Five things to know - Euram Bank Open

The European Challenge Tour is in Austria for the second staging of the Euram Bank Open at Golf Club Adamstal. Here, we take a look at five things you need to know ahead of the 2019 edition.

Fly high

With a total of just 6,476 yards, GC Adamstal is one of the shortest courses on the Challenge Tour International Schedule. Do not be fooled into thinking low scores are a given, however, rolling hillsides provide a steady barrage of uneven lies, testing the players’ creativity and course management. Set in lower Austria’s alpine foreland, the scenic golf course demands precision distance control as club selection is tested by the relentless elevation changes and thinner air found at 1,135m above sea level.

Darius in dreamland

Darius van Driel earned his maiden Challenge Tour title in Austria last year, defeating David Law by a single shot at the inaugural Euram Bank Open. He endured an epic final day battle in the Austrian mountains as van Driel, Law, Joachim B. Hansen and Sean Crocker all fought for victory. It was, however, van Driel who triumphed after securing par at the last thanks to a superb chip shot to only a few feet. The Dutchman could be one to watch this week in defence of his crown. He already has three top tens this season – including one on the European Tour at the Belgian Knockout.

On the tee

With The Open Championship, the final Major Championship of the year, taking place at Royal Portrush Golf Club this week, the field for the Euram Bank Open has a different feel to usual. The most notable absentee due to playing in The Open is Scotsman Connor Syme, as the Challenge Tour Number Six progressed through Final Qualifying to earn a spot at Royal Portrush. In total nine Challenge Tour players are teeing it up in Northern Ireland this week, including Matt Baldwin, Garrick Porteous and Jack Senior.

Runs in the family

Golf often runs in the family and that is certainly the case with the man behind the Euram Bank Open. Niki Wiesberger, who is the promoter of the event, is the brother of Bernd Wiesberger, now a Rolex Series winner after triumphing at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open last week. That victory was Wiesberger’s second of the season following his Made in Denmark Presented by FREJA win earlier this year and it is now Niki’s turn to enjoy success with the 2019 Euram Bank Open. After suffering a wrist injury, Bernd attended the 2018 Euram Bank Open as a spectator and now, a year on, is a Rolex Series champion.

25 years and counting

This will be the 25th time the Challenge Tour has held an event in Austria. The first time the Tour stopped off in the landlocked country was in 1992 for the Bank Austria Open, where Stephen Dodd, now of the Staysure Tour, claimed the trophy. The win helped launch the Welshman’s career as Dodd went on to win three European Tour events and has claimed three Staysure Tour victories to date, making him one of only ten men to have won on all three European Tour-operated circuits.