Wiltshire’s Ben Stow is looking for a fast start to the 2020 European Tour Challenge Tour season when he tees it up in the new South Africa swing at the Limpopo Championship. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

WILTSHIRE’S Ben Stow is aiming for a winning start to the European Challenge Tour season at this week’s Limpopo Championship.

A Walker Cup winner five years ago, Stow is looking to put the disappointment of narrowly missing out on his 2020 European Tour card behind him.

The European Challenge Tour travels to South Africa for the first time in the Tour’s history, with the co-sanctioned event (January 30-February 2) providing an early opportunity for the Englishman to throw down the gauntlet to his fellow Challenge Tour members.

Stow, who won the Brabazon Trophy at the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship in 2014, finished 17th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings in 2019.

That was two spots outside the graduation places, having battled injury during the second half of the season.

The 28-year-old Rushmore Park member has finished in the top 30 in the Race to Mallorca Rankings for three consecutive years.

And with 20 cards available in 2020, up from 15 last year, is confident this can be the year he secures a maiden full season on the European Tour.

“I played consistency all year really,” said Stow. “I think I only missed two cuts all season and had ten top 10s – but managed to finish 17^th on the rankings at the end of the year.

“I think it’s really good the Challenge Tour has 20 cards this season – and it’s a move that’s been popular with the players.

“The Challenge Tour is a really good test of golf and you have to maintain that form over the course of the season, so it seems like a good move.”

With the last three winners of the opening event on the Road to Mallorca going on to secure their European Tour playing rights at the conclusion of the campaign, Stow recognises the importance of a fast start.

The youngest-ever Wiltshire Amateur Champion at 16 in 2008, said: “There is almost a million euros to play for over the next three weeks.

“So it is important to play well over these opening tournaments in South Africa and start to build some momentum.

“That’s something I’ve been able to do well over my career. Spending some time in the off-season with my coach and then trying to come out and hit the ground running.

“I’m very excited and I believe I can do very good things,” said Stow, the South Western Counties 2011 Amateur Champion, who pipped fellow Challenge Tour player Rhys Enoch, at Saunton, that summer.

Stow will get his opening round under way at 11.10 am local time at Euphoria, with play beginning at 6.30am at Koro Creek and Euphoria.

•Follow live scoring here.

Limpopo first leg of South African swing

THE Limpopo Championship is the first of three events in South Africa on the Challenge Tour schedule.

The RAM Cape Town Open takes place from February 6-9, and the Dimension Data Pro-Am is being staged from February 13-16 forming the first three events of the season.

This week’s action will feature 204 players from the Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

They are bidding for a lion’s share of the $250,000 prize fund, with the field playing one round at both Euphoria and Koro Creek before the top 60 and ties make it through to the weekend at Euphoria.\

•Hampshire’s Harry Ellis, the 2017 Amtaeur Champion, who had limited starts on the Challenge Tour in 2019, is in the field this week and tees off on the Euphoria Course at 6.30am – which is two hours ahead of GMT.

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Bai Zheng-kai became the first Chinese player to win on the European Challenge Tour by four shots at the Foshan Open thanks to an excellent final round of 65.
Picture by RICHARD CASTKA / SPORTPIXGOLF.COM

HISTORY was made at the Foshan Open as Bai Zheng-kai became the first Chinese player to win on the European Challenge Tour shooting six-under on the back nine to secure victory at Foshan Golf Club.

Bai signed for a seven-under par 65 to post 23-under for the tournament – four strokes clear of Dou Zecheng, who finished second on 19 under.

Scotland’s Calum Hill – who needed victory to earn automatic promotion to the European Tour – finished with five successive birdies to get to 18-under and return to the top of the Road to Mallorca rankings thanks to his third-place finish.

However, the day belonged to 22-year-old Bai, who showed maturity beyond his years as he put the Foshan course to the sword over the final nine holes, and made Challenge Tour history in the process.

“It feels amazing,” Bai said. “Becoming the first Chinese player to win the Foshan Open is unbelievable. I’ve had a great week and I’m very happy.

“All the Europeans are good players and it just feels amazing to win this tournament. I’m honoured to become the first Chinese player to win on the Challenge Tour.”

Bai, also known as Bobby, set a new course record in the second round when he posted a bogey-free 63. And the PGA Tour China player drew on that experience as he came down the stretch with victory in his sights.

“I looked at the leaderboard around the turn and felt like I needed a few more birdies,” said Zheng-kai.

