28th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Italy’s Andrea Saracino wins Des Iles Borromées Open, his first pro victory

Italy’s Andrea Saracino won today Des Iles Borromées Open with a total score of -18. 

It was Saracino’s first professional victory at the Golf Des Iles Borromées. 

Tied for 2nd place are Julien Foret (FRA) and Santiago Tarrio (ESP) who finished 6 strokes behind Saracino at -12 total. Foret had entered today’s final round as leader of the tournament at -13 total. 

France’s Victor Marchiset turned in the best card of the day at -7. He finished in 4th place at -11 total. 

«  I’m very happy » 24-year-old Andrea Saracino said. ” Today was easy even though I was a bit nervous. I made 7 birdies and 1 bogey. I started with a birdie on the first hole, then I birdied on holes 5 and 6 » he explained. «  This week was rather difficult with the weather conditions. It was very hot and humid. But I’m just very happy » he concluded.

«  I had a good week even though I’m disappointed at the outcome » Foret said. «  I hit a very bad shot on hole 4 (double bogey) but I was able to remain focused until the end. I was looking at securing this second place because Andrea quickly made the difference on the front 9 as he shot 5 under. He had a great day » he continued. «  I hit a birdie on hole 17 which put me back in 2nd place. I can only be satisfied with this day during which I had to fight to keep this second place » he said. «  I’m satisfied with my week overall, I hit low scores, I putted very well and as a whole, it went very well » he concluded.

«  I’m very satisfied with my tournament » Victor Marchiset said. «  I followed my strategy from beginning to end today. I did not attack, I was not agressive and I putted very very well. I made 3 birdies in a row on holes 3,4 and 5. I’m just very satisfied. I would have signed up without any problem at the beginning of the day for a 4th place » he concluded. 

Santiago Tarrio (ESP) still leads the Order of Merit, the Alps Tour official season ranking. With his 5th place today, Alexandre Daydou (FRA) moves up to second place of the Order. Louis Cohen Boyer (FRA), Marcus Mohr (ENG) and David Borda (ESP) complete the top 5 of the ranking. At the end of the season, the top 5 of the Order of Merit qualifies directly to play on the Challenge Tour. 

Rising golf stars and staff of the Alps Tour will now take a summer break. The next tournament is the Cervino Open starting on August 29th. 


27th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Foret enters final round as sole leader

France’s Julien Foret enters the final round of the Des Iles Borromées Open presented by Cashback tomorrow as leader with a total score of -13. Foret shot 3 under today to retain sole leadership of the tournament. 

Foret is followed by Andrea Saracino (ITA) at one stroke behind (-12 total) and by Davey Porsius (NED) at -7 total.

Marcus Mohr (ENG) turned in the best card of the day at the Golf Des Iles Borromées at -7 and move ups to 4th place at -6 total.   

«  I’m rather satisfied with my score. 3 under is not a bad score considering today’s conditions. There was more wind than yesterday, it was very hot and some of the pins were pretty difficult. We had to be careful » Foret said.  «  It could have been a lot better if I had made some putts on the way back » he continued. «  Tomorrow is another day, there is a nice challenge waiting for me. These are situations we like to be in, this is what we’re playing for » he concluded.  

«  Today was a good day, I’m very happy » Andrea Saracino said. «  I made 3 under with 5 birdies and a stupid double bogey on hole 17 » the 24-year-old player from Rome explained. «  I hope to play good tomorrow and to win my first professional tournament » he concluded. 

« It was a very pleasant day, it was nice to get out early because it was a little bit cooler on the front 9 » Marcus Mohr said. « I was playing with Andrea Saracino who shot an amazing round yesterday, he was playing very steady today so it was easy to off feed from him, we were all hitting well, the group was playing well » he explained. «  My girlfriend Amy is here, she was caddying me for the first time ever and it went well. For tomorrow, I’ve got to stay patiently agressive, there are some many birdies out there so I’ll try to shoot as low as I can » Mohr concluded.

53 players including 8 amateurs made the cut set at +1 and will play tomorrow’s final round.

Final round will tee off at 8h local time. 


