16th October 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Victory for Victor Garcia Broto at Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final
October 16th, 2021, Modena – It was a Grand Final full of surprises that went right down to the line but saw Victor Garcia Broto from Spain hold steady to stay at the top of the leader board for the three days and seize victory in a two-way play-off against the Italian amateur Riccardo Bregoli.
« I’m really happy with the way I played. I’d like to thank the Alps Tour as this is my first season with them. I started as an amateur, turned pro in the middle of the season and this is a fantastic way to end ».
The trophy presented to winner Victor Garcia Broto was specially designed by Roberta Verteramo to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Alps Tour.
The play-off on the 18th hole, saw Bregoli take the riskier right-hand fairway and, unfortunately, find the water. Garcia Broto took the safer route via the left-hand fairway, played a second safe shot and put his third just off the back of the green to chip on to be less than a metre from the hole. Bregoli’s fourth shot found the rough and he hit the green for five. Three putts to sink the ball, giving him triple bogey, he could only congratulate the Spanish player who sank his putt for par.
A real home-crowd pleaser as witnessed by the supporters on the 18th green, Bregoli was obviously disappointed but remained positive :
« This has been my home club for sixteen years since I started to play golf and I really appreciated playing here and to play well ».
With the Grand Final completed, the points on the Order fo Merit were distributed. Another Modena Golf & Country Club member, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa received the trophy as winner of the 2021 OofM. He receives one of the 5 full cards on the Challenge Tour for next year.
In second place is Ryan Lumsden from Scotland who was absent from the final as he is currently playing the Korn Ferry QSchool.
In third place is Angel Hidalgo Portillo who was also not present as he has already earned a Challenge Tour card having won the Big Green Egg German Challenge. Thus the third card goes to today’s winner, the fourth placed Victor Garcia Broto.
Two French players follow on the list for full cards; Paul Elissalde and the amateur Paul Margolis, if he turns pro before the end of the year.
Thus ends the 20th anniversary year of the Alps Tour. The 2022 season kicks off in Egypt mid-February.
The Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final 2021 is promoted by the Alps Tour with the fundamental support of the Italian Golf Federation, Modena Golf & Country Club, and the Emilia Romagna Region.
Results Final Round: 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.
15th October 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Victor Garcia Broto Sole Leader After Round 2
October 15th, 2021, Modena – Having shared the lead yesterday, Victor Garcia Broto pulled ahead of the rest of the field today to sit -12 (132) after Round 2 of the Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final here at the Modena Golf & Country Club. Plus there was a record-breaking round further down the leader board.
The 24 year-old Spaniard stayed focussed to card a 68 (-4) for the day with five birdies and just one bogey, his first of the tournament so far :
« I really enjoyed my round today . I felt really comfortable and could move the ball how I wanted to. It felt great. I tried to be as aggressive as yesterday but some putts went in and others not. I think my long game was probably my strong point today as it gave me the opportunity for lots of birdies. So tomorrow I’ll keep the same strategy as yesterday and today and keep fighting to the end ».
Two strokes behind are the Italian, Carlo Casalegno and David Carey from Ireland on -10 (134). The Irishman was first into the clubhouse with a 67 (-5) for the round :
« Today was tough, I really played badly the front nine, but the back nine I just stayed very patient, kept my head down and made a couple of putts on the way in which is great. I stayed really calm and said to myself, just one shot at a time and try and hit the next shot as well as I could and thankfully I got better towards the end. I was aggressive off the tee and tried to be fully committed. Sometimes I wasn’t so good at that and sometimes I was better. On the 18th, I hit the driver down the right-hand side, made the fairway then hit a wedge to within twenty feet and made the putt ».
His eagle putt on the 18th gave him a 31 (-5) for the back nine after two birdies and two bogeys going out.
Carlo Casalegno had a bogey-free 66 (-6) today with two birdies out and four in :
« I hit the ball really well today and struck some good shots off the tee and good second shots. But, with the conditions of the greens I think the most important part of my game today was the putter. I really putted well and made six birdies and no bogeys. For the par five game, yesterday I made one bogey and today no bogeys and some birdies. The condition of the course is getting better day by day. Today it was a little bit dryer than yesterday so my strategy changed in some situations but one thing that doesn’t change is the condition of the greens. The ball rolls perfectly, I’m finding a good timing so they’re a good speed for me ».