“My ball-striking was good, my putting kept me going along the last couple of holes and I made a lot of birdies.

“I also played pretty well when I shot 63 on Friday. I made a lot of putts and my ball-striking was really good. Everything fell into place that day.”

One shot behind Hill in a tie for fourth place was Hampshire’s Richard Bland and Germany’s Alexander Knappe on 17-under, while Poland’s Adrian Meronk, Denmark’s Benjamin Poke and Wiltshire’s Ben Stow shared sixth place on 16-under.

Royal Liverpool’s Matthew Jordan, Christofer Blomstrand, and overnight leader Ricardo Santos, who posted a one over-par 73 on Sunday, complete the top 10 in a share for ninth place a further shot back.

Final scores in Foshan Open

As Bai is not a member of the European Challenge Tour, he will not receive the Road to Mallorca Rankings points allocated for the winner of the Foshan Open.

As a result Bai is ineligible to play in the Challenge Tour Grand Final next month. But he does earn a start in the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai this week.

Nervious finish in Race to Mallorca

ONE man who will play at Club de Golf Alcanada next month is Hill, who finished solo third to replace Hainan Open Champion Francesco Laporta at the top of the Road to Mallorca rankings.

Bland’s tie for fourth spot moves him to third place in the rankings and will mean there is one Challenge Tour Grand Final winner in the field at

Knappe, who played on an invite this week, climbed 43 places to 46th position on the Road to Mallorca.

But the German missed out on a spot in the Challenge Tour Grand Final, by just 882 points – the only consolation was Knappe, a two-time Challenge Tour winner, did secure full playing privileges for next year.

Somerset’s Laurie Canter made it through in 44th spot, one of nine Englishmen, including Bland (3rd), Lancastrians Jack Senior (7th) and Matthew Baldwin (38th), Jordan (10th) Stowe (17th), Kent’s Steve Tiley (30th), Essex’s Dale Whitnell (34th) and Surrey’s Ross McGowan (40th) to make it through to the season’s finale.

Those that missed out were Essex’s Todd Clements (50th) and Staffordshire’s Richard Mansell (64th), who played limited schedules having graduated from the EuroPro Tour via sponsors’ invites.

Kent’s Matt Ford (61st) and 2013 Amateur Champion Garrick Porteous (56th) will now head to the European Tour Qualifying School along with Lincolnshire’s David Coupland, Walton Heath’s former Welsh international David Boote and Scotland’s Bradley Neil, who won the Amateur Championship, at Royal Portrush, in 2014

There is now a week’s break on the Challenge Tour schedule as the top 45 players prepare for the final event of the season in Mallorca, where the leading 15 players will earn full European Tour cards for next season.

Scotland’s Conor Syme currently in 12th place will need a good week to lock up his European Tour card while his Walker Cup team-mate Jordan – a winner of the Italian Challenge Open – will also be looking nervously over his shoulder.

Meanwhile the other four Englishmen in the field know a victory in Mallorca will guarantee them the ultimate prize of a place on the European Tour in 2020.

Last year Portugal’s Pedro Figueiredo claimed the 15th card with 94,339 points. Wales Oliver Farr currently occupies that spot with 77,027 points so will most likely need a top 20 finish to guarantee his third promotion from the Challenge Tour since 2014.

•See the current Road to Mallorca standings by clicking here.

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Wiltshire’s Ben Stow believes a six-week break In July after an injury, has left him feeling fresher for the China leg of the European Challenge Tour. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

WILTSHIRE’S Ben Stow celebrated his birthday in style by setting a new course record of 64 at Foshan Golf Club to lead the Foshan Open by one stroke after the opening day.

The 28-year-old sits one shot ahead of Germany’s Alexander Knappe, who would have joined Stow as holder of the course record of eight-under par, if not for a closing bogey to leave him on seven-under.

Another six players share third place on six-under, including 2017 Champion Oliver Farr.

Stow, playing in the first group of the day off the 10th tee, bounced back from a double bogey on the 17th hole – his eighth – with a birdie to make the turn in two-under.

The 2013 Brabazon Trophy winner then notched five consecutive gains from the second to the sixth, which catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard.

And a closing birdie saw him beat the existing course record of 65, set by Wales’ Rhys Davies and Aussie Scott Arnold.

