Ewen Ferguson closest yet to maiden Challenge Tour title

Ewen Ferguson of Scotland plays his shot during day four of the Sydbank Esbjerg Challenge at Esbjerg Golfklub (Photo by Oliver Hardt/Getty Images)

The 25-year-old Bearsden Golf Club player lost out to Norway’s Espen Kofstad in a play-off at the Sydbank Esbjerg Challenge after the pair had tied for top spot after 72 holes.

It was Ferguson’s sixth top five finish of the year, but frustratingly he has still to land that maiden title triumph.

Ferguson looked on course to finally break his duck in Denmark, as he looked to follow up his fine fifth place finish at the Made in Esbjerg Challenge over the same course the previous week.

A solid three-under par of 68 on the opening day left him just two shots off the pace, before he slipped back a little on day two with a 71.

But Ferguson blasted back up the leaderboard on day three with a superb 65 to take the lead, a shot ahead of France’s Julien Brun with Kofstad and Spain’s Angel Hidalgo a further shot back.

Ferguson fired another fine round of 69 on the final day, but it just wasn’t enough.

Kofstad’s 67 means the two finished level at 11 under par and then birdied the first extra hole, bettering Ferguson’s par, to take the title.

Despite losing out on the title Ferguson moved up three places to third in the tour’s Road to Mallorca rankings.

The top 45 players will compete in the tour’s finale in Mallorca, with the top 15 securing top-tier European Tour cards for 2022.

And he still believes if he continues to do what he’s been doing, that place on the winner’s podium will finally arrive.

“There’s so many good players all around you,” he said.

“To be leading them after three rounds and leading the golf tournament and leading a Challenge Tour event I think that says a lot about me as a golfer and as a person, just dealing with all the things that come with golf.

"So I’m quite happy that I’m in this position and hopefully I can just keep giving myself these opportunities.

"“It’s a really difficult game and you can’t hit the same shot twice.

"If I can try and literally just keep my head and stay focused and do my best and if it happens it happens and if not, I know I’ll get myself up there again and I’ll get myself a lot more opportunities in the future.”