30th April 2015 | Alps Tour Golf
Tunisian Golf Open – Report Day 1
1st Round highlights of the 2015 Tunisian Golf Open at El Kantaoui Golf Course, Sousse
England’s Josh Loughrey leader at -6, followed by a group of 4 players at -4: Matthieu Pavon (France), Matt Wallace (England), Giacomo Tonelli (Italy) and Brendan Mc Carroll (Ireland).
| Alps Tour Golf
Loughrey two clear in Tunisia
England’s Josh Loughrey (c) Tristan Jones
England’s Josh Loughrey signed from brilliant 6 under par card and was surprised to lead the opening round of inaugural Tunisian Golf Open on El Kantaoui Golf Course.
Loughrey, 24 years old, had a day like in a dream. It did not realise that a big part of the field was struggling to score under par.
“I tough it would be better scoring, I didn’t think I would be leading, I am surprised I am leading. I had 4 birdies to finish. I started really good. I hit really close on two. My first shot on the third hole, par 3 It has gone right down the flag and it bounced straight left and I did not know what it had hit. It hit the side of the hole and went straight left. So I was inches away from a hole in one. And I holed a 15 foot putt for par and that kept me going.
I should have holed more putts, I should have been more under but I am happy with 6. It was quite an easy day for me, I hit really close to the holes a lot. I hit fairways, didn’t putt myself in any trouble, made one bogey on that silly sixth hole but apart from that it seemed easy out there.”
A group of 4 players lead for a while with -4, Italy’s Giacomo Tonelli, England’s Matt Wallace, Ireland Brendan McCarroll and France’s Matthieu Pavon.
Pavon was not smiling finishing his round today. He stayed short with his last putt and then dropped a shot.
“It was a little windy today, I started on the 1st hole so my front nine were the most difficult but I handled this quite well. I hit the fairways and I aimed the middle of the greens to be safe. On a par 5, I took my chance and I holed for birdie, so I turned -1 then on front nine we got lucky because it was not that windy so I could be more aggressive. I scored -3 on back nine which is a good score but it could have been better because I stayed short a few time.”
It has been a while since Italy’s scored a decent round. He confessed he used to struggled with his driver last season and that he is now happy to be more accurate.
“I played well the par 5 but all in all, I had an easy day despite the wind. I am training now with national coach Massimo Scarpa and what we are trying to do it to keep things simple and it is working.”
Matt Wallace, 25 years old, is playing his third season of the Alps Tour and the young player from London has one third place and two 4th places as best results.
“I did quite well on the par 5s. A couple of them were played into wind today. Especially the 9th wasn’t reachable for me but I made a nice putt there from about 30 feet for birdie and I kept my momentum going for the back nine. I left a few putts short today in the middle of the hole because the greens are quite slow which is a bit of a shame. I am happy with the start.”
“It is my third year on the Alps Tour and I feel very comfortable now but I want to get out as fast as possible.”
“There are some really good players out there. All I can take care of is myself but my game has improved massively since being here. I knew what I had to do and I have been practicing really hard with my new coach, Hugh Marr, and it’s going in the right direction.”
From El Kantaoui
Agathe Séron
29th April 2015 | Alps Tour Golf
Lucquin and Billot, a 18 year friendship
European Tour winner Jeff Lucquin and Jean-Nicolas Billot “Bib” (c) Tristan Jones
European Tour winner Jeff Lucquin and Jean-Nicolas Billot “Bib”, a friendship born in 1997 after Jeff won the semi-finale of Junior French Championship on 20th green.
Jean-Nicolas Billot and Jeff Lucquin are both born in 1978. They first met in 1997 when they had to play against each other on the Albatros course of Golf National, host of 2018 Ryder Cup.
“We had a great day” said Billot. “Jeff was leading 1 up teeing the 18th but he did not play well” Lucquin recalled “Yes, drive in the water, then again so I told him, – Ok, let’s go to the first hole – We did not finish the 18th. I finally won the par 3 second hole but I did not jump to celebrate my win, we just hug and he told me that I really have to win the finale, which I did”
Billot added “In 1997, no mobile phone and I had to leave, I could not be there for the finale. So I gave him a phone card with some credit and I asked him to call me to tell me the results. He hold a 20 meter putt on the 34th hole and did it!”
Jeff Lucquin is a former European Tour player, he played 8 full season from 2003 after getting graduate from Challenge Tour. A wrist injury stopped his career in 2011 and he is back to competition with the goal to recover his full rights on main Tour. Lucquin won the Omega European Masters in Crans sur Sierre in 2008 defeating in a play off current World Number One Rory McIlroy after first extra hole.
“The Alps Tour players are really better than 10 years ago. The level of game has improved a lot and even if the course this week is difficult, I am sure one of them will score 6 or 7 under. They hit longer too and as I do. Today I played my practise round with 2 young players and we had the same distance but yesterday I played with Matt Pavon, there is a football pitch between my ball and his!”
The inaugural Tunisian Open Golf takes place in El Kantouai golf course. The composite 18 holes are the same as the last Tunisian Open on European Tour schedule in 1985 won by England’s Stephen Bennet with -3 total.
From El Kantaoui
Agathe Séron
24th April 2015 | Alps Tour Golf
WeForest supported by the Alps Tour
The Alps Tour sponsor of WeForest
Alps Tour is very proud to announce its partnership with WeForest. Created in Belgium by Bill Lao and Marie-Noëlle Keijzer in 2010, WeForest is an international non-profit association with following mission: create and promote a pioneer movement in large scale sustainable reforestation. It is running several projects in Asia, Africa and South America to cool the planet thanks to planting trees.
Research suggests that adding 20 million km2 of forest could create an additional 2% cloud coverage over the entire planet, buying us time on global warming.
