Top of the class: how to win the Challenge Tour Rankings

<em>With the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI set to mark the start of the new second tier campaign, challengetour.com’s Nick Totten puts the finishing touches on a three-part statistical series and looks at what it takes to finish at the summit of the season-long Rankings. </em>

Last time out Andrew Johnston found himself looking down on the rest, thanks to<strong>two tournament titles </strong>at the Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels & Resorts as well as at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge, from his<strong>16 starts</strong>on the circuit.

During those tournament outings, the man affectionately referred to as Beef made<strong>14 cuts</strong>and finished in the<strong>top ten 56.25 per cent</strong>of the time, thanks to a<strong>stroke average of 69.64</strong>and a mean<strong>position of 23rd</strong>, en route to amassing<strong>€190,856 at a rate of €11,929 per event</strong>.

With all of that in mind, let’s see how the West London native compares to those that came before him, in finishing at the top of the Rankings since the turn of the century.

<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Building the perfect beast</span></strong>

Were you looking to piece together the perfect Challenge Tour talent, you would be well advised to make sure they meet the following criteria – starting with their age, which should read<strong>25 years</strong>. This is the average of the previous 15 number ones, with Englishmen Lee S James topping the list at 29 and Tommy Fleetwood coming in at the opposite end of the spectrum at just 20.

Experience is key, though, no matter the age, and no number one has had more of that than Johan Edfors in 2003. The Swede won twice that season en route to top spot, at the end of what was his<strong>fifth campaign</strong>on the second tier circuit.

That is a little more than most, with an<strong>average of 2.53 years</strong>required to reach the highest echelon of the Rankings, although there have also been<strong>three rookies</strong>in that time to finish first – namely the English duo of Fleetwood and David Horsey, as well as Frenchman Michael Lorenzo-Vera.

That is just a taste of what a potential top dog might need to possess personally, but here’s what an aspiring numero uno is likely to require on the golf course if they are to contend for top honours.

<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Down to grass tacks</span></strong>

Firstly, they will need to tee it up around<strong>20 times</strong>, making the<strong>cut on 16</strong>of those occasions at an average of<strong>80 per cent</strong>– although that would not have beaten Horsey in 2008, a season in which he went on to<strong>play the weekend 95.45 per cent</strong>of the time.

Once in the field, at least a<strong>couple of wins</strong>are usually required, as well as a similar number of runner-up finishes and third places. No player has won<strong>more than three times</strong>in any of the past 15 seasons though, with James, Italy’s Edoardo Molinari and Swede Henrik Stenson having achieved that feat –while the second of those also holds<strong>the record for second places, with four</strong>.

When it comes to<strong>rounding out the podium</strong>, last year’s champ – Johnston – did that as much as anyone else,<strong>with two</strong>. That is the same as Messrs Slattery and Stenson in their coronation campaigns, while Edfors, Mark Foster and Horsey have all had the most<strong>fourth to tenth places</strong>in their respective years,<strong>with six</strong>.

<blockquote title="Stat">€7,105 - the average earnings per event of the past 15 Challenge Tour Number Ones</blockquote>

On their way to such impressive performances atop the leaderboard, number ones will generally finish in the<strong>top three 22 per cent</strong>of the time, and the<strong>top ten 50 per cent</strong>, although Molinari’s victorious campaign in 2009 saw him achieve those in<strong>42 and 75 per cent</strong>of his starts, respectively.

That same season also saw the Italian finish in an<strong>average position of 14th</strong>throughout the year, a considerable improvement on his victorious peers, who collectively<strong>posted 30th</strong>.

When it comes to stroke average though,<strong>seven players have broken 70</strong>in their successful campaigns, but no man has achieved lower than Slattery in 2004 when he<strong>posted 69.53 across his 13 starts</strong>.

All of this adds up to an<strong>average total earnings of €12,788 per event</strong>, and a<strong>mean total of €134,013</strong>– although Molinari remains the record-earner in Challenge Tour history, thanks to his gargantuan total of<strong>€242,980 from 19 events</strong>some six years ago.

<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Closing argument</span></strong>

Taking all of this into account, then, it seems clear as to what will – almost certainly – be required for a player to earn a spot in the annals of Challenge Tour history by claiming the number one position on the Rankings come this season’s end.

<strong>top three 22 per cent</strong>of the time,<strong>winning at least twice</strong>, as well as rounding out the<strong>top ten in half of the tournaments</strong>they tee it up in. They will need to shoot low though, and to be safe,<strong>a sub-70 stroke average</strong>would be very useful in ensuring they average in the<strong>top 30 positions</strong>week after week.

Do that, and they could well<strong>earn the requisite €7,105 per tournament</strong>that could see them claim the number one spot. If they were to<strong>double that</strong>, then Molinari’s record haul could well be in sight, although the number one ranking would surely be reward enough at the end of a successful season played.

All that remains to be seen, then, is<strong>who will make the grade and Challenge for top honours in 2015</strong>.

To Madeira…