In third place on -9 (135) are two Italians, Gregorio De Leo and Alessandro Tadini. Yesterday’s joint leader, De Leo had a difficult front nine with a double-bogey on the 3rd, two bogeys and two birdies. He recovered on the back nine with three birdies and no bogeys to finish with 71 (-1) for the day. Tadini had an error-free round with four birdies and an eagle for a 66 (-6).
Round of the day went to Davey Porsius from the Netherlands. He broke the course record with a 63 (-9) after carding two bogeys, nine birdies and an eagle on the par 5 , 18th. His achievement moved him up to joint sixth place on -6.
The final round tees off tomorrow at 9 :21 am from tees 1 and 10 at the end of which the Order of Merit will decide the ten places on the Challenge Tour for the 2022 season.
The Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final 2021 is promoted by the Alps Tour with the fundamental support of the Italian Golf Federation, Modena Golf & Country Club, and the Emilia Romagna Region.
Results Round 2: 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.
14th October 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Joint Leaders After Round 1 of Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final
October 14th, 2021, Modena – Victor Garcia Broto and Gregorio De Leo jointly head the leader board today here at the Modena Golf & Country Club after carding -8 (64) in Round 1 of the Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final. Leading the field by three strokes, they also both match the course record and in doing so join prestigious company as it was established in 1993 at the Italian Open by Seve Ballesteros.
The First Round pairings teed off according to their position on the Order of Merit prior to the Grand Final, so the Spanish player, Victor Garcia Broto, in 21st position on 9,191 points was first into the clubhouse with a bogey-free round and two eagles :
« I started really well on the front nine. I made birdies on the 2nd and the 4th, then some great shots but didn’t make the putts but holed an eagle on the 7th and birdie on the 8th. Then the next holes from ten to 10 to 16 I struggled a little bit but managed to save pars and at the end I hit two great shots and finished birdie, eagle ».
Knowing that there are two possible strategies to tackling the course, play safe or take risks, which did he choose ?
« I like the course, it’s a good design and when I came here, I felt pretty confident as it matches my game. You try to be on the fairway, that’s the first point because there are some holes that are pretty tight. And when you’re in position it’s good to try and attack the flags which is what I tried to do today ».
The Italian player, Gregorio De Leo, currently in 10th position on the OofM with 12,805 points came in five flights later and chose the alternative strategy:
« I started really good because I had two birdies in the first four holes. I played safe and didn’t take a lot of risky shots. I putted well and made a lot of putts from 3 to 4 metres, and am really happy as I played such a great game. It’s true that there are two options on this course as there are a lot of holes where you can play a risky shot and have a return with a short second shot or play safe off the tee and have a slightly longer second shot. It’s a good strategy for the first and second round and we’ll see what happens in the third round ».
Three players are in the chasing pack at -5 (67) : Vitor Londot Lopes from Portugal who partnered De Leo today, had an unfortunate bogey on the 18th after an error-free round up to then ; Andrea Saracino from Italy and David Carey from Ireland both had two bogeys and seven birdies on their cards.
The leading amateur of the day was Tom Vaillant from France who sits in joint sixth place on -4 (68) alongside Jack Floydd from England and the two Italians, Luca Cianchetti and Carlo Casalegno.
Twenty eight of the field of forty eight came in under par today in near perfect climatic conditions which saw a chilly start this morning turn into glorious sunshine in the afternoon.
Play starts tomorrow at 8:20 am with pairings teeing off according to their positions on the leader board at the end of play today.
The Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final 2021 is promoted by the Alps Tour with the fundamental support of the Italian Golf Federation, Modena Golf & Country Club, and the Emilia Romagna Region.
Results Round 1: 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.
13th October 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Paul Elissalde and his team win the Grand Final Pro Am presented by BPER Banca
It was quite a good start for the week of the Alps Tour Grand Final here at Modena Golf & Country Club, where 29 teams have been battling on the 18-holes designed by Bernhard Langer for the Grand Final Pro Am presented by BPER Banca, enjoying the sunshine and mild weather, and posting some amazing scores.
