Max Kieffer enters this week’s inaugural Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic brimming with confidence after his maiden Challenge Tour victory in India in January and the German has now set a top ten rankings finish and a European Tour card as his goals for 2012…
The German raced out of the blocks when he showed nerves of steel at the Gujarat Kensville Challenge, the Challenge Tour season-opener, to beat local favourite Rahil Gangjee in a tense play-off and claim his first win.
Having had time to celebrate and reflect upon that victory, Kieffer now finds himself in unknown territory as he is marked down as one of the favourites this week at Country Club de Barranquilla, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.
He knows that he faces a stiff test with a strong field containing the likes of Philip Archer, Nick Dougherty and Daniel Vancsik, but he is ready for the challenge.
“It was really good to get back to Germany after the win,” said the 21 year old, who hails from Düsseldorf, the same town as Martin Kaymer. “I would have loved to play another tournament the following week to keep it going but it’s also good to calm down and enjoy the win a bit.
“I was in Germany for a couple of days but it was pretty cold there and you couldn’t really practice so I took a few days off and then went to Miami for the past couple of weeks to practice there.
“I just want to carry on the same this week. Obviously it worked out in India so I will try and do the same for the rest of the year and we’ll see what happens.”
One of the major talking points this week is the testing winds on the beautiful seaside course and, while Kieffer admits it may not be the perfect conditions for his game, he thinks the confidence of that first victory will carry him through.
“I feel okay out there,” he said when asked about the conditions. “My ball flight is pretty high though and it’s quite windy here so I don’t know what to expect. But I will try and find a way to get around and I think it will be enjoyable.
“I am still confident this week,” he continued. “They’re all really good players out here so you need a really good week to win but I will do my best.
“It would be really nice to continue my form here, I can play with confidence now so that’s a really good thing. I haven’t really thought about the three wins this year (which would automatically hand him a European Tour card), my goal now is to finish top ten in the rankings to get a really good European Tour category and if you finish top 10 in the Challenge Tour, you know you’re prepared for The European Tour.”
There is a lot to prove in Colombia for everyone involved this week, not least Englishman Dougherty, as the three-time European Tour winner hopes to bounce back from the setback of a disappointing season last year, when he made just one cut in 34 appearances in The Race to Dubai.
Paul Dwyer, Callum Macauley and Andreas Hartø also return to action this week high on confidence, having all finished tied third in India.
A total of 72 players, made up of players from the Pacific Colombia Tour and local invites, also tee up this week with the hope of making a major career breakthrough on the Challenge Tour, with Manny Villegas, brother of Camilo, amongst the invites.
The Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic is the first co-sanctioned tournament between the Challenge and Pacific Colombia Tours and carries a prize fund of $250,000.
It will be the first time the Challenge Tour has visited Barranquilla Country Club, a challenging golf course set on the outskirts of the city of Barranquilla and adjacent to the picturesque estuary where the River Magdalena meets the Caribbean Sea.
