Jamie Moul has shown he has what it takes to compete at the top of the PGA Challenge Tour leaderboard.

The 24-year-old golfer from Colchester is currently ranked 12th on the tour, with two top 20 finishes from his opening two events after winning his place on the tour at the PGA qualifying school at the end of last year.

He was just edged out of a place on the full European PGA Tour – the premier professional competition on this side of the Atlantic – but qualified for the Challenge Tour and the Stoke-by-Nayland member is pleased with the solid start he has made.

The Walker Cup star and ex-world number one-ranked amateur secured a ten-under par finish at the season’s first tournament, the Club Colombia Masters in Bogota.

That saw him in a tie for fourth place after rounds of 73, 71, 68 and 66, before he headed to the Moroccan Classic at the El Jadida Royal Golf and Spa, where a one-under par total put him in a four-way tie for 17th position.

The two finishes netted Moul £10,293 in prize money and placed him 12th in the early Challenge Tour rankings.

“The first couple have been good,” he said.

“I’ve played nicely, but nothing fantastic, but it has been nice to get off to a good start.

“That was the problem last year as I did not start playing well until midway through the season. My game feels in good shape and winter practice went well so nothing feels weak.

“It was really pleasing to get two top 20 finishes in my first two tournaments, especially the first time out when your short game can be a bit rusty and it was good to get a bit of money coming in early doors.

“I knew from the full (European PGA) Tour events that I played in last year, that if I played well, I could compete and I have just concentrated on getting my game in good shape and taking whatever the tournament has to throw at me.

“The standard is good on the Challenge Tour.

“The strength in depth is there as everyone is vying for their full Tour cards.

“It is a decent standard and the tour is getting bigger and bigger so the standard is getting better and better.”

Moul said he has set out a jet-setting schedule for the year, with the vast majority of his action taking place outside the UK.

He has opted not to play in the Allianz Open in Brittany in France this week, but his next outing on the Challenge Tour will be at the Piemonte Open in Turin in Italy next week, followed swiftly by the Telenet Trophy at Lasne in Belgium.

And he is also looking to fit in a few full European Tour competitions later on in the year, when he will be looking to match his success of 2008 as he finished in a tie for sixth place at the Inteco Russian Open.