We visit Alfie Plant at his house in London, as he spends time with his family before departing for a two week stint in India. We pick him up on the road then for the Delhi Challenge.
We test the culinary skills of Pierre Pieneau and Samarth Dwivedi, as they try their hand at cooking some traditional food.
Jack Senior aces the par 3 17th hole, but it’s John Parry who emerges victorious, winning his first Challenge Tour title since 2009.
This is one of sports great Proving Grounds a gateway to Glory brilliant 30 tournaments spanning 19 countries along the way a chance to expand Horizons and Sample life on tour how beautiful is that magic finish the season in the top 20 on the road to mayorca rankings and secure
A golden ticket to the DP World Tour this is the challenge tour welcome boys to my crib come on in meets Alie plant one of the challenge tour’s great characters a proven multi winner plants always appear destined for Success especially after finishing his the low amateur at the 146th Open championship of Royal
Burkdale but those memories are long forgotten just like the whereabouts of his silver medal so you don’t you don’t have your trophies on display yes no no just um yeah no I don’t actually don’t think I’ve got them really I think they’re right around my mom and dad’s for n
Got a my old shirt up there i’ got some medals here I run the marathon London Marathon yeah back in the day decent time 4 hours 13 which was good but the last 6 miles wow there’s people dressed up as one balls running past me like G in a 22 running I’m like
Struggling I can’t even walk but I really got any uh oh oh it’s actually a couple to be fair I got this one here so you don’t you don’t stick him up in the Shelf no no I think my uh the silver medal I think’s in the tool box I
Think in here yeah yeah somewhere in here I think here we go look there’s the uh there’s the silver medal can’t seen that for what 5 years is that now yeah nice Al was walking up the and my other son Albert was his caddy so I had two boys
Walking up up the um 18 for birthday which was special and you know we had all that family there sadly my dad’s not here or my father-in-law is not here no more and they was both in the stands cheering which was wonderful if I could
Live one week of my life for the rest of my life like Grand dog day it would be that week it was just and we always go back to that and I know it’s like the open’s gone there and all that but it was just so special it was so fantastic
A week he’ll never forget the silver Medal winner is the leading amateur in the 2017 open Alfie plant of England remember the name special days indeed but Alie has been creating more memories off the course of late he married Daisy in 2022 and they welcomed a baby girl
Florence into the world a year later she can ride a bike speak Mandarin she’s you know she’s she’s on track she’s on cheack than [Laughter] you she’s yet to say Daddy though is she huh oh she said it once she kind of said it once yeah before you get yeah but
That was to the PO yeah 6’4 musle [Laughter] blond any of the golfers out there you know with um with a wife or girlfriend back home supporting them is uh he’s very lucky it’s uh it’s a very unique job you know sometimes it’s probably hard to see you know Daisy’s here all
Night with a teing baby and um I’m sitting at a beach bar or as you said going on a safari cuz I got a day off and that so um you know I can kind of you know kind of dip in and out you know it can be tough at times especially
Now we’ve got Florence um I remember like like struggling at first see you later it’s always quite you know hard to see him go kisses to Grandad life you don’t you know you can’t have everything you know so keep saying I finding that balance finding out what works I’ve got a completely different schedule this year before I’d play a lot of tournaments in a row try and get home Sundays fly again
Tuesdays um this year I’m trying to you know going to stay away for 3 weeks then actually have a full week at home to try and spend some quality time with Florence and you know get some good work in M go and your wife so yeah so the schedule that to
Change things are adapting and you know we got to just try new things see if it works if it does or not we’ll see but um yeah there’s been a few changes already what every week is an opportunity for a new winner and that mindset does change a lot when you do
Get dependent that’s kids you got a wife at home you got a family to support it’s hard to make the decision sometimes whether you stick around and play for that possible win or you go home spend time with them because it’s a long season you got 30 events and you don’t
Want to be away for all of them so you need to pick and choose pretty wisely don’t matter how much money you got in the bank or what tour card you got you you can’t buy back yesterday so you know that side of it it’s it’s Priceless being at home and spending time
With I’m I’m really proud of him really proud um every day makes me proud being the dad is making me like he makes me proud being a golfer he makes me proud being a husband he makes me proud so yeah he um he does have his faults
But but now he does he makes me really proud I’m a multi-millionaire in Pride you know I mean what he’s achieved and what he’s done so far and been wonderful you know and it’s not over and you know if it was over it don’t matter you know
Like I said there’s our major win sitting there there’s our open Win there’s our claric jug you know family’s everything you know go is secondary really oh camera can I have Go having traveled well over 5,000 miles from his base in London PL has arrived at our host venue this week the Classic Golf and Country Club for the Delhi challenge the first of back-to-back tournament weeks in India though as we’ve already seen despite being so far
