dˈʊɹɹɪŋ hɪz fˈɜːst sˈiːzən ɔnðə jˌʊɹɹəpˈiən tˈʊɹ, stɹˈeɪndʒ ɹᵻkˈoːɹdᵻd hɪz fˈɜːst wˈɪn wɪð ɐ wˈaɪɚɾəwˈaɪɚ vˈɪktɚɹi æt ðə kˈɛltɪk mˈænɚ wˈeɪlz ˈoʊpən, wˌɪtʃ lˈɪftᵻd hˌɪm ˌɪntʊ ðə tˈɑːp wˈʌnhˈʌndɹɪd ʌvðɪ əfˈɪʃəl wˈɜːld ɡˈɑːlf ɹˈæŋkɪŋz fɚðə fˈɜːst tˈaɪm.
During his first season on the European Tour, Strange recorded his first win with a wire-to-wire victory at the Celtic Manor Wales Open, which lifted him into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time.