Alps Tour players file a statistic card after each round. Since the beginning of the season, each card represents a tree offered to WeForest. The players have chosen to be part of the project in Brazil which is a nice link as well with Rio 2016, when golf will go back to the Olympics for the first time since 1900 in Paris.
The goal for 2015 is to plant 4000 trees thanks to players’ statistic cards.
WeForest is ambitious in Brazil and aims to connect isolated and often small forest patches to the remaining protected areas in the Pontal do Paranapanema region in the Western São Paulo State. The goal is to connect the Morro do Diablo State Park to the Iguaçu National Park, two core areas of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Rainforest Biodiversity Vision.
4th April 2015 | Alps Tour Golf
Legarrea won on home soil
Spain’s Jesus Legarrea (c) Tristan Jones
Spain’s Jesus Legarrea holed a brilliant 2 meter putt to avoid a play-off against Italy’s Stefano Pitoni and won the Alps de Las Castillas with -20 total.
When the Spanish player started his last round all seemed to be already written for an easy win. He holed 3 birdies in a row from the first and he had a 3 stroke advantage over his opponents. But he dropped one shot on the 7th and another on the 9th to let challengers coming closer.
“It was tougher today. I tried to play as solid as yesterday but my drive was not as accurate.”
Meanwhile, Stefano Pitoni slowly creeping up the leaderboard and was the leader at the club house with -19. He scored flawless 64 with one eagle and 6 birdies but the best score of the day was posted by Spain’s Jacobo Pastor, 62, ten under par with no less than 3 eagles and 4 birdies
Jesus’ sister knew his brother needed a birdie and she held her breath on the 16th and the 17th but each time he missed less than 2 and half meter for birdie. The short par 4 18 was his last chance.
He drove and missed the green by a few meters.
“The chip was not very difficult but you know for a win, for a birdie, everything is different.”
The Italian players were around the last green in case their compatriot had an extra time on course but Legarrea holed the precious pumping his fist.
“This is very special to have them next to me they are family, I only miss my wife. And this win is very special, this is the first on in Spain in my country.
Last year was really awful as I player so badly and my back and shoulder hurt me. I missed lots of cut and now I am back in competition and I have done well well so I am the happiest man in the world.”
Frome Valdeluz
Agathe Séron
3rd April 2015 | Alps Tour Golf
Legarrea surged thanks to 61
Spain’s Jesus Legarrea (c) Tristan Jones
Spain’s Jesus Legarrea shot the lowest score in Alps Tour history and in his life. The 27 year old player from Elso fired amazing 61, 11 under par to lead the Alps de Las Catillas 2015.
Once again, the course of Golf Valdeluz was punished by Alps Tour players and the cut after 2 rounds is -6, the lowest ever on Alps Tour and another nice chapter is about to be written as Javier Ballesteros made his first cut as pro.
Legarrea has an day like in a dream, first nine, from the 10th, 3 under and he came back to the club house in 28 shots.
“I played really well, it is my first tournament since six months as I had a shoulder injury. It is a very special round, this is the lowest round in my life. The course is not very difficult nad the greens are very nice so if you are putting well it can make the difference.
I am not making any plans, the goal is to go back at the hotel, to relax and play tomorrow. I am only thinking about the next day.”
A French trio will be on the Spanish toes just 2 shots back of the lead. Among them, Open de la Mirabelle d’or 2014, Jean-Pierre Verselin.
“My putting was really solid, I never missed under 2 meters and my driving was great as well. On this golf course on some holes, the strategy is to hit as far as possible and on some others, I preferred to have a full wedge cause the greens are not receptive so it was not easy to stop the ball. For tomorrow, I had not score goal but I assume any player could shoot 8 or 9 under so the winning score should be very low.”
Baptiste Chapellan is a former Challenge Tour member but he did not win since 2009, the year he had finished in Alps Tour top 5. He scored 63, the second best score of the day.
“I broke my hand and I had 3 months off. I started playing on the 16th of March so I have no expectation. I played pretty much the same as yesterday but I putted better. I stayed patient. I will try to play smart because on this course, no need to hit the drive every hole cause if you are on the wrong side of the green, you are dead. No plan for tomorrow and we will see.
The third Frenchman in position to challenge Legarrea is rookie Franck Daux. The 23 year old player is the only one on provisonnal podium not to have recorded a win as pro. Last big win as amateur was the “Lignel” individual score.
“Today, I drove really well and I always had a chance to go for the greens. The course is short so many second shot with wedge so a lots of putts under 5 meters. I got the pace of the greens very early in the tournament. I am putting really well and I had the chance to hole twice about 5 meters for eagle on pars 5 so it was great. And I really had a nice finish as I three putted the 16th but I holed about 7 meters on both 17th and 18th so it was nice.”
From Valedeluz
Agathe Séron
2nd April 2015 | Alps Tour Golf
Verselin stormed clear
France’s Jean-Pierre Verselin (c) Agathe Séron
France’s Jean-Pierre Verselin took advantage of great playing condition to post 64 and leads the opening round of Alps de Las Castillas by 2 shots.
After winter series in Egypt in February, Alps Tour is back on Europe soil and Spain welcomes the first regular event of the 2015 season. The Valdeluz golf club is 45 minutes north east from Madrid. Players showed their good form today as no less than 75 out of 123 shot under par. The 5700 meter course troubled in defending itself against young guns from all over Europe.
Verselin was the sharpest with 8 birdies posted during the morning session including five in the row from the 11th. The 2015 Open de la Mirabelle d’Or winner placed the line quite high and no one was able to catch him.
A group of four players from Spain will challenge the French leader tomorrow as they are only 2 shots back. Javier Ballesteros, Seve’s son shot 5 under with a pack of 6 players including former Challenge Tour members Baptiste Chapellan and Jesus Legarrea.