Stow, alongside playing partners Wil Besseling and Simon Hawkes, raced around Foshan Golf Club, with their front nine taking just one hour and 50 minutes and Stow spoke of how much he enjoyed the pace of play.

“It was great to play so quickly,” Stow said. “We played the front nine in one hour and 50 minutes, which in tournament golf is unheard-of,” revealed Stow, who is currently 26th on the Road to Mallorca.

“It was great. We were out first and with Wil and Simon – none of us are slow – we didn’t really rush. We just played when we were ready. It was really enjoyable actually.

“I played great and putted well so I’m really chuffed. I’ve been working really hard recently so it’s nice to get some results,” said Stow, who was a member at Rushmore GC, on the Hampshire-Wiltshire border, as a junior.

The 2011 Faldo Series UK winner would love a top 15 finish to the season to earn promotion to the European Tour and join former Wiltshire team-mate Jordan Smith.

Stow added: “I played really solid and I just hit one bad tee shot down 17. Where I left my approach shot left me with a very, very fast putt and I just missed it coming back.

“I knew I was playing well and on 18 the wind was down when we played it. So I managed to get it quite a long way up 18 and then I easily made the green in two – then it was a good two-putt.”

The 2018 Prague Golf Challenge winner missed a period of time earlier this year through injury, having also suffered a serious knee injury before his breakthrough win a year ago.

But despite the frustration of being side-lined at the time, Stow admits he is now reaping the benefits of the enforced mid-season break.

“Traditionally I haven’t played very well in China, but I had six weeks off this year with an injury in July, and right now, I think it’s a bit of a saving grace because I feel fresh and quite chilled out,” said Stow, who spent four years playing for Kentucky University’s Wildcats.

“In previous years I’ve always played quite a lot and then got here and felt quite tired. So maybe the moral of the story is take a month off in July.”

Joining Farr in a tie for third place on six-under is Australia’s Cory Crawford, Royal Liverpool’s Italian Challenge Open Eneos Motor Oil Champion Matthew Jordan, Finland’s Roope Kakko, Kent’s Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge winner Steven Tiley and Italy’s Aron Zemmer.

Rounding off the top 10 in a tie for ninth place on five-under is Portugal’s Ricardo Santos and China’s Liu Yanwei, who is currently the leading Chinese player.

•The second round of the Foshan Open begins at 6.55am local time on Friday, with leader Stow due off at 11.10am.

To follow live scoring click here.

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Paul Casey shares the lead at the Porsche European Open after a sparkling 66 in testing conditions at Green Eagles Golf’s Nord Course. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

PAUL Casey defied testing conditions at Green Eagle Golf Courses to card a stunning six-under par 66, to take a one-stroke lead into the second round of the Porsche European Open.

Surrey’s four-time Ryder Cup player carded five birdies on the back nine, adding to gains made on the first and seventh holes, to sit one stroke ahead of Austria’s Matthias Schwab, who carded a bogey-free round of five under par.

Casey who has won 12 more times since his first win on the European Tour at Gleneagles in 2001, said: “It was a really good round of golf.

“There were a couple of putts that slipped by, but that is such a difficult golf course. I was happy with the patience I was showing and the quality of strike, considering I hadn’t played well in the pro-am.

“Now I stand here happier. The score doesn’t really do it justice – that’s one of the finest rounds of golf I’ve played this year,” added the four-time Ryder Cup player.

“I prefer it when it’s hot. I’ve always been a very good driver and I’m a good long-iron player – that was demonstrated today.

“The three-iron I hit into the 14^th was good. It suits me, but it doesn’t mean I enjoy it. I like easier golf courses, but this is the Porsche European Open – it is meant to be difficult.

“I’m here for a competition and I’m here because I want to win,” said Casey, who has four top fives and four top 10s in Germany, playing in the BMW International and Linde German Masters.

Matthias Schwab, who finished tied for eighth last week in the Omega European Masters at Crans, said: “It was a very good round for me.

“It was tough conditions – rain, really strong wind and sun every now and then. I managed to adjust well, I made some good shots and made some good putts – I’m happy with my score.

“I’m happy with only one bogey on my scorecard, added the Austrian, who is still seeking his maiden European Tour victory in his second full season on Tour.

Schwab added: “I had a four-week break and that came at the right time. I took some time off and worked on my game a bit, that seems to have paid off.”

Just 22 players in the 150-man field finished their first rounds under par after battling wind and rain on the Porsche Nord Course, which is the third-longest visited by the European Tour in 2019.

