Englishman Adam Chapman clinched the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour Sky Sports Tour Championship in style when leading from wire to wire at the Amendoeria Golf Resort’s Faldo course. Chapman (seen here celebrating his victory) is from the Carus Green Golf Club in Cumbria and had a stuttering start to his final round including two bogies on his first six holes while MK Kim (Golfmind, Korea) claimed three birdies to tie for the lead. However, Chapman’s steely resolve ensured that the early setback was turned his advantage as he later explained: “It put my mind off the title and made me get a grip of myself. I preferred being level trying to chase the win. I almost felt too comfortable with a four-shot lead.”
Chapman’s performance at Oceanico Amendoeira – his first win of the EuroPro season – catapulted him from 54th to 3rd place in the Order of Merit to secure the sought-after 2018 Challenge Tour card. The modest Englishman scored a memorable ace in his second round and came close to repeating the feat at the 11th hole on the last day to reflect an all-round champion performance.
With the season now ended, the top five on the tour standings earn a place on next year’s Challenge Tour. Currently injured Chris Lloyd (The Kendleshire) retains his top spot followed by rookie of the year MK Kim in second place. With Chapman securing third, Huddersfield Golf Club’s Nick Marsh nudged into fourth place. A steady performance from Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye Golf Club) in 15th position at Amendoeira allowed him to take the fifth and final place in the Challenge Tour rankings.
As editor of Clubhouse Algarve magazine, your humble reporter represented Open Media in the Monday Pro-Am event won by Jonathan Caldwell and it was a privilege to be in the Northern Irishman’s team. It was also a pleasure to witness his stunning performance at close quarters as he returned a score of 4-under par to take 1st place in the professionals’ competition. While a team victory in the overall Pro-Am proved elusive (maybe next year!), Jonathan Caldwell’s prowess suggested that he would do well in the 3-day tournament and he duly secured a priceless place on next season’s Challenge Tour.