# 1996 Challenge Tour

The 1996 Challenge Tour was the eighth season of the Challenge Tour, the official development tour to the European Tour.

## Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 1996 season.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (£) | Winner | Notes |
| 25 Feb | Kenya Open | Kenya | 65,000 | Mike Miller (1) | |
| 10 Mar | Open de Côte d'Ivoire | Ivory Coast | 70,000 | Massimo Florioli (1) | |
| 14 Apr | Is Molas Challenge | Italy | Lit 80,000,000 | Simon Burnell (1) | New tournament |
| 21 Apr | Le Pavoniere Challenge | Italy | Lit 80,000,000 | Kalle Väinölä (1) | New tournament |
| 27 Apr | Alianca UAP Challenger | Portugal | 50,000 | Gary Marks (1) | New tournament |
| 5 May | Canarias Challenge | Spain | Pta 12,000,000 | Robert Lee (1) | |
| 19 May | Open de Dijon | France | 45,000 | Francisco Cea (1) | |
| 26 May | Club Med Open | Italy | Lit 140,000,000 | Ignacio Feliu (2) | |
| 2 Jun | SIAB Open | Sweden | 35,000 | Kalle Väinölä (2) | |
| 9 Jun | KB Golf Challenge | Czech Republic | 65,000 | Joakim Rask (2) | |
| 9 Jun | Himmerland Open | Denmark | 35,000 | Niklas Diethelm (1) | |
| 23 Jun | Team Erhverv Danish Open | Denmark | 70,000 | Robert Jonsson (1) | |
| 23 Jun | Open dei Tessali | Italy | Lit 100,000,000 | Stephen Scahill (1) | |
| 30 Jun | Audi Quattro Trophy | Germany | 72,000 | Erol Şimşek (1) | |
| 7 Jul | Open des Volcans | France | 60,000 | Andrew Sandywell (2) | |
| 13 Jul | Gosen Challenge | England | 35,000 | Greg Owen (1) | New tournament |
| 14 Jul | Volvo Finnish Open | Finland | 35,000 | Björn Bäck (1) | |
| 28 Jul | Interlaken Open | Switzerland | CHF 100,000 | Van Phillips (1) | |
| 4 Aug | English Challenge Tour Championship | England | 65,000 | Dennis Edlund (3) | |
| 10 Aug | Rolex Trophy Pro-Am | Switzerland | CHF 100,000 | Dennis Edlund (4) | |
| 18 Aug | Karsten Ping Norwegian Open | Norway | 60,000 | Ignacio Feliu (3) | |
| 25 Aug | Dutch Challenge | Netherlands | 60,000 | Mathew Goggin (1) | |
| 25 Aug | Toyota Danish PGA Championship | Denmark | 40,000 | Adam Mednick (4) | |
| 1 Sep | Kentab/RBG Open | Sweden | 40,000 | Max Anglert (1) | |
| 8 Sep | Russian Open | Russia | 65,000 | Carl Watts (2) | New to Challenge Tour |
| 8 Sep | SM Match Play | Sweden | 50,000 | Adam Mednick (5) | |
| 15 Sep | Perrier European Pro-Am | Belgium | 55,000 | Kevin Carissimi (1) | |
| 21 Sep | Eulen Open Galea | Spain | 72,000 | José Antonio Sota (1) | |
| 28 Sep | Modena Classic Open | Italy | 35,000 | Lee S. James (1) | New tournament |
| 29 Sep | Telia InfoMedia Grand Prix | Sweden | SKr 1,000,000 | Scott Watson (1) | |
| 6 Oct | Bank Pekao Polish Open | Poland | 40,000 | Erol Şimşek (2) | New to Challenge Tour |
| 20 Oct | UAP Grand Final | Portugal | 65,000 | Ian Garbutt (1) | Tour Championship |

### Unofficial events

The following events were sanctioned by the Challenge Tour, but did not carry official money, wins were still official however.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (£) | Winner | Notes |
| 30 Jun | Memorial Olivier Barras | Switzerland | CHF 75,000 | Juan Quirós (1) | |
| 7 Jul | Neuchâtel Open Golf Trophy | Switzerland | CHF 75,000 | Federico Bisazza (1) | |

## Rankings

The rankings were based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Pound sterling. The top 15 players on the rankings earned status to play on the 1997 European Tour.
| Rank | Player | Prize money (£) |
| 1 | Ian Garbutt | 37,661 |
| 2 | Dennis Edlund | 34,286 |
| 3 | Robert Lee | 33,990 |
| 4 | Andrew Sandywell | 33,098 |
| 5 | Massimo Florioli | 32,708 |