The best of them all was Paul Elissalde‘s team, with amateurs Luigi Favali, Nicola Zeni and Luigi Celli, with a score of 38 under par, followed by Frank Medale with Massimiliano Rossi, Davide Malavasi, Antonella Zitoli at -37; third place for Gregorio De Leo with amateurs Luca Vecchi Fossa, Piergiovanni Crotti, Glauco Bedogni; and 4th place for Ludovico Addabbo with Simona Bertocco, Elena Bagnoli and Francesca Farina at -35.
The Alps Tour wishes to thank the Modena Golf & Country Club and its President Alberto Caselli for the warm welcome and great atmosphere during the whole day, and all the sponsors who made it possible.
Tomorrow all eyes will be on the Emilia Romagna Grand Final and the 48 players competing for the 5+5 spots on the Challenge Tour, and for their 2022 Alps Tour categories. Follow the live scoring on our app!
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11th October 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final Closes the 2021 Season
October 11th, 2021, Modena – Just three days to go before the final tournament of the 20th anniversary year of the Alps Tour here at the Modena Golf & Country Club. The qualifying players are signed up and the final result on Saturday will determine those players who receive a Challenge Tour card for 2022.
The top five players on the Order of Merit receive a full category 13 card. At last weekend’s Golf Nazionale Alps Open, the victor, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa earned himself one of the cards as he is now invincible with 26,744 points and thus overall winner of this year’s OofM.
In second and third place are Ryan Lumsden on 23,503 points and Angel Hidalgo Portillo on 21,899 points respectively. As they are absent from the final, this opens up the board for the players in pursuit of the four remaining full cards and the five category 20 cards.
With 9500 points for the winner and 6000 for the runner-up, all the players will be determined to either maintain their positions or nudge a fellow player down the list to grab a card.
Paul Elissalde in fourth position on 15,507 points after his win at the Gösser Open will want a result to consolidate his position but three of his French compatriots, Franck Medale, winner of the Mirabelle d’Or, Edgar Catherine victor at the Alps de Andalucia and Pierre Pineau are right behind him. The French amateur, Paul Margolis, is sitting fifth at the moment, and whilst not eligible for a card, a good result would reaffirm his decision to turn pro next year after his win at the MIRA Live the Soul Open earlier in the season.
Among the Italian contenders, the recently turned-pro, Gregorio De Leo, would love to cap his rookie season with a win whilst Stefano Mazzoli winner of this year’s Antognolla Alps Open and Luca Cianchetti victor at the Red Sea Little Venice Open, cannot be ruled out. Not to mention Vitor Londot Lopes from Portugal and that is just the top twelve on the list. Nothing is certain until the last putt is holed. The format for the final is 54-hole stroke play over three days with no cut. In the event of a tie for first place after the 54 holes, the winner will be decided in a hole-by-hole play-off.
The course will also be decisive as it was designed by Bernhard Langer for an “attacking game”. This leads to players having to make a choice on certain holes, play cautiously or attack the greens and take a risk by sending the ball over large expanses of water. Notably the par three 6th and 11th greens which are surrounded by water and the formidable par 18th fronted by a lake where daring may make or ruin a card. The signature hole is the 13th: a 568m par 5 which on paper looks straight forward but in fact has water off to the right of the narrow fairway, dense trees to the left and culminates with several mounds in front of the double green defended by bunkers. It will be interesting to see which strategy the players opt for.
The Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final 2021 is promoted by the Alps Tour with the fundamental support of the Italian Golf Federation, Modena Golf & Country Club, and the Emilia Romagna Region.
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.
9th October 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Jacopo Vecchi Fossa Wins Golf Nazionale Alps Open
October 9th, 2021, Rome – The Italian player Jacopo Vecchi Fossa held off the other contenders to win the Golf Nazionale Alps Open by one stroke on -9 (207). A repeat performance of last year when he also won here at the Golf Nazionale course and his second win this season after the Abruzzo Alps Open in April.
His result not only puts him at the top of the Order of Merit heading into the Grand Final next week but makes him this year’s winner. The second and third place players, Ryan Lumsden and Angel Hidalgo Portillo will not play the Grand Final and no other player can overtake him even if they win next week in Modena. Thus, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa is guaranteed one of the five full category places on the Challenge Tour next year. Bravo!
It was an exciting final round today as Jacopo Vecchi Fossa teeing off from the 1st, four strokes behind the leader, Mathias Eggenberger, carded four birdies and zero bogeys to be sitting -8 at the turn. In the flight behind him, Eggenberger was on -9.
