26th October 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
25th October 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Two Topping Leader Board After Round 3
Rome (Italy), October 25, 2019 – As the Grand Final of the Alps Tour changed course for the third round, heading to the Terre dei Consoli Golf Club, there was also movement at the top of the leader board. Frédéric Lacroix from France and Lucas Nemecz from Austria both came in with -5 (67) for the day to put them in joint first place at -10 over 54 holes.
The weather was smiling again on the tournament with blue skies and sunshine as the two leaders teed off together. Lucas Nemecz carded 5 birdies and not a single bogey: “The course is in great condition, fairways and greens. We both played well but I didn’t putt so well today. But this last event of the season is fun and a good fight.”
Frédéric Lacroix had two bogeys on his card today but remained focussed to come in with 7 birdies. He felt the course was maybe more suited to his game than that of the Golf Nazionale in the previous two rounds: “This course plays much longer off the tee with wider fairways allowing for longer shots. You have to hit much bigger shots to get into trouble, although when you do it’s real big trouble!”
Three players share joint third place at -9 for the three rounds. Federico Maccario from Italy and Julien Forêt from France both made significant moves up the leader board thanks to their -6 (66) rounds for the day. Alongside them is Edoardo Lipparelli from Italy who maintained his consistency to date this week with a -2 (70) keeping him still well in contention for the title.
Two of yesterday’s joint leaders came into the clubhouse -8 overall to take sixth position. Angel Hidalgo Portillo and Jordi Garcia Del Moral from Spain. Angel had 4 bogeys going out but countered these with 5 bogeys on the back nine for -2 (70) for the day whilst Jordi carded a -1 (71).
The overall verdict from the players is very positive regarding the combination of the two different courses, the Golf Nazionale and Terre dei Consoli, with each posing different challenges. Both are physically demanding but the notable differences today; Federico Maccario: “They’re both great courses but very different. Here the fairways are wider, but the difficulties come from there being more wind, and the greens. The greens are big, often with hidden pins so it can be difficult to get close to the flag.”
Each round demonstrates how important this tournament is for determining the season-end positions on the Order of Merit. The fourth and fifth positions are far from decided. Everything remains to play for tomorrow in the last round of the Alps Tour 2019 Grand Final. Tee-offs start at 7:59.
Round 3 results: click here
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24th October 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
3 Joint Leaders After Day 2
Rome (Italy), October 24, 2019 – The second round of the Alps Tour Grand Final proved to be both exciting and eventful here at the Golf Nazionale. The Italian Edoardo Lipparelli was still on top of the leader board at -7 having carded a 70 today but he was joined by the two Spanish rookies, Angel Hidalgo Portillo and Jordi Garcia Del Moral.
Lipparelli started the front nine strongly with five birdies and just one bogey and at the turn he was -4 (32) for an overall -9. But as he stated: “I started well on the front nine and continued playing well on the back nine, but the putter was not my friend, so I had a couple of three putts”. Two bogeys and pars saw him finish with a 38 coming in for an overall score of -2 (70) for the day.
Angel Hidalgo Portillo started the day in third position at -3 but a round of 6 birdies alongwith 2 bogeys, saw him coming into the clubhouse as joint leader. He admitted to having taken some time to settle into his round: “The first few holes were tough as I felt a little nervous but then by the fourth, I started to feel better. I putted really well today which is what made the difference compared to yesterday.” He totalled a -4 (68) for today’s round.
His compatriot Jordi Garcia Del Moral who started the day at -1 had a fantastic day with a bogey-free -6 (66) for the day: “I had six birdies to shoot six under. A round like today is a real confidence booster.”
Meanwhile David Carey from Ireland, the recent winner of the Cervino Open, roared up the leader board with 7 birdies and not a single bogey to card a -7 (65) for the day to put him in fourth place.
In joint fifth place, at -5 after the two rounds, Frédéric Lacroix from France and Lucas Nemecz from Austria both put in solid performances to move six places up the leader board with –4 (68). They’re joined by Edgar Catherine from France who carded a -2 today including an eagle on the par 5 number 14 hole.
We then have four players in the next spot at -3 for the 36 holes. The Italians, Luca Cianchetti and Federico Maccario alongwith Julien Foret from France and Martin Contini from Argentina.
Despite a brief light shower in the morning, weather conditions were again unseasonably mild. However, a storm is heading in from the South so we can expect heavy downpours overnight which will hopefully have stopped by start of play tomorrow at 8:19.
Play moves to the Terre dei Consoli Golf Club for the next two rounds and the pressure will start to mount as the rounds tick by.
Round 2 results: click here
Stay tuned! www.wp-alpstour.ocs-sport.com and the app « Alps Tour Golf » (on App Store for iOS devices and Play Store for Android) will keep you updated on every news about Alps Tour.
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23rd October 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Lipparelli Leads After Round 1
Rome (Italy), October 23, 2019 – On a balmy autumn day with blue skies, no wind and summer-like temperatures, the Italian player, Edoardo Lipparelli came into the clubhouse at -5 (67) to take the lead in the Alps Tour Grand Final at the Golf Nazionale.
With 6 birdies and just one bogey on his scorecard, Edoardo Lipparelli played a steady round. “I’m happy with my game. I hit a couple of bad shots, but I was able to recover well. Everything else was fairly solid. My putting worked pretty well, even if some putts didn’t drop. Overall, I’m pleased with my score and I feel comfortable for tomorrow.”
