Benjamin Poke is taking inspiration from two fellow countrymen who have topped the European Challenge Tour Rankings as he prepares for the Made in Denmark Challenge โ Presented by FREJA.
The Dane, who currently occupies the 36th position in the season-long points race, says that it all starts with Denmarkโs original Challenge Tour success storyโthe man who won the Rankings in 1995 and went on to become one of professional golfโs biggest stars.
โThomas Bjรธrn, what can you say, heโs a Danish legend really, and put golf in Denmark on the world scene,โ Poke said.
โYouโre a damn good golfer to win 15 times on the European Tour, top the Challenge Tour, win Ryder Cups, become Ryder Cup Captain, the list goes on really, so itโs great to have those achievements in mind.
โDenmark has always had a pretty proud history on the Challenge Tour. The first tournament here was back in 1991, which was the year I was born.
The first Challenge Tour Number One from Denmark 🇩🇰
โ Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) August 6, 2019
The name's Bjรธrn, Thomas Bjรธrn.#MadeInDenmark pic.twitter.com/YH7ycv892c
โDenmark, through the Challenge Tour, have produced some really good players that have gone on to play really nicely on the European Tour. Bjรธrn obviously and last year Joachim B Hansen. Itโs great to have those guys as role models to hopefully follow in their footsteps.โ
Last year, the 28-year-old Hansen collected his second win of the season at the Made in Denmark Challenge, which along with three runner-up finishes and nine top tens, propelled him to become the second Danish player to be crowned Challenge Tour Number One.
Poke secured his Challenge Tour card by finishing third on the satellite Nordic League last year, and has since shown signs he is ready to take his game to the next level.
In 11 starts this season, the 27-year-old has made seven cuts and notched an impressive fourth place finish at the innovative Andalucรญa โ Costa del Sol Match Play 9.
The top 40 players in the Rankings will be eligible to play the limited-field Rolex Trophy in two weeksโ time, which makes the Made in Denmark Challenge โ Presented by FREJA even more exciting for Poke, who is keen to show his home country off to his peers.
โIโm excited to be back playing in Denmark,โ he said. โItโs a great course for the occasion and Iโm looking forward to a great week.
โItโs always special to play on home soil and feel the support from the Danish people and it would be really special to play well or end up capturing a win this week like JB did last year.โ
The Made in Denmark Challenge โ Presented by FREJA is set to begin tomorrow at 7:30 am local time, with Poke commencing his pursuit of the title at 9:20 am.