21st August 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Paul Elissalde Clinches Victory
August 21st, 2021 – Maria Lankowitz, Austria – We saw a real battle out on the fairways of Golf Club Erzherzog Johann today with five of yesterday’s top players jockeying for pole position. However, Paul Elissalde finally clinched victory by one stroke on the eighteenth green finishing on -20 (196).
Elissalde had another error-free round today. The birdies may not have fallen as abundantly as yesterday but he pulled one out of the bag at the perfect moment. With four birdies up to the eighteenth tee putting him at -19, he stood level with Daniel Berna Manzanares and Gregorio de Leo who were already in the clubhouse. His final putt dropped for a birdie on the par 4 eighteenth and gave him his first Alps Tour win.
“My game was not quite as good as the last two days when I made very few mistakes. I felt under pressure today, I must admit. I looked at the leader board from time to time and saw that the flight in front were playing really well which put some additional pressure on me. Nevertheless, I managed to stay focussed, and I’m really pleased with the result today as I didn’t have a single bogey on my card.”
The 25-year-old Biarritz native has made some recent changes to his training routine:
“I’ve been gaining experience for 5 years now on the Alps Tour and am managing situations better. I started mental coaching two months ago after finally finding someone who was a good fit with me, so that’s new and it’s really helped. I’ve also changed my physical trainer this year. Its satisfying to see that all the hard work is bearing fruit.”
Interestingly, his older brother Thomas Elissalde had his first Alps Tour victory at the same tournament in 2014. He finished this year on one under.
The two runners-up on -19 (197), Daniel Berna Manzanares from Spain and the Italian amateur, Gregorio de Leo, both played 64 (-8) today. Teeing off on -11 from the first tee, De Leo started with a bang, holing an eagle on the par 5 first and completed the front nine with four birdies. Three more birdies coming in and a lone bogey completed a stellar performance. His playing partner, Berna Manzanares, started with a birdie, the first of the nine he holed today with just one bogey on the front nine.
Ryan Lumsden playing with Paul Elissalde and Franck Medale in the last flight, came in fourth on -18 (198). The Scotsman put in a third solid performance of the week with six birdies and was the only other player in the top ten, besides the winner, without a bogey or higher on his card. He now moves to the top of the Order of Merit
Paul Elissalde’s win catapults him up to fifth on the OofM just behind his compatriot Franck Medale whose -16 (200) put him at number five for the tournament today.
Next stop Spain, and the Alps de Andalucia at the Anoreta Golf Club in Malaga from September 9th-11th. Just two more tournaments before the Grand Final in Italy in October.
Final Results: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
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20th August 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Paul Elissalde Tops the Leaderboard Day 2
August 20th, 2021 – Maria Lankowitz, Austria – After a flawless round today, Paul Elissalde from France took the lead here at the Gösser Open. Another course record of 63 (-9) put him on -15 (129), one stroke ahead of his compatriot Franck Medale.
Elissalde had a total of nine birdies and narrowly missed a tenth on the final green:
“I played well throughout the day. I put quite a few wedge shots close to the pin and sank a few long putts and managed to get some points here and there. The course is very good. It was a bit wet at first but playing in the afternoon meant it had time to dry out. The greens are a little bit complicated putting with the grain as we are not used to it. I started the season well with a fifth place and then it was a little bit more complicated until the last tournament when I finished third so tomorrow, I’m going to fight to improve on that result”.
Franck Medale teed off this morning and was leader in the clubhouse before his fellow countryman came in. After seven birdies and zero bogeys, he stands at -14 for thirty-six holes. The winner of the Open de la Mirabelle d’Or this June has had two consistent rounds which promises for tomorrow’s final round:
“The two rounds started slowly, I took a bit of time to get into it, but I was patient and waited for the birdies to start dropping. I played intelligently and set up lots of birdie opportunities even if I missed a few. I’ve been daring to take aggressive drive lines which helped me to get near the pin and boosted my confidence. Having already won this season also helps me feel more confident, knowing that I can consistently produce good scores and even when I hit a bad shot, I can recover. I’m happy with the two days and two good scores.”.
Two strokes behind on -12, Ryan Lumsden continues his streak of impressive results. Seven birdies today keep the Scottish two-time winner this season well in contention for the title.
A three-way tie at fifth position on -11 are the two Italian players, Carlo Casalegno, third yesterday and Gregorio de Leo who had the best result among the amateurs. Alongside them, one of yesterday’s joint leaders, Daniel Berna Manzanares from Spain had two bogeys on the front nine and one more on the back which ate away points.
The next highest ranked amateur, Joel Moscatel from Spain was tied fifth yesterday. Today, a bogey on each nine cost him places but left him just five strokes behind the leader in seventh position on -10. With him is the Irishman, Gary Hurley who had all the colours of the rainbow on his card today; one eagle, five birdies, eight pars, three bogeys and a double bogey on the par 5 hole nine.
The same hole caused problems for yesterday’s joint leader, Edgar Catherine, who started at -9 off the tenth. Four birdies and a bogey going out put him at -12 at the turn. Another birdie on the first hole but then things took a turn for the worst with a bogey on the fifth and a triple bogey on the sixth seeing him shed four shots in two holes. Birdie on the seventh was cancelled out by a disastrous double bogey on the last hole to leave him at one over for the day on -8. On the same score is the top home turf result of the day from Uli Weinhandl. The Austrian player shot a 68 (-4) today.
