Swedish golfer Joakim Lagergren secured his second championship on the Challenge Tour by emerging victorious at the Irish Challenge held at The K Club in Straffan, Ireland. Lagergren, 32 years old and hailing from Stockholm, showcased his skills by recording three birdies and a bogey, culminating in an eagle on the final hole. This impressive performance allowed him to overtake Frenchman Sebastien Gros, who had been leading with a one-shot advantage on the 17th hole. Gros ultimately finished in second place, with Lagergren claiming the title with a total score of 272 (-16).
In third place was Englishman Brandon Robinson Thompson, who finished with a score of 275 (-13). Thompson had been defending his title and had held a one-shot lead over Lagergren after three rounds. Scottish golfer Ryan Lumsden secured fourth place with a score of 276 (-12), followed by Swede Bjorn Akesson in fifth place with 278 (-10), and South African Wilco Nienaber and Englishman Jack Senior tied for sixth place with scores of 279 (-9).
Among the Italian golfers, the highest-ranking player was Gregorio De Leo, who finished in 38th place with a score of 287 (-1). Enrico Di Nitto came in 42nd with a score of 288 (par), Aron Zemmer finished 47th with a score of 289 (+1), and Davide Buchi secured 60th place with a score of 292 (+4). Unfortunately, Pietro Bovari did not make the cut and finished in 68th place with a score of 145 (+1).
Lagergren, who had previously won the Northern Ireland Open in 2014 and the Rocco Forte Sicilian Open in 2018, received a prize of 43,200 euros from the total prize pool of 270,000 euros.
The Challenge Tour is a professional men’s golf tour in Europe, serving as the second division behind the PGA European Tour. Established in 1986 as the Satellite Tour, it offers opportunities for golfers to qualify for the PGA European Tour by finishing in the top fifteen in the season rankings. Some tournaments are held outside of Europe, and any player who wins three tournaments in a single season automatically earns a spot on the European Tour for the following season.
Photo from Joakim Lagergren Instagram
