There was a buzz surrounding Stal when he turned professional in 2012, a year after he blew away the rest of the field to win the 2011 French Amateur Championship by an incredible eight shot margin, and he did not disappoint. In just his fourth Challenge Tour appearance of the season and as a sponsor’s invite, Stal showed nerves of steel in claiming the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda after a tense final day battle with England’s Daniel Brooks. Proved that victory was not a one-off a month later at the Credit Suisse Challenge when he again showed his ability to handle pressure, holing a testing six-foot putt for par to force a play-off with compatriot Alexandre Kaleka before sinking a 15-foot putt over a ridge for victory. Those two wins, as well as top 20 finishes in the Norwegian Challenge and the ALLIANZ Open de Lyon in his home town, helped earn him 17th spot in the Challenge Tour Rankings and a rookie season on The European Tour in 2013. Stal, who is also a keen tennis player, had his father as his caddie for most of the season.