The cut came at -3 (141) with 59 players, 40 pros and 19 amateurs going through to the Final Round tomorrow which tees off at 8:30 am from tees one and ten.
Results Round 2: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
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19th August 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Joint Leaders Day 1 – Edgar Catherine & Daniel Berna Manzanares
August 19th, 2021 – Maria Lankowitz, Austria – Leader at the end of the morning flights Daniel Berna Manzanares from Spain maintained the top spot until near end of play when the French player Edgar Catherine entered the clubhouse to join him at -9 (63) after the first round of the Gösser Open. The two players equalled the Golf Club Erzherzog Johann course record of -9 (63) today to take the lead by one stroke.
Daniel Berna Manzanares started and finished in style with a birdie on the tenth and an eagle to close for a bogey-free round totalling seven birdies.
“I played very well from tee to green and holed a couple of very long putts, so it was a good day. I took the break of four weeks to teach and so I didn’t really train like I normally do but I was very relaxed, and it was very clear in my mind for the round today. I’ve been practising to control the ball and make high balls fly and so I’ll try to do the same tomorrow”.
Edgar Catherine started the front nine smoothly with an error-free 33 (-3). A bit of a wobble on the par 4 tenth with a bogey but then he absolutely powered home with seven birdies and par and 30 (-6).
“I started with a three putt on the first, and said to myself ‘okay, lets keep going and see what happens’. I had a good front nine including a birdie on the eighth from 1.5 metres and finished 3 under for nine. Coming in I sent my 3 wood too long on the tenth and ended up in the water and made bogey. From then I really motivated myself to give it my all and it worked well. I sank a few putts from 4 or 5 metres and had a great iron shot on the seventeenth leaving a short putt and the bonus was on the eighteenth when, from ten metres, with the break it went in. It’s always satisfying to finish like that and I was globally happy with all the aspects of my game today”.
In joint third place on -8 (64), are Gary Hurley from Ireland and the Italian, Carlo Casalegno. The Irishman briefly took the lead this morning after carding eight birdies. Casalegno, playing in the same flight as Berna Manzanares had a terrific round with nine birdies but missed sharing the lead when a wayward shot cost him a bogey on the par 4 fifth hole with its green protected by water.
There is a three-way tie at fifth place on -7 (65) with Joel Moscatel from Spain, best result among the amateurs today, Franck Medale from France, winner of the Open de la Mirabelle d’Or this year and Hamza Amin from Pakistan.
The highest ranked Austrians are Clemens Gaster and the amateur Fabian Lang on -5 (67) putting them in joint tenth.
More than half the field of 144 players came in at par or better today and with 27 players within 5 strokes of the leaders there is still everything to play for. Playing conditions should be much the same as today for Round 2 with tee offs from both the first and tenth at 7:30 am.
Results Round 1: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
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16th August 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Gösser Open Kicks off Alps Tour End of Season
August 16th, 2021 – Maria Lankowitz, Austria – After a four-week break, the Alps Tour players are back on the tee box here at the Golf Club Erzherzog Johann. The Gösser Open or ‘5th Major’ as it is sometimes referred to by members, sees its 29th edition this year. With just three more tournaments to go this year, the players will be aiming for points on the Order of Merit.
We have got seven out of the eight winners to date this season lined up. The absentee from the victors list is the Spanish two-time winner and currently first on the OofM, Angel Hidalgo Portillo. However, the number two, Ryan Lumsden from Scotland, who also has a brace of wins this season with the MIRA Golf Experience Acaya Open plus Alps de Las Castillas and a close second at the recent Roma Alps Letas Open, will be looking for that illusive third.
Winner of the last event, Frenchman Xavier Poncelet, currently twelfth on the OofM, will be more than focussed on repeating the feat here in Austria. His compatriots, the amateur Paul Margolis, winner of the MIRA Live the Soul Open and Franck Medale, victor at the Open de Mirabelle d’Or, fourth and fifth respectively on the OofM will be ready to give him a run for his money. They are joined by Thomas Elissade who previously won the Gösser Open back in 2014.
The other three 2021 title holders head a thirty-two strong Italian contingent: Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, winner of the Abruzzo Alps Open, the Antognolla Alps Open champion, Stefano Mazzoli, and Luca Ciancetti, victor at the Red Sea Little Venice Open. Sitting third, seventh and ninth on the OofM, they all have everything to play for.
The host country is represented by forty-two players, more than half of which are amateurs. Florian Thuller and Maximilian Klaus recently both had top ten finishes in the 2021 Austrian Amateur Championship. Among the pros, there are two former Alps Tour winners Clemens Gaster at the 2017 Alps de Andalucia and Uli Weinhandl whose wins may go back to the 2009/2010 season but who has had eighteen top ten finishes to date. The last two Gösser Open winners, Lukas Nemecz 2020 and Timon Balt 2019 were Austrian. Both are absent from the field this year, but their countrymen will be keen to keep the trophy at home.
Events get underway on Wednesday with the Pro-Am and weather conditions promise to be mild with periods of sunshine, light breezes, and no rain for the duration of the tournament.
Many thanks again go to the historic promotor, Murhofgruppe, for making the tournament possible.
Entries: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
Stay tuned! www.alpstourgolf.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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