European Challenge Tour Members hoping to win one of the coveted top 15 spots on the newly- named Road to Ras Al Khaimah will want to speak to 2016 Challenge Tour graduate Jordan Smith.
Smith won the 2016 Ras Al Khaimah Golf Challenge at al Hamra Golf Club, which will host the Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final—the culmination of the season-long Road to Ras Al Khaimah. The win propelled the Englishman to the top spot in the Challenge Tour Rankings—earning him a European Tour card.
During his successful rookie campaign, Smith lifted the trophy at the second event of the Challenge Tour International Schedule in Egypt. He followed his win with six top ten finishes throughout the season before claiming his second victory of the year in Ras Al Khaimah, as he comfortably topped the Challenge Tour Rankings.
“Not a day goes by where I don’t think about how important my Ras Al Khaimah win was in getting me to where I am today,” he said.
During that final day in Ras Al Khaimah, Smith made four birdies in five holes to take a one-shot lead down the 18that Al Hamra Golf Club. A disciplined par was all he needed to card a closing 66 and finish on 20 under par.
The win in Ras Al Khaimah would serve as a personal validation for the then 23 year old.
“Performing so consistently with so much on the line was a huge confidence boost and I’ve been fortunate enough to carry that form onto the European Tour,” said Smith.
Since graduating from the Challenge Tour, the Chippenham native has enjoyed a wealth of success on the European Tour. In his first start of 2017, Smith put the golfing world on notice, when he played his way into a final round grouping with then World Number Two Rory McIlroy at the BMW SA Open hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni. Smith stood strong, carding two eagles and four birdies, and only missed joining McIlroy and Graeme Storm in a play-off by a single shot.
Two weeks later, he recorded a tied sixth place finish at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which moved him inside the top 100 in the world. After another top ten finish at the Trophee Hassan II, a victory seemed to be on the horizon.
It all came together for the Englishman at one of the European Tour’s oldest events, the Porsche European Masters. Starting with a two-shot lead, the final day quickly evolved into a back-and-forth battle between Smith and the defending champion, France’s Alex Levy. Needing a birdie on the 72ndhole, Smith rose to the occasion—holing a ten foot putt to force a play-off, and then won on the second sudden-death hole to claim his first European Tour title.
“It's all a bit surreal,” he said after his victory. “Coming off the Challenge Tour last year. It's been fun.
“I had a really good start to the year and the first aim was just to secure my Tour card, which I managed to do. And then the second goal was to win an event, which I've managed to do.”
The next week, Smith demonstrated yet again how the Challenge Tour prepared him to handle any moment. Making his Major Championship debut at the US PGA Championship, the young talent handled the tricky Quail Hollow Club and the world-class field with remarkable poise and finished inside the top ten.
Ras Al Khaimah proved to be a launching pad for Smith’s ascent to the highest levels of professional golf.
The Road to Ras Al Khaimah will now further enhance the calibre of experience for Challenge Tour Members hoping to follow in Smith’s footsteps, by creating a season full of pressure-packed playing opportunities.
