Here’s a look at some of the facts and figures surrounding this year’s graduates to the European Tour following the conclusion of the Road to Oman.
16 graduates– the top 15 included Romain Langasque, who started the season, and earned points, as an amateur, meaning he was counted in addition to the usual 15 – good news for 16th man Joël Stalter
13– rookies: a record 13 players graduating have never previously played a season on the European Tour. The only three that have are José-Filipe Lima, Bernd Ritthammer and Sam Walker
6– Challenge Tour rookies: Pep Angles, Marcus Armitage, Thomas Detry, Langasque, Matthieu Pavon and Jordan Smith had never played a season on the Road to Oman before this year
10– different nationalities: four Frenchmen, three English, two Germans and one from each of Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Spain and Sweden
21– Langasque is the youngest of the 16, with Rankings winner Smith, Angles, Detry, Pavon and Stalter all also under the age of 25
27– average age of this year’s graduates – only three of them are over the age of 30
8– graduates in the top 200 in the Official World Golf Ranking: Alexander Knappe (104), Smith (108), Ritthammer (127), Ryan Fox (149), Dylan Frittelli (153), Walker (160), Alexander Bjӧrk (181) and Langasque (185)
2– Olympians. Fox competed for New Zealand while Lima represented Portugal as golf returned to the Olympic Games in Rio this year
4– participants in the upcoming World Cup of Golf among the graduates – Fox, Langasque, Lima and Duncan Stewart
3– wins by Ritthammer, the most by a player this season – at the Made in Denmark Challenge, the Volopa Irish Challenge and the season-ending NBO Golf Classic Grand Final
18– victories on the 2016 Challenge Tour by the graduates, out of 27 tournaments
3– players graduating without winning on the Road to Oman – Angles, Langasque and Pavon
6– most top-five finishes (Fox, Frittelli and Langasque)
9– most top-ten finishes (Frittelli, Knappe)
26– most appearances this season, by Damien Perrier. The only tournament he missed was the Made in Denmark Challenge, and that was only to compete in the 100th Open de France
741
– points between Stalter in 16th spot and compatriot Adrien Saddier in 17th
