It’s not often I start these notes with a look at the Challenge Tour, but Espen Kofstad gave me every reason to last weekend.
The Norwegian produced his maiden professional win in the Acaya Open in Italy when an eagle and birdie in his final three holes took him one shot ahead of the field.
Espen took a major step towards gaining full European Tour status next season and a qualifying position is well within capabilities.
We had two other players in the top ten as Alexandre Kaleka and Peter Uihlein both did well over the week.
We didn’t have anybody at the sharp end in the Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, but both Simon Dyson and Matt Baldwin showed that somewhere down the line they are going to make a run at the game’s oldest and biggest tournament, while Louis Oosthuizen is coming ever closer to adding a second major to his CV.
I have no doubt that however reluctant Daren Clarke was to return the silver claret jug, the fact that he is no longer reigning champion will help re-ignite his career.
He still has enough time and fuel in the tank to add further trophies… and probably before the end of the season.
