The Kazakhstan Open is the biggest event on the European Challenge Tour calendar, with its prize fund of €450,000 making it a tournament all the players are desperate to win. Here, we take a look at the make up of the previous victors.
There have been 12 different Kazakhstan Open champions through the years coming from eight different countries. The last five events have been won by players from across Europe with France, England, Sweden and Scotland providing the champions.
This appears to be a tournament for the young players on tour, with just three winners being over the age of 29. The youngest winner of the event was Tommy Fleetwood who won aged 20 in 2011. Leif Westerberg has the honour of being the oldest to win in Kazakhstan when he won aged 33 in 2007. The average age of winners is 26.9.
Scoring is usually quite low, with Alvaro Velasco holding the tournament record after shooting 21 under par to win in 2010. Sweden’s Westerberg only needed a score of nine under par for his victory – something of a rarity in an event where the average winning total is 16.45 under par, though some variation will be expected given it is played on two different courses in alternate years. Zhailjau Golf Resort hosts in even numbered years, with Nurtau GC in odd numbered years since 2010.
This event will be held dearly in the hearts of a number of player as they claimed their maiden Tour title here. Six players entered the winner’s circle for the first time in Kazakhstan – Johan Carlsson (2013), Fleetwood (2011), Scott Henry (2012), Sam Hutsby (2014), Gary Lockerbie (2008) and Mark Pilkington (2006).
Only one man has ever won the event having not finished in the top ten earlier in the season - Stephen Browne in 2005. One player had just the one previous top ten – Scott Henry. Every other winner had produced at least three top ten finishes heading into the event.
