With Morgado Golf Resort hosting a dual-ranking event for the first time at this week’s Open de Portugal, we looked through the history books at the previous times the European Tour and Challenge Tour have joined forces.
A golden opportunity for players looking to make their mark on the European Tour, competitors doing battle at dual-ranking tournaments have often taken full advantage of the winner’s exemption on offer – using their victory as a springboard to launch or rejuvenate their European Tour careers.
Here we relive five of the most memorable dual-ranking performances from the past 18 years.
Padraig Harrington – 1999 West of Ireland Golf Classic
The 1999 West of Ireland Golf Classic, the first event to feature on both the Challenge Tour and European Tour’s schedules, saw home favourites Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington in fine form, with the two Dubliners both in contention in Galway.
Harrington, who secured his maiden European Tour win three years earlier at the Peugeot Spanish Open, went into the final round at the top of the leaderboard alongside Costantino Rocca.
The then 27 year old was unable to overcome the experienced Italian on the final day though, signing for a level par round of 72 to miss out on a second European Tour victory by two strokes.
Falling short at the final hurdle was a common feature for the Irishman in 1999 – he finished as a runner-up five times that season.
But Harrington’s tag as bridesmaid rather than bride would not stick for long, and after qualifying for Mark James’s 1999 Ryder Cup side, the future World Number One never looked back.
Brett Rumford – 2003 Saint Omer Open
Following two further editions of the West of Ireland Golf Classic, Saint-Omer Golf Club hosted the next ten dual-ranking tournaments, starting with the 2003 Aa Saint Omer Open.
After earning a European Tour card via Qualifying School in 2000, Australia’s Brett Rumford spent two seasons adjusting to life on Europe’s top tier before he triumphed in northern France.
The Perth native made the perfect start in Saint Omer, carding a seven under par opening round of 64 to take a two-shot lead – one he would never relinquish.
Rumford continued to dominate throughout, finishing the week five shots clear of the field as he secured a wire-to-wire victory, his first on the European Tour.
Since that breakthrough win Rumford has become a European Tour stalwart who has tasted victory on five further occasions – most recently in his hometown, at this year’s ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.
Michael Hoey – 2011 Madeira Islands Open
Michael Hoey likes Portugal. The Northern Irishman’s maiden European Tour title came at the 2009 Open de Portugal, which he will be looking to reclaim this week, as did his second – the dual-ranking Madeira Islands Open in 2011.
Hoey, who initially made his name on the Challenge Tour with three victories in four years, was looking to kick on in his fifth season on Europe’s top tier after two top-20 finishes in his first 11 events.
The former Amateur Champion did just that, holding off the likes of Branden Grace and Tommy Fleetwood to win the first dual-ranking event on Portuguese soil.
That result proved to be a catalyst for Hoey, who went on to enjoy his finest season to date in 2011.
A second victory soon followed at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he overcame challenges from Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Harrington, among others, to triumph in Scotland. By the end of that campaign, Hoey found himself in 25thplace in the Race to Dubai Rankings.
Darren Fichardt – 2012 Saint Omer Open
Unlike the previous champions mentioned, Fichardt was a seasoned competitor when he won in Saint Omer.
Fichardt was already a two-time European Tour winner when he teed off in the tenth dual-ranking event to be played in France, but he had gone eight years without victory at the highest level.
After three rounds in the 60s, the then 37 year old went into the final round with a seemingly unassailable five-shot lead.
Despite a two over par closing round of 73, the experienced South African stayed in control and cruised to the third European Tour title of his career.
Rather than waiting another eight years for his next victory, a rejuvenated Fichardt was back in the winners’ circle after just another eight months, winning on home soil at the 2013 Africa Open.
Peter Uihlein – 2013 Madeira Islands Open
Peter Uihlien started 2013 as a Challenge Tour player, but he had already been making inroads on the European Tour by the time he arrived in Madeira.
After catching the eye with back-to-back top ten finishes in the Tshwane Open and Open de España, the former World Amateur Number One truly announced himself to the golfing world with a sublime performance on the Portuguese island.
The 2010 US Amateur Champion had been one behind coming into the final day, but the young American showed maturity beyond his years to leapgfrog overnight leader Mark Tullo and seal a two-shot victory.
The then 23 year old built on that strong showing throughout the season, narrowly missing out on European Tour victories on two occasions.
A spectacular finish from Grégory Bourdy prevented him from triumphing at the ISPS HANDA Wales Open, and then three weeks later he lost out in a play-off at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he had come within inches of recording the first official 59 in European Tour history in his second round.
Those two runner-up spots did help push Uihlien up to 14th in the Race to Dubai Rankings, capping off a remarkable debut European Tour campaign – he was also crowned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.