The dense rough along the fairways claimed a number of victims today as any wayward tee-shots were immediately punished. As Lipparelli stated: “I think the most important part on this golf course are the tee shots. To hit the most fairways possible. I was lucky enough to hit a lot of good shots off the tee and not look for any balls. That definitely helps on this golf course, so that was the best part of my game today.”
The course hosted the Nazionale Open in July of this year, but the course conditions are not exactly the same. Differences that Lipparelli appreciates: “It’s playing a little differently because it’s less dry and so it is playing longer aswell because the ball doesn’t bounce as much. I like it. It’s in very good shape for this final.”
Indeed, despite the near-perfect playing conditions, the challenging Jim Fazio designed course saw plenty of birdies, pars, bogeys and double-bogeys but just a single eagle among the 40 players out there today, that of the Portuguese rookie, Vitor Londot Lopes on the par 5 hole 18.
The rookies were out in force today with six of them in the top ten on the leaderboard after the first round. In second position is the rookie, Martin Contini from Argentina, who carded a bogey-free -4 (68). Whilst in the four players tied for third position on the leaderboard at -3 (69) are two more rookies, Angel Hidalgo Portillo from Spain and Edgar Catherine from France alongside the experienced players Davey Porsius from the Netherlands and Xavier Poncelet from France.
Rounding out the top ten at -2 (70) are three more rookies; lone-eagle scorer, Vitor Londot Lopes, and Mathias Eggenberger from Switzerland alongwith Jonathan Yates from Ireland accompanied by the experienced French player Teremoana Beaucousin.
Of the top 5 players on the Order of Merit, just two of them are in the top ten after the 18 holes of Day 1. Edoardo Lipparelli (1st) and Xavier Poncelet (5th). The other three top 5 players are Frédéric Lacroix (3rd), Enrico Di Nitto (2nd) and Timon Baltl (4th) who came in at -1 (71), Par (72) and +1 (72) respectively.
However, we have another three rounds to go and anything can happen in the game of golf. As Edoardo Lipparelli says, for a tournament of this number of rounds: “Whoever is the most consistent over the four days is going to top the leader board.”
So, consistency is the key. Let’s see what Day 2 produces on the Golf Nazionale course. The first tee-off is at 8:19 and the last flight starts at 11:20.
Rounds 3 and 4 will take place at the Terre dei Consoli Golf Club.
Round 1 results: click here
Stay tuned! www.wp-alpstour.ocs-sport.com and the app « Alps Tour Golf » (on App Store for iOS devices and Play Store for Android) will keep you updated on every news about Alps Tour.
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21st October 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Alps Tour Grand Final Wraps Up 2019 Season
Rome (Italy), October 21, 2019 – The Grand Final of the Alps Tour 2019 has a new twist this year as it will be played over two adjacent golf courses, those of Terre dei Consoli Golf Club and the Golf Nazionale in the province of Lazio some 60 kilometres north of Rome.
The Golf Nazionale sees the Alps Tour players return for the second time this season after the Nazionale Open in July, whilst it is a first time for Terre dei Consoli to host an Alps Tour event.
The top 50 players on the Order of Merit after the Cervino Open in September qualified to take part in the Grand Final, provided that they had also competed in at least 6 other Alps Tour events in 3 different countries. Of the qualifying players, 41 will take to the fairways outside Rome.
The format for the final is 72-hole stroke play over four days with no cut. In the event of a tie for first place after the 72 holes, the winner will be decided in a hole-by-hole play-off.
However, even more interestingly, the points distribution in the Grand Final can have a major impact on the OofM ranking. Whilst the prize money remains constant, the points earned are practically doubled compared to the other competitions. In total there are 70,000 points to be distributed. The winner receives 11,000 points and the runner-up 7,000 points.
What’s at stake? A full Challenge Tour category for the 2020 season goes to the top five players on the OofM at the end of the Alps Tour 2019 Grand Final.
The current contenders are Edoardo Lipparelli and his Italian compatriot Enrico di Nitto, respectively first and second. Frédéric Lacroix from France in third position has already started playing on the Challenge Tour this season after his three Alps Tour wins but could change his category. As Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez from Spain, currently fourth, will not be playing the final as he is currently ranked twelfth on the Challenge Tour this moves Timon Baltl from Austria up into fourth position and Xavier Poncelet from France into fifth.
Given that in the OofM, the number 5 position is currently held by Xavier Poncelet from France with 16,898 points, just 122 points ahead of the Italian player Federico Maccario, there is still everything to play for. Moreover, even players further down the OofM could see themselves catapulted into the top five if they have a good result.
The four rounds will be played out alternately over the two courses, each of which poses its own challenges. The Robert Trent Jones Jr designed Terre dei Consoli Golf Club course opened its doors in 2011. A technically challenging course particularly on the back nine, water and bunkers come into play on several holes and depending on the weather conditions, northernly wind gusts can complicate matters further. The Jim Fazio designed Golf Nazionale course has tree-lined fairways, strategically placed bunkers, water and dense rough to contend with.
We can look forward to four days of intense competition with clement meteorological conditions forecast despite the possibility of a shower or two.
Entries: click here
Stay tuned! www.wp-alpstour.ocs-sport.com and the app « Alps Tour Golf » (on App Store for iOS devices and Play Store for Android) will keep you updated on every news about Alps Tour.
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