26th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Julien Foret leads Des Iles Borromées Open

Frenchman Julien Foret turned in the best card of the day today at -10 at the Des Iles Borromées Open presented by Cashback. 

Foret finished round 1 at the Golf Club Des Iles Borromées  with an eagle, 9 birdies and a bogey. 

He is followed by Andrea Saracino (ITA), who finished one stroke behind (-9). Four strokes behind Saracino is a group of three Frenchmen: Sam Testelin, amateur Clément Charmasson and Sébastien Gandon. 

«  I’m very satisfied after such a day during which I made lots of birdies and an eagle » 35-year-old Julien Foret said. «  I started the day very well and I was able to stay focused throughout the round » he explained.

 «  I hit a lot of good shots, very good shots, I gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdies, I was able to materialize these birdies when the opportunities came up » he continued. «  There is not much else to say, there are not a lot of shots to throw away at 10 under, it could have gone the other way, but today it went my way. There is another nice day coming up tomorrow, I’ll keep doing the best possible » he concluded. 

«  I had an easy day today, I made 10 birdies and a bogey » Andrea Saracino said. « The course is very good, the greens are fast, I made every putt from everywhere today » he explained. 

Special mention to Javier Parada (ESP) who made a hole-in-one this afternoon. The spaniard used an iron 7 to cover the 155 meters between the tee and the pin on hole 16, a par 3. Parada finished tied for 14th place at -2 total. 

Weather conditions were sunny with hot temperatures and some wind gusts in the morning. 

Tomorrow’s first round 2 tee off is at 07h30 local time. 


24th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Des Iles Borromees Open presented by Cashback is next

Rising golf stars of the Alps Tour are heading this week to Lake Maggiore, Italy, for the Des Iles Borromees Open presented by Cashback July 26th through July 28th. 

The Golf des Iles Borromees hosted last year the Alps Tour Grand Final won by amateur Adria Arnaus (ESP). On top of winning the Grand Final, Arnaus finished first in the Order of Merit, the Alps Tour official season ranking.

The Golf Des Iles Borromees, a 18-hole par 71 golf course located 500 meters above sea level, is surrounded by beautiful nature and an exceptional flora. The course has spectacular views of the Swiss Alps and of the Ticino Plain. From the 18th tee, one can see the Skyline of Milan and four lakes: Lake Maggiore, Lake Varese, Lake Monate and Lake Comabbio. 

The golf club is also the home of a very dynamic junior school managed by a former player of the European Tour, Federico Colombo.

130 players  from 17 countries across five continents have entered the tournament including Santiago Tarrio (ESP), leader of there Alps Tour’s Order of Merit. Tarrio is looking for his third victory on the Alps Tour this season which would give him direct access to the Challenge Tour.  

The €40,000 prize money tournament is played over 54 holes of traditional stroke. Following a cut after 36 holes, the top 40 and ties will qualify for the final round of the tournament. 

After this week’s tournament, Alps Tour players and staff will take a month-long break before the next tournament, the Cervino Open starting August 29th.


20th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Frenchman Thomas Elissalde wins Alps de Las Castillas

Alps Tour veteran player Thomas Elissalde (FRA) won today the Alps de Las Castillas at the Leon Golf Club with a total of -14 after a nerve wracking final round which saw three players ended their day tied for 1st place.

Conor O’Rourke (IRL), Guido Migliozzi (ITA) and Thomas Elissalde (FRA) had to play two playoff holes to determine the tournament winner. 

The three players made par in the first playoff hole to remain tied. Elissalde was able to pull it off on a second playoff hole by making a birdie and thus winning his first Alps Tour tournament of the season.  

«  It feels great but this was not expected at all » Elissalde said. «  The first hole of playoff was complicated, I had to make a wedge putt from the bunker, it was very tough. I made birdie on the second playoff hole, it’s just amazing » he explained. 

Thomas Elissalde, who turned in the best card of the day at -9 (an eagle and 7 birdies), was first to tee off today’s final round with his brother Paul. He had to wait 2h30 before finding out he would have to do some overtime in a playoff game. « I thought the other players would have made more birdies so I was not expecting a playoff. I went to practice for 40 minutes just to practice my golf and to be ready for the playoff » he said. 

