Congratulations to Phil Kenyon pupil Tommy Fleetwood, who finished 2nd at the recent Russian Open on the Challenge Tour.
Fleetwood's runner-up finish moves the talented teenager up to 55th in the Challenge Tour Rankings after just two events as a professional, and guarantees him a category on the Challenge Tour in 2011 and a place in the field for the next event, the ALLIANZ Golf Open du Grand Toulouse.
As he was after his appearance as an amateur at the English Challenge earlier in the season, where a costly bogey on the last handed the title to Daniel Gaunt, Fleetwood was keen to take the positives from a week which saw him enhance his reputation as one to watch in the future.
He said: "I played really well, and hardly put a foot wrong all day. My only bogey was on the 12th, which is probably the hardest hole on the course. I stood on the 14th tee and though I'd need to get to 11 or 12 under to win, and I gave it a good go by holing some clutch putts on the way in. The putt on the last was a bit too firm - I still though it was in, but it just slipped past as it did at the English Challenge.
"But I can still take a lot of positives from the week. I came so close to winning again, and hopefully if I can keep banging on the door, it'll open sooner or later. Since I've turned pro my results have got better with every tournament, so if that trend continues it's looking pretty good for my next event in Toulouse! I'm feeling more and more comfortable all the time, and if I keep giving myself chances, hopefully I'll be able to take one of them sooner or later. And at least I've now secured a Challenge Tour category for next season, so I'll have somewhere to play if I don't make it through Q School."
