Frenchman earned a tie for second place with a stunning nine under par final round, which included a closing eagle.
43 – consecutive events without a missed cut for Tommy Fleetwood. The 2011 Challenge Tour Number One is currently in an incredible run of form and his bogey-free closing round of 63 earned him a tie for second place, meaning he has finished second twice and won once in his last three events. He last missed a cut in the 2018 Open de France.
51 – former Challenge Tour players made the cut in Abu Dhabi, accounting for 69 per cent of the field over the weekend.
8 – of the current top ten in the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex have Challenge Tour connections. Only the Rankings leader Lee Westwood and Australian PGA Champion Adam Scott, who sits ninth, do not come from a Challenge Tour background.
-157 – 2006 graduate Martin Kaymer continued his enviable record at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Since making his first start at the venue in 2007, Kaymer is accumulatively 157 under par. His record includes three victories, a runner-up finish, third place and three further top tens – the latest of which came last week.