It is the Elissalde’s fifth victory on the Alps Tour in his five years on the circuit. «  I’ve won one Alps Tour tournament each year since turning pro, it’s just great to win five times on the Alps Tour. I just want to share this victory with my friends and family and be ready for next week’s event » Elissalde concluded. 

Markus Habeler (AUT), who had been leading the tournament since round 1, made par in the final round to finish in 4th place.  

The top 5 of the Order of Merit, the Alps Tour official season ranking, remains unchanged after this week’s tournament. Santiago Tarrio (ESP) is still the leader while Louis Cohen Boyer (FRA), Alexandre Daydou (FRA), Marcus Mohr (ENG) and David Borda (ESP) complete the top 5 of the ranking. At the end of the season, the top 5 of the Order of Merit qualifies directly to play on the Challenge Tour. 

Rising golf stars of the Alps Tour will now travel to Italy for the Iles Borromees Open July 26th through July 28th. 


19th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Habeler enters final round of Alps de Las Castillas as leader

Markus Habeler (AUT) remains leader of the Alps de Las Castillas at the Leon Golf Club for the second day in a row with a total score of -13. 

He is followed by Guido Migliozzi (ITA) who turned in the best card of the day at -10 (-11 total) and by Conor O’Rourke (IRL) at -10 total.

« I’m pretty happy with a 5 under today » Habeler said. «  I played solid, I started good with a birdie on the first hole. I made a lot of good drives today as well. I managed to make another 2 birdies on the front 9. The back 9 is a bit tougher, tee shots get a little bit narrow. I hit a really good 7 iron to the green on hole 12 to make an eagle. To make 2 eagles in 2 rounds is quiet nice. I also almost made a hole-in-one on hole 17 » he explained. 

«  I just want to play my game tomorrow, I won a tournament last year (Lignano Open in Venice, Italy) and I know how hard it is to win » he concluded. 

«  10 under par is a great score, I played very solid game, I missed a few putts on the front 9 and then hit a lot of shots under 1 meter. It’s a great score, it’s a good feeling » Guido Migliozzi, recent winner of the Open La Pinetina in Italy said. Migliozzi made 2 eagles and 6 birdies. 

44 players made the cut set at -2 and will play tomorrow’s final round.

Final round will tee off at 8h local time. 


18th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Habeler leads Alps de Las Castillas

Markus Habeler (AUT) is the sole leader of the Alps de Las Castillas after round 1 held at Leon Golf Club with a total score of -8. 

Thomas Grava (FRA) and Felix Schulz (AUT) share the second place at -6 total while a group of 5 players are tied for 3rd place 4 strokes behind Habeler at -4 total. 

«  The whole round was pretty good, I hit a lot of greens, a lot of fairways which is important on this course. I hit a few balls inside 6 or 7 feet, I putted really good today and having a bogey-free day is always nice » Habeler said. 
«  I’m hitting my driver pretty well at the moment  So I’m pretty confident that I will hit a lot of fairways in the coming days and just go for it. If you want to win, you have to attack » he explained. «  There are a few holes out there where you’re very happy with a par but on the others, you’re just trying to make birdies » the 25-year-old Austrian added. 
 
«  My start of the season was pretty bad. I had some issue with my swing and family-wise. But it’s all sorted out now and I’ve been playing a lot better for a couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to the next rounds » he concluded.  
Habeler made an eagle and 6 birdies.
Also of note today is the hole-in-one by Frenchman Sébastien Gandon who used a 6 iron to cover the 182 meters between the tee and the pin on hole 2.   
Round 2 will tee off tomorrow at 8h local time. 

17th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Rising golf stars head to the Alps de Las Castillas

Rising golf stars of the Alps Tour are heading this week to León, northwest of Spain, for the Alps de Las Castillas July 18th through July 20th. 

The 6th edition of the Alps de Las Castillas is played for the first time at the León Golf Club, a 18-hole par 72 golf course designed by former professional Spanish player Manuel Piñero. The course is known for its large fairways, numerous bunkers, large greens and numerous lakes, making it a very demanding course but at the same time a continuous challenge. 