From home his family is never far from his thoughts got those oh you feeding was she all right it’s just eat through up her teeth are ping up yeah but she W come back oh yes lovely see lat love you bye on the team from England Alie
Plant however it wasn’t the best of starts for plant a bogey at the first and he was on the back foot early on plant didn’t let the drop shot derail his round though as he turned in one under thanks to birdes at 8 and 9 despite another bogey at 10 plant
Bounced back with this at the path 3 11s having hit it to a couple of feet he then subsequently rolled in the birdie putt to get back into red numbers for the day right up for the last one plant might have been struggling to find another gear but playing partner Martin KRA was having no such issues the
Frenchman grabbed a share of the lead thanks to this Birdie on 13 cra’s efforts seem to inspire plant as he rolled in a birdie putt of his own here on the 15th plant pared his way in from there while CRA finished with a flourish a birdy at the last his eighth
Of the day saw him end day one as the joint leader on 7even under par plant five shots off the pace and tied 54 yeah I’m really having to work hard for any kind of result at the minute um shot two under today I don’t feel like
There’d be much difference if all of a sudden my scores were five under you know just not really getting the rub of the GRE just a couple of silly mistakes yeah it’s kind of a grind out there just to shoot 200 under at the minute but I feel
Like um if the tie turns and I can get some good results going indeed plant would need to dig deep and find something special to ensure he’d be around for the weekend however he was under pressure early on starting his second round on the 10th hole a solid punt was needed at
13 to avoid dropping aot shot that was just what the doctor ordered as the putts began to find the bottom of the cup birdies followed at 14 15 and 16 and a very different golfer began to emerge while plant was enjoying a much better day his playing partner Martin
CRA remained very much in the groove picking up where he left off on day one he continued to rack up the Birdies plant would upstage the young Frenchman though with the shot of the day here at the par 47 Tall a whole out Eagle 2 thrust plant right into the mix with another birdie at the eth plant eventually signed for a six underpass 66 the second best round of the day it Ved him 43 places up the leaderboard now just outside the top 10
He was poised to make a charge for the title number one goal on anyone’s list for the week is make the cut you know you you can’t win the tournament if you’re not playing the weekend so um you know once you kind of get that done and
Dusted you can probably start looking a little bit more up the leaderboard maybe start taking a few more risks on the golf course but yeah also you know expenses while wise you know if you come all this way you know now it looks like I’m going to be getting a paycheck you
Know regardless how big or small it is you know it all just goes it all just goes back in the pot so um I think making cuts when you’re when you’re a long way from home is Good still to come on the challenge tour menu will it be a case of too many cooks anything more than 5 minutes in the kitchen it’s generally disastrous for me and for the main course we Crown a champion on the first leg of our Indian Odyssey see you after the Break welcome back as we continue our focus on the challenge tour and the first of back-to-back events in India at the Midway Mark of the deli challenge it was Martin kuo with a slender onot advantage over James Allen andon anque and Yan Walker were a further shot back while three of Allen’s compatriots
Enjoyed a share of fifth place on nine underp and so to Moving Day overseeing events at the Classic Golf and Country Club your commentator Josh Anman story of the day on Saturday was Finn tapio penan went out in 32 and this was for fifth birdie in six holes on his back nine still had three to play and 59 watch was well and truly on overnight leader Martin CRA lost to share of the leag because of the
Charging penon had a Bogi at six only second drop shot of the week came back superbly on seven they would give that one to him it wouldn’t be a 59 for Paul Cen after his birdie at 15 a passs at 16 and 17 he did have this for Eagle on the
Last for a 61 not to be for the Finn but a fabulous round low round of the week from penan a 10 underp round of 62 and he had the clubhouse lead brilliant golf from penan Alfie plan did well to get himself in the mix after 66 on Friday just didn’t have it
On Saturday two birdies three Bogies for Alfie that birdie Miss at the last summed up his day really a 73 and plenty of work to do with 18 to play for plan five birdies and a bog up to this point for Jack senior on Saturday pen Maho par
Three 198 yards and an eight iron for Jack in she goes she had whole one in the practice round as well on the second clearly likes it here it was just a really really good number for me really um just kind of held an a time and it pitched pitched pretty good and obviously it went in the bottom of the
Cup so uh there always a little bit of look when you have a hold in one but it it was a good shot five under on the six par threes on the week for Jack Josh Grenville wood a prodigious driver off the te also has great touch with his