The Italian continued to play solidly until the 13th when a bogey put him back a stroke to -7, rapidly recovered by birdie on the 14th to sit -8 with four holes to go. At the rear of him, Eggenberger double bogeyed the 14th to see a reversal of roles with the Swiss player now lagging behind the leader by a stroke.
A masterful birdie on the 18th saw Jacopo Vecchi Fossa enter the clubhouse with a two-stroke lead which could only be threatened by an eagle from Eggenberger on the last hole. Birdie it was and victory for Jacopo Vecchi Fossa:
“I started the round very well with a birdie and then I said to myself, “Don’t look at the leader board until the 15th hole”, just to concentrate on my round and stay focussed. Then I had a look at the leader board and saw I was leading by one. I played some good shots after that and then a birdie on the 18th to win. It’s not always easy being the defending champion but I’m very happy that next week we will play on my home course so I can celebrate with all the members and people I know there”.
Runner-up was Mathias Eggenberger on -8 (208) and in third place was one of his playing partners today, Alessandro Tadini from Italy on -6 (210). The highest ranked amateur for the tournament, Julien Sale from France came in on -4 (212). He scored par today as did David Carey from Ireland to share joint fourth position.
There was some other movement on the OofM after today’s results besides Jacopo Vecchi Fossa taking the top position and winning for 2021 . Mathias Eggenberger’s second place saw him jump twenty places to number 14, and David Carey moves up six to number 15 whilst Paul Elissalde’s joint seventh place pushes him up two slots to number 4.
It is going to make for an exciting Emilia Romagna Alps Tour Grand Final at the Modena Golf & Country Club next week from 14th-16th October especially as the points distributed are 30% higher than in the other competitions which can have a major impact on the OofM positions and the remaining Challenge Tour cards at stake.
Results Final Round: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
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8th October 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Eggenberger Edges Ahead Day 2
October 8th, 2021, Rome – After sharing the lead yesterday, Mathias Eggenberger moved ahead of the rest of the field by four shots with a -8 (136) to top the leader board at the Golf Nazionale Alps Open.
Teeing off from the 10th this morning the Swiss player opened with a birdie followed by four pars in a row, and finished birdie, bogey, par. An error-free incoming nine and three more birdies saw him card a 68 (-4), as the day before:
“My game was solid again today, like yesterday. I just kept it in play. It was quite windy out there, so I just gave myself enough chances and holed a few putts, so it was good. The wind makes the tough holes on the course easier, like holes 4 and 5, because you’re playing downwind. But wind always makes a course more difficult. For tomorrow, I’ll just go out there and play my best and see where we end up. One day after another”.
A pack of five players on -4 (140) are chasing the leader including two of yesterday’s co-leaders, the Irishman, David Carey and Nicola Maestroni from Italy. Carey had a fairly nightmarish front nine with five bogeys which he countered to some extent with three birdies but settled down for a bogey-free back nine and two more birdies to finish par for the day. Maestroni’s two opening birdies were cancelled out by two bogeys going out, leaving him at par for the front nine and ditto on the back nine to leave him also at par for the day.
Two other Italians are in the -4 posse, Alessandro Tadini who played one under today and Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, number three on the Order of Merit, who carded a three under. The final member is the top amateur of the day, Julien Sale from France. He had a great front nine with four birdies and just one bogey. Two additional bogeys on the back nine looked like putting a dampener on his score, but he finished with panache, holing an eagle.
His compatriot and fellow-amateur, Paul Margolis, one of yesterday’s leaders, played to par going out with two bogeys and two birdies. An opening birdie looked promising followed by straight pars, but a double bogey on the 6th left him at one over for the day on -3 (141). He is joined by Carlo Casalegno from Italy who carded a one under for the round.
The cut came at +5 (149) leaving a total of 46 pros and 8 amateurs teeing off for the final round tomorrow. Play begins at 8:00 am from tees 1 and 10.
The temperature continues to rise tomorrow, and the wind should drop but strong gusts can still be expected.
Results Round 2: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
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7th October 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Four Way Tie End of Day One at the Golf Nazionale Alps Open
October 7th, 2021, Rome – Three professionals and one amateur are tied at -4 (68) in the Golf Nazionale Alps Open after Round 1: David Carey from Ireland, Mathias Eggenberger from Switzerland, Nicola Maestroni from Italy and Paul Margolis from France.