128 players from 17 countries across five continents have entered the tournament including Santiago Tarrio (ESP), leader of there Alps Tour’s Order of Merit. Tarrio is looking for his third victory on the Alps Tour this season which would give him direct access to the Challenge Tour. 
 
The €48,000 prize money tournament, making it one of the biggest events this season, is played over 54 holes of traditional stroke. Following a cut after 36 holes, the top 40 and ties will qualify for the final round of the tournament. 
 
Round 1 starts at 8h local time tomorrow. 

14th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Spain’s García-Heredia wins Fred Olsen Alps de La Gomera

Alfredo García-Heredia (ESP) won today the Fred Olsen Alps de La Gomera at the Tecina Golf with a total score of -18. The 36-year-old player from Spain’s Asturias region had been leading the tournament since the first round.  

He is followed by a pair of Frenchmen, Louis Cohen Boyer and Léonard Bem, who both finished 2 strokes behind at -16 total. Bem turned in the best card of the day at -8 with an eagle and 6 birdies. Cohen Boyer started his final round with four consecutive birdies. But the French player’s back 9 was far quieter with no birdies and a bogey. 
 
«  I did not play badly in the first holes but suddenly I see myself three behind » García-Heredia explained. The spaniard made 7 birdies and 2 bogeys total in the final round. «  But golf is very long game and there were still interesting holes to come, I knew I was going to have my options at the end » he continued. «  Winning is always a pleasant feeling, I will try to reproduce in the upcoming tournaments what I have felt here on the course, even when I did not play so well,” García-Heredia said. “I will go with my wife to dinner to celebrate this evening and then travel to Jerez tomorrow. I will go fishing after the Alps of Las Castillas in León next week » he concluded.
 
” Today was really different from the other times when I was in a position to win” Louis Cohen Boyer said. ” I played the way I wanted to play to try to win the tournament. Alfredo García-Heredia did what he had to do to win today and I wish to congratulate him for his last 9 holes” he concluded.
« I’m very happy with my week! » Frenchman Léonard Bem said. «  The start of the season was difficult for me but I’ve been feeling better in all compartments of my game for a few weeks now. And this week, I particularly felt well. The course is very nice and in good shape. The location is just beautiful with a magnificent view » Bem continued. « This is all very positive on top ot turning in the best card today » he concluded. 
 
Santiago Tarrio (ESP) still leads the Order of Merit, the Alps Tour official season ranking. Louis Cohen Boyer moves up to 2nd place after his result today. Alexandre Daydou (FRA), Marcus Mohr (ENG) and David Borda (ESP) complete the top 5 of the ranking. At the end of the season, the top 5 of the Order of Merit qualifies directly to play on the Challenge Tour. 

Rising golf stars of the Alps Tour will now travel back to Spain’s mainland for the Alps de Las Castillas in León July 18th through July 20th. 

 

Photo @Paulino Diaz


13th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Garcia-Heredia remains leader of Alps de La Gomera

Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (ESP) remains sole leader of the Fred Olsen Alps de La Gomera for the second day in a row with a total score of -13. 

He is followed by Louis Cohen Boyer (FRA) who turned in the best card of the day at -7 (-12 total) and by Benjamin Wheeler at -9 total.
 
«  Today, I played more solid than yesterday, I had more opportunities for birdie » the leader Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, who made 2 eagles, 4 birdies and 2 bogeys today, explained. «  When you’re playing so well, it’s difficult to stay focused. I managed to fix things up on the back 9 and made an eagle on hole 17th, I’m very satisfied » he continued. «  It was exclusively my fault, I lacked intensity at times » the spaniard said of his 2 bogeys on holes 10 and 11. 
 
«  It was a good day for me, I was able to stay focused on my game from beginning to end » Frenchman Louis Cohen Boyer said. « It is a course that fits well with my game with accessible pin positions and rather long par 3s. My long iron game allows me to avoid making mistakes on these par 3s » he explained. «  Another day like this tomorrow and this long trip to the Canary Islands will have been worth it » he concluded. Cohen Boyer made and eagle and 5 birdies today.
42 players including 1 amateur made the cut set at -1 and will play tomorrow’s final round at the Tecina Golf La Gomera
 
Final round tee off is at 8h40 local time. 
Photo @Paulino Diaz
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