José-Filipe Lima eyes big for the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open – Golf News
José-Filipe Lima is confident to mount a title charge this week at the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open presented by Neuflize OBC, relying on his recent red-hot form on the European Tour, added with his strong track record at the Aa
Saint Omer Golf Club, the tournament venue.
While the best players in the world are preparing to contenst at the US Open this week, many other European Tour players are trying their luck in France.
The event also co-sanctioned by the European Challenge Tour, which allow a number of tier-2 tour players to contend on the bigger stage this week.
In 2004, Lima was among the players who received an opportunity to participate in the event and he emerged as the winner in the end. He secured his spot in the 2004 edition, courtesy to his victory at Challenge de España a week
before.
This year, he is planning to repeat the heroics that allowed him to pile his trade on the European Tour for the next three straight years.
“They were great but really strange memories,” said the 31-year-old. “I remember I had to win the week before at the Challenge de España to play here so I just wasn’t expecting it. It was crazy to get straight on to The European
Tour with the win.
“I came here really relaxed and just played my game and I was just lucky on the last day to shoot five under in really tough windy conditions,” he added. “It’s a tough course and it suits my game because I have a solid long game
and I am solid tee to green.”
Talking to the reporters on Wednesday, he expressed his pleasure in playing well in the past few months – he has four top-10 finishes, in seven starts, recorded to his name so far this season – that allowed him to grab the fifth
spot in Challenge Tour rankings.
He is now hoping to move directly to the tier-1 European Tour, by finishing the week on top of the leaderboard. If he succeeds in his plans, he will also become the first multiple-time winner of the event.
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