Wilshire’s Brabazon Trophy winner Ben Stow set the early clubhouse lead on four-under, and was joined on that number by Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and German Max Rottluff.

Stow, the Rushmore Park player who won the English Amateur Strokeplay in 2014 before turning pro in 2015, said: “I worked my ball really well around the golf course.

“I managed it quite well and I chipped and putted really nicely. In these types of conditions you have to chip and putt well.

“I holed some good seven/eight-footers to keep it going and made some good birdies as well,” added Stowe, who missed four months with a serious knee injury before bouncing back with his maiden Challenge Tour win in Prague last summer.

Rottluff is making just his fifth European Tour appearance this week and said: “I played solid off the tee, especially in the wind.

“Finding the fairways was keen and I rolled in a few nice putts, which was a bonus and I managed to get around with a decent score.

“I’ve been in the US for seven years now. Graduated in ’16. Every year I felt like I was getting better in every aspect of the game and off the golf course, in terms of managing myself and travelling.

“I feel like I’ve been developing nicely and to come and shoot a good score is proving to myself that I have been working in the right places.”

Australian Lucas Herbert built on his tied-eighth finish at last week’s Omega European Masters with a three-under par start in Hamburg.

He joined Sweden’s Alexander Björk and Sussex’s Ben Evans in sixth place. Thomas Pieters – winner of last month’s D+D Real Czech Masters – is one of four players four strokes behind Casey on two-under.

For live scoring in round two click here.

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Denmark’s Martin Simonsen shot an excellent 66 to share the lead at the Golf Club de Geneve, in Switzerland, after the first round of the Rolex Trophy. Picture by ROLEX

WILTSHIRE’S Ben Stow, Adrian Meronk, Martin Simonsen recorded six-under par 66S to share the lead at the Rolex Trophy, in Switzerland.

The trio, who all carded bogey-free front nine scores, started quickly on Wednesday morning, and ended the day with a share of the one-stroke lead at the top of the leaderboard at Switzerland’s Golf Club de Genève in this week’s Eurpean Challenge Tour event.

Both Poland’s Meronk and Simonsen, from Denmark, are making their maiden appearances in the exclusive 40-man Rolex Trophy and showed no signs of inexperience following their low rounds.

Stow – the winner of the Brabazon Trophy, awarded at the English Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship, back in 2014 – finished in a share of eighth place 12 months ago.

Last year’s Prague Challenge Open winner – who is attacked to Rushmore Golf Club on the edge of the New Forest, continued his good form on the Geneva course with a round of 66,

The University of Kentucky graduate, who represented England in the Eisenhower Trophy in 2014, included seven birdies and only one bogey.

Dane Simonsen raced out of the blocks with six birdies in his front nine, including three in a row ahead of the turn, and returned to the clubhouse in level par after a bogey and a birdie among seven pars.

“I would’ve taken that score this morning,” said Simonsen. “I was hoping for a little more after the front nine I had when I was six-under par after nine holes, which was nice.

“And I had a good look at the 10th for birdie to get to seven-under, but six-under is good and I’m happy with it.

“I played really well on seven, eight and nine, where I had fairly easy birdies. I lost momentum a little on the back nine.

“I hit a good shot on 11 but miscalculated the wind so it came up short and then I missed a short putt for par.

“It’s always nice being towards the top of the leaderboard, so hopefully I can put together a couple of good rounds and see where we end up.”

Meronk made back-to-back birdies to begin his inaugural round at Golf Club de Genève before carding the first of two eagles at the par five fifth hole.

His only dropped shot of the day came at the 10th, but he responded with a birdie at the 13th and his second eagle at the par five 15th to reach the six-under target.

“It was a very solid day,” said Meronk. “I played really well and I’m very pleased with my game.

“It’s only the first day but it’s a good position to be in. There is still a lot of golf to be played but I’m excited for the next three days.

“They were solid eagles on two of the par fives. I hit two solid shots off the tee, which you need to do around here, and that allowed me to go for the green in two, so I was very happy with those two holes.”

The trio hold a one-shot lead over a group of four players, including Challenge Tour No. 1 and 2 Calum Hill and Antoine Rozner.

The pair sit alongside Spaniard Carlos Pigem and Ricardo Santos, from Portgual, in a tie for fourth after carding 67s.

Simonsen gets the second round under way at 7.30am local time while Stow is off at 8.20am and Meronk at 12.30pm. For live scoring click here.

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