It is six years since Peter Gustafsson burst on to The European Tour scene with his eye-catching hats and a personality and golf game to boot, but the Swede believes he is much better placed now to go on to further success via the Challenge Tour.
The Swede currently lies in tenth place in the Challenge Tour Rankings, helped largely by a superb performance at the dual-ranking Saint Omer Open presented by Neuflize OBC, where he finished second only to Matthew Zions of Australia.
And now, as he prepares to take a well-deserved holiday during the Challenge Tour’s two-week break, Gustafsson can reflect on what has been a period of steady improvement while plotting his route to a higher finish in the Rankings, and subsequently earning a card for next year’s European Tour.
“I’m playing solid at the moment but I’m still waiting for a few good results,” reflected the 34 year old as he prepared for a break from rigours of the Challenge Tour.
“Of course, I got a good result in the Saint Omer and as everyone knows, there are three or four events that are important for Challenge Tour golfers as they are a good opportunity to make some money, so the second place in that event has made a big difference.
“It will be nice to have some time off now, it’s especially nice to have a break knowing that all the other players are doing the same and you’re not missing out on events.
“But there are a few things in my game I’m not too happy with, so hopefully now I can work on them and maybe get a few top fives in the second part of the season.”
Gustafsson had the most successful year of his career in 2005, when, having won the Qualifying School in 2004, he earned runner-up finishes in both the Open de Espaῆa and the Omega European Masters.
But he believes he has become a much more consistent golfer now, having climbed back up the ranks through the Nordic League.
France has particularly been a happy hunting ground for Gustafsson this year, as he has achieved two top 10 finishes there, with his second-placed finish at Saint Omer preceded by a tenth place in the ALLIANZ Challenge de France in May.
Further top 20 finishes in the Abierto International Copa Antioquia in Colombia, a tournament he won in 2009, last March and the Credit Suisse Challenge in June have helped him to €47,440 in prize money thus far.
“I would say that in 2005 I had a couple of really good results but I also missed a lot of cuts as well so my game feels a lot better now, I feel a lot more consistent and I’m making a lot more cuts.
“I don’t think some people realise how tough it is on the Challenge Tour, there are a lot of very talented young guys and more experienced guys too and you need to finish high up to get in the money.
“So let’s say this,” he concludes, “of course I want to win some events this year but to get regular top tens is very important for me now.
“My plan now is to keep steady, while improving my game and hopefully I can stay in the top ten of the Challenge Tour Rankings when the season ends.”
