Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen is one win away from promotion to the DP World Tour, and it would surprise nobody were he to get the job done now heading back home for the Danish Golf Challenge.
Neergaard-Petersen made an immediate impression last summer, finishing seventh in Germany shortly after he'd turned professional, and with form figures of 1-7-1-2 he's plainly the best player on the Challenge Tour right now.
Monday saw him finish 15th in the US Open qualifier at Walton Heath, an opportunity missed given that two bad swings cost him four shots and he only missed out by three, but it's still further evidence as to the overall state of his game given the quality of that field.
Being at home, as favourite, with so much on the line, could be seen as the one potential stumbling block. He's only played in Denmark once as a pro and will be the centre of attention, albeit it's hardly as if the eyes of the world are upon him. Still, it would be his most impressive achievement to date to go out there and win.
That being said, there's a very strong argument for home advantage at this level, one I advocate for, one demonstrated by Joel Moscatel last time. Around one in 10 Challenge Tour events have been won by a home player over the past 15 years and this doesn't include Swedes winning in Denmark, Englishmen in Scotland, and so on.
With financial pressure very much a factor and careers on the line, being at home, reducing those expenses, not to mention knowing conditions that little bit better on a tour that's been to the Middle East, South Africa and India already this year, can be huge. Neergaard-Petersen looks dangerous anywhere, but he could be more so in Denmark.
Odense Eventyr Golf certainly looks at the mercy of a player like him. This is a short par 72 and with Wednesday's wind unlikely to remain a factor once play begins, scoring should be low if the greens hold up, which according to some reports might be in doubt. It's fair to say it won't be the best conditioned course they play this year, anyway.
It was a stableford event which took place here on the Nordic Golf League in 2019, but the winner was 13-under for 54 holes. A year earlier, course member Peter Baek won in 12-under for his three rounds and this field is considerably stronger, so something 20-under and beyond could well be required given a generally favourable forecast.
There's not a great deal more to go on and with initial fancy Kristoffer Broberg having withdrawn to take up a spot in the Soudal Open field, there's not a strong bet anywhere on the odds board. However, there is every chance we get a strong Scandinavian challenge, players from Sweden perhaps just as likely to relish conditions, and a handful appeal to small stakes.
Top of the list is HUGO TOWNSEND, a youngster who made the world's top 50 as an amateur and is bursting with potential.
He really impressed playing partner Eddie Pepperell when finishing 11th in last year's Scandinavian Mixed on his final start before turning professional, and then a few weeks later was the halfway leader in France.
After an educational couple of months going from there to Italy, on to Austria and over to the UK, it took until Townsend returned to Sweden for him to get competitive again, finishing 18th and 12th in what would be his final two starts of the season.
That means he's three-from-three for top-20 finishes when playing Challenge and DP World Tour events in Sweden and it's not been a surprise to see him immediately showcase his qualities on the Nordic Golf League, where he registered three top-fives in his first four starts.
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