The weather forecast was accurate making conditions tough with strong winds and showers proving a real test for the players.
First into the clubhouse was the French amateur, Paul Margolis, starting from tee 1, he shot three birdies and two bogeys out but had a bogey-free inward nine with three more birdies:
“I played really good golf. It was very windy plus we had some rain, so I knew it would be tough, but I stuck to my plan all day. It’s a great course in great shape, I really like it so let’s just see what happens in the next two days.”.
When asked about his future plans for becoming professional his plans were clear: “I’ve got one more year as an amateur as I want to play the World Cup as an amateur next year, so I’ll be turning pro in August 2022.”.
Next in was the experienced Italian player, Nicola Maestroni. Starting from the 10th he carded a birdie and a bogey going out and came in with four birdies:
“The course was very tough this morning with wind, a bit of rain, cold. So, you had to really stay focussed to have a good score but eventually I did it so I’m happy. I drove well, I had good chances on the green and hopefully I’ll do the same thing tomorrow. On a course like this you have to be patient, have a good strategy, not be bold and stay low, like on a links course. That’s the key in the end”.
Also playing off the 10th, David Carey, winner of the 2019 Cervino Open, had a run of eight pars and a birdie and came in with four more birdies and a sole bogey:
“It was a difficult day, really windy and a bit wet as well. I hit it really well tee to green, so I’m happy today. I have good memories of this course as the last time I played it was in 2019 and I did a 7 under, so, yes, good memories”.
Departing at the same time but off the 1st, Mathias Eggenberger had a blip-free front nine with two birdies and came home with three more birdies and just the one bogey.
“I played really solid today. It was quite windy, so it wasn’t always too easy. I was solid off the tee, hit a lot of greens and holed a few putts, so that all helped today. I didn’t make many mistakes, so it was a solid round”.
The field behind is tight with ten players under par with just behind the leaders Alessandro Tadini and Jack Floydd on -3 (69) and including Gregorio De Leo on -2 (70), Paul Elissalde and Jacopo Vecchi Fossa on -1 (71) and seven more at par, including Stefano Mazzoli.
Weather conditions will continue to be challenging tomorrow with strong winds forecast again but no rain and higher temperatures. Play begins at 7:40 am from tees 1 and 10.
Results Round 1: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
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4th October 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Golf Nazionale Alps Open Last Tournament before the Grand Final
October 4th, 2021, Rome – The penultimate tournament of the 2021 Alps Tour season tees of this Thursday at the Golf Nazionale outside Rome. This round will determine the top fifty pros on the Order of Merit and leading amateurs in the top fifty who will qualify for the Grand Final in Modena next week.
Points are precious at this stage of the season with several players vying for one of the coveted three places on the Challenge Tour for the top ones on the OofM after the Grand Final.
Eight of this year’s ten winners are present this week. The French victors: Franck Medale, the amateur, Paul Margolis, Paul Elissalde and Edgar Catherine sitting four through seven on the OofM alongwith Xavier Poncelet at nineteen. The Italians: Luca Ciancetti and Stefano Mazzoli in twelfth and eighth position and their compatriot Jacopo Vecchi Fossa who is currently third on the OofM and winner of last year’s Golf Nazionale Open.
The OofM leader, Ryan Lumsden from Scotland and the number two Angel Hidalgo Portillo from Spain are absent. The Spanish player, flush from his September victory on the Challenge Tour is continuing on their circuit this season whilst Lumsden is currently in the USA for Stage 2 of the Korn Ferry QSchool, the developmental tour for the US PGA.
Of the 15 nationalities making up the 120 strong field, the Italian contingent is the largest with 51 players. Among them Edoardo Lipparelli, previous Alps Tour OofM winner in 2019 and Federico Maccario who won the Grand Finale on this very course the same year.
The George and Jim Fazio and David Mezzacane designed course is hosting the tournament for the third year. Considered by many to be one of the toughest and most challenging golf courses in Italy, the Golf Nazionale is also recognized as one of the best courses in continental Europe.
The players will certainly have their work cut out for them as the weather forecast predicts strong, northerly wind gusts on Thursday and Friday up to 55 km/h plus the possibility of showers. Temperatures will be cool in the morning, but things should warm up during the course of the day to around 20°C.
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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