Nacho Elvira’s stunning albatross in the Challenge de Madrid has been voted European Challenge Tour Shot of the Year for 2015 by MyEuropeanTour fans, taking almost a quarter of the public vote.
The Spaniard spectacularly holed his second shot at the par five fourth hole at El Encin Golf Hotel in his country’s capital, a 202-metre shot with a five iron that spurred him on to a four shot victory last April.
The 28 year old added two further victories in a stellar 2015 season to earn immediate promotion to The European Tour and was delighted to become the inaugural winner of the Shot of the Year award.
“Thank you to the fans for voting for me,” he said. “It’s great to win the first ever Challenge Tour Shot of the Year.
“It was unbelievable. It was a five iron, a little bit downwind and I just flushed it and it went in the hole. I realised it was in when I saw everyone jumping up and down around the green.
“It was my first albatross ever – I hope it’s not the last – and it was my first win of the year. I ended up with three, and it was a little platform to get onto The European Tour this year and I’m happy to be there again.
“The Challenge Tour is the best way to get into The European Tour. You get great experience of playing tournaments, you play against players of your level, so it’s the stepping stone you have to get across to get to The European Tour.”
Nearly 3,000 fans voted, with Elvira earning 24% of all votes cast, edging out John Hahn’s hole-in-one from the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final and the incredible approach shot from Sebastien Gros en route to winning the Kazakhstan Open, to head the ten shot shortlist.
Of those who voted, Jean Marc Leonard was the lucky man drawn as our prize winner, the Frenchman winning a collection Challenge Tour goodies, including a golf bag signed by 2015 Road to Oman Rankings winner Ricardo Gouveia.