Wedges this at the last superbly done he’d hold that to get to 16 under par and post a new Clubhouse Mark 5 under in his last five holes on Saturday for Josh CRA also at the last he found the green TI bunker at 17 managed to get up and
Down and a little bit of magic there on the final hole it was a 68 for couver and be a three-way tie at the top at 16 under yes 36hole leader Martin CRA now had company in the shape of Joshua Grandville wood and Jack senior finland’s tapio panan produced the low
Round of the week as centilating 62 saw him climbed 31 places into a share of fource at the end of day three now of course India is a Melting Pot of cultures languages religions and quisine so what better way to get to grips with
It all than to dive in and try your hand at a spot of traditional local Cooking so today uh the dish which we all three of us will be cooking is M baj SOA so m is chicken baj is minute let’s start cooking huh let’s do it yeah seems you cooking for the first time it yeah definitely is the first time yeah first time with Indian food
Yeah what do you cook otherwise otherwise I’m a I’m a I’m an expert with instant foods like noodles oh microwave yeah yeah 2 minutes anything more than 5 minutes in the kitchen it’s generally disastrous for me me it’s going to be very spicy or yeah
It is spicy I mean in India we love spicy food just take this yeah yeah some more little more little more it’s already to MH that’s it you can keep on studying somewhere that’s that’s my job that’s why I’m here I love I love food love watching it
Being made love the process just don’t have a lot of confidence in doing it I guess but today that might change like in France cooking is like a religion uh so we cook a lot yeah we are almost done now ready for the plating whenever you
Say I’ll do it in a not so traditional way just like my golf swing I hope he swing is better than that you know what I hope so too be special huh yeah it’s not spicy here I told you I told you it’s not spicy so we didn’t put spices that much
I mean just half a spoon of that usually you put more yeah usually put more it tastes better than it looks it tastes better than it looks thank you so much Chef this was an absolute pleasure had a lot of fun r on di yes a welcome distraction indeed but
Things were hotting up back on the golf course too time then to tuck into the final round at the Delhi Challenge and your guide through the closing Days drama Josh Antman pinan picked up where he left off in round three out in the second last group of the day Birdie on
The very first hole and he joined the leaders at 16 under par there were four tied at the top Jack Senor birdie part on the par five third and he was the first man to get to 17 under par Breaking Free of that crowded bunch at the
Top John Perry clean card it was so far up to the ninth two birdies this was for a third of the day got him to 16 underpar and he was now just one off the lead started today three back the Englishman another Englishman having a good day Alfie plant disappointing 73 on
Saturday much better on Sunday this was to get to six under par for the day not to be for Alfie a par though and a 67 to finish his week in Delhi and a tie for 22nd Place Josh Grenville wood seven pars and a birdie up to this
Point that would get him to 18 underp and he was the new new solo leader heading into the back nine one of the leaders overnight Martin couver he had this birdie put on 13 to join the group at 18 under par five tied for the lead and the playoff was looking very
Likely however John Perry was getting hot at just the right time he made three birdies on the truck from the 13th and this Approach at 16 set up another birdie and he take the outright lead on 20 under par brilliant stuff from Parry way gunde just 19 years old no cut made so
Far this year what a finish that is for the Frenchman on 18 a final round of 68 and a share of fifth plenty of fans in the crowd on the final hole John Parry had this for an eighth birdie of the day not to be a tap in part superb
Effort from Parry blemish free 7 under 65 the clubhouse leader but would any of the chasing pack catch him in the end the only man that could catch him was Josh Grenville wood he needed to hold this to match Parry score of 20 underpart agonizingly close from
Grenville wood but John Perry winner of the Delhi Challenge and his second challenge tour title so Parry overtakes Jack senior Joshua Grenville wood and Chris Paisley to claim a One-Shot Victory and his first challenge tour title since 2009 Martin C who had led or shared the lead
For the first three days ended tied fifth but tasting challenge tour success for the first time in 15 years a 37-year-old Englishman John bar I played well all week and maybe when I hit it well didn’t get as much out of the rounds as I should have I
Struggled a little bit yesterday and got it round and then so I sort of knew it was there it was just putting everything together and holding the puts at the right time and and then just sort of taking the opportunity when it came really well the victory saw Parry surge
Up to top spot in the road to mayorca rankings a 42 Place climb for the yorkman fellow Countryman Chris Paisley returns to the top 10 for the first time since Cape Town his reward for a runers up finish in India the biggest climber though Joshua Grenville wood he’s up 98 places to 16th
Spot Robin coo sist is now in possession of that all important 20th Place and with that our first week in India comes to an end but there’s more to come we’re only Midway through our journey across this incredible country next up it’s the Kolkata challenge so join us for that as the pursuit of promotion to the DP World Tour continues
