| Duration | 17 March 2016 – 5 November 2016 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 27 |
| Most wins |  Bernd Ritthammer (3) |
| Rankings |  Jordan Smith |
← 2015 2017 → | |
The 2016 Challenge Tour was the 28th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The following table lists official events during the 2016 season. [1]
The rankings were titled as the Road to Oman and were based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system. [2] [3] The top 16 players on the rankings earned status to play on the 2017 European Tour. [4]
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan Smith | 239,985 |
| 2 | Bernd Ritthammer | 209,953 |
| 3 | Alexander Knappe | 193,500 |
| 4 |  Ryan Fox | 160,768 |
| 5 | Sam Walker | 158,370 |
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. It was formed in September 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of professional tennis players, and Drysdale became the first president. Since 1990 the association has organized the ATP Tour, the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the organization's name. It is the governing body of men's professional tennis. In 1990 the organization was called the ATP Tour, which was renamed in 2001 as just ATP and the tour being called ATP Tour. In 2009 the name of the tour was changed again and was known as the ATP World Tour, but changed again to the ATP Tour by 2019. It is an evolution of the tour competitions previously known as Grand Prix tennis tournaments and World Championship Tennis (WCT). The ATP's global headquarters are in London. ATP Americas is based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; ATP Europe is headquartered in Monaco; and ATP International, which covers Africa, Asia and Australasia, is based in Sydney, Australia.
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of professional golfers. It was started in 1986. The rankings are based on a player's position in individual tournaments over a "rolling" two-year period. New rankings are calculated each week. During 2018, nearly 400 tournaments on 20 tours were covered by the ranking system. All players competing in these tournaments are included in the rankings. In 2024, 23 tours factored into the world rankings. As well as being of general interest, the rankings have an additional importance, in that they are used as one of the qualifying criteria for entry into a number of leading tournaments.
The Challenge Tour, also sometimes referred to as the European Challenge Tour, is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and similarly with the main European Tour and the European Senior Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe.
The 2009 Challenge Tour was the 21st season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2010 Challenge Tour was the 22nd season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 1997 Challenge Tour was the ninth season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2011 Challenge Tour was the 23rd season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2012 Challenge Tour was the 24th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2013 Challenge Tour was the 25th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2014 Challenge Tour was the 26th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2015 Challenge Tour was the 27th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2016 Japan Golf Tour was the 44th season of the Japan Golf Tour, the main professional golf tour in Japan since it was formed in 1973.
The 2017 Challenge Tour was the 29th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2018 European Tour was the 47th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
The 2018 Challenge Tour was the 30th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2019 Challenge Tour was the 31st season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2020 Challenge Tour was the 32nd season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
Sami Välimäki is a Finnish professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the European Tour. In his 6th European Tour start, he won the 2020 Oman Open.
The 2021 Challenge Tour was the 33rd season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
The 2022 Challenge Tour was the 34th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.
So, at the end of the most competitive Challenge Tour season in recent memory, the lucky 16 going to the European Tour next year were decided. Jordan Smith, Bernd Ritthammer, Alexander Knappe, Ryan Fox, Sam Walker, Matthieu Pavon, Alexander Bjӧrk, Dylan Frittelli, Romain Langasque, Duncan Stewart, Marcus Armitage, José-Filipe Lima, Damien Perrier, Pep Angles, Thomas Detry and Joël Stalter, we wish you good luck in your endeavours - do us proud.
