Golf: European Challenge Tour Finale

The 2007 European Challenge Tour is set for a thrilling climax at the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, Italy commencing today and finishing on Saturday. The top 45 players in the Challenge Tour Order of Merit are battling it out to win of the 20 available places at the 2008 European Tour. Every player in the field can win one of the twenty European Tour Cards by taking the first prize of €42,800 .
 
Two Irish golfers Colm Moriarty, currently, and Stephen Browne, previously, supported by the Team Ireland Golf Trust, have qualified to play in this week’s final event. Colm is in 32nd place with winnings of  €37,384 and Stephen 37th with winnings of €35,881. They are currently €15,003 and €16,505 behind the 20th player, Nicolas Vanhostegem of Belgium. Both of them will have to finish in the top 3 to gain one of the coveted top 20 places.

The Team Ireland Golf Trust is a public private partnership designed to provide support, both financial and non-financial, to emerging Irish professional golfers to help them realise their potential on the world stage.

Golfers on the scheme have access to the sports science and medicine network already provided by the Irish Sports Council to high performance athletes on the International Carding Scheme. Access to these services is administered by the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick.

Since 2006 golfers supported by the Trust are able to freely access the Golfing Union of Ireland’s new National Academy facilities at Carton Demesne in Maynooth, Co. Kildare.