15th April 2022 | Alps Tour Golf

Manuel Morugan wins the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open after a sudden-death playoff.

Pescara, April 15th, 2022 – It was another beautiful spring day with pleasant temperatures for the final round of the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open. This allowed the players to have an opportunity for optimal scoring conditions. The event this week was organized by the Italian Pro Tour, a branch of the Italian Golf Federation which promotes all professional golf events in Italy.

Three players concluded their final round with a three-day score of 12 under-par which lead to a 3-way sudden-death playoff on the 10th hole of Miglianico Golf to claim the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open. Ireland’s David Carey, Spain’s Manuel Morugan and Netherland’s Koen Kouwenaar took part of the 3-way sudden-death playoff.

Spain’s Manuel Morugan won the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open with a birdie on the first playoff hole after hitting his shot to 80 centimeters from the hole on the 10th green. By winning the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open, he earned €5,800 and 6,525 points in the Order of Merit and after his victory 13th in the Order of Merit. For Manuel Morugan, 31 years of age representing Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf, this week was his fifth event of the season and his first victory on the Alps Tour. Morugan stayed near the top of the leaderboard this week with three rounds consistently under par. He shot a 68 in round 1, a 65 in round 2, and final round 65 which included 1 eagle and 3 birdies. Morugan was very emotional after his winning birdie putt today with tears of joy running down his face “This win is very special for me as last year I wasn’t able to compete due to a wrist tendon surgery I had to get done and wasn’t able to play. I am very happy to have won especially after a playoff. I have an amazing family, staff and girlfriend who support my career and I wouldn’t have done it without them. I definitely want to come back to Italy and play the next event at Molinetto.”

Koen Kouwenaar turned professional at the end of 2020 but is playing his first season on the Alps Tour due to a wrist surgery which occurred last year and ended up needing surgery. Kouwenaar was the Round 1 leader of the event with a brilliant 7 under-par round.

Ireland’s David Carey who is currently 25 years of age and turned pro in 2015 and has been an Alps Tour member since. He has numerous top 3 finishes on the Alps Tour including a win at the 2019 Cervino Open. Carey had a three-day total score of 12 under-par here at the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open. His final round today included 7 birdies, 1 eagle and a single bogey for an 8 under-par round, 62.  After his round Carey was very pleased with his performance and how his game performed at Miglianico Golf, “I’m very happy with today’s round. I birdied 5 of my last 6 holes yesterday and continued that momentum into today’s round. I’m very happy with how I managed my game, lots of softer swings especially with my driver. I wasn’t hitting it as far as I normally would, but I made up for it with some very good short game and putting. I eagled my last hole, so I’m very happy with my temperament and how I handled the whole situation.” Carey also commented on how the conditions were nicer today as there was less wind compared to yesterday and also on how “I struggled with the par 5 the first couple of days but made up for it today with 2 birdies and 1 eagle. The par 3 at Miglianico Golf play very difficult so the tee shots need to be accurate.” Carey enjoys playing here at this venue because “It’s not so long but it’s tricky if you are out of position. I’ve always enjoyed playing this course. I’m very good with my wedges so I think that’s what suits me about this course.”

Gary Hurley was in solo second place one shot from the playoff.

Stefano Mazzoli of Italy remains the current Order of Merit Leader after 6 events with 12,687.86 points.

Italy’s Gregorio De Leo, one of the leaders after Round 2 was awarded as the best Italian player in the field. His had a total score of 10 under-par, just 2 shots back from the leaders, he was pleased with his round “I’m happy about the results of this tournament even though I wanted to win. I’m working hard on my game and I’m finally seeing the results. I want to win and hope to win on Italian soil.” France’s Tom Vaillant was awarded the low amateur of the tournament with a total score of 8 under-par.

The next stop on the Alps Tour schedule stays in Italy but will move north towards Milan at a country club that has never previously hosted an Alps Tour event. The event is scheduled from May 4th-6th at Molinetto Golf and Country Club for the inaugural Molinetto Alps Open.

For the Final Round Leaderboard click here or go on the official Alps Tour Golf app.

Follow along on www.alpstourgolf.com or the official “Alps Tour Golf” app to keep up on all the latest news (available on App Store for iOS devices and Play Store for Android).

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14th April 2022 | Alps Tour Golf

It’s a two-way tied for the lead entering the Final Round at Miglianico Golf and Country Club.

Pescara, April 14th, 2022  Another beautiful day for the second round of the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open. The event is organized by the Italian Pro Tour, a branch of the Italian Golf Federation which promotes all golf professional events played in Italy. The groups that teed off in the early part of the morning wave had beautiful blue skies with slightly chillier temperatures that warmed up for the rest of the field to be a beautiful spring day.

There is a two-way tied for the lead entering the final round at Miglianico Golf. Netherland’s Vince Van Veen is co-leading with Italy’s Gregorio De Leo with a two-day total of 10 under-par. Round 1 leader, Koen Kouwenaar is 1 stroke back of our current leaders with a two-day total of 9 under-par.

After a beautiful 7 under-par round 63 in the morning wave, Vince Van Veen was pleased to comment “My game was heading in the right direction. I’ve been playing consistently for a while now and was just waiting for a lower number to come and I’m happy it came today. I made a lot of clutch putts today. I’m going to keep doing the same thing and see what happens tomorrow.” His round today included 8 birdies and a single bogey for a two-day total of 10 under-par.

Gregorio De Leo, who had a stellar bogey-free 8 under-par round 62 today was happy with comment on how is short game helped him score a low round today,“Today was good day. My short game and putting were fundamental for today’s score. I made 5 consecutive birdies and most of them thanks to my short game. I’ve worked a lot these past two weeks on that area of my game and I was happy to witness the results today of the hard work” 

Italy’s Luca Cianchetti who is a past winner at Miglianico Golf and Country Club, shot a 2 under-par round 68 today with 3 bogeys and 5 birdies and is currently 3 shots off the lead. Cianchetti won this event as an amateur in 2015 with a total score of 11 under par. After his round today he states, “I played consistent but not great these past two days. I putted well and made some good recoveries with my short game. Today is windier than yesterday with harder pin so scores might be a little higher. Miglianico is a golf course I like and enjoy where you can have fun.”

A total of 44 players made the cut which was set a 2 under-par, 42 professional players and 2 amateur players.

The Final Round of the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open, will begin tomorrow at 8:10 from hole 1 and 10. The winner of the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open, will earn €5,800 and 6,525 Order of Merit points.

For the complete Round 2 leaderboard click here or on the official Alps Tour Golf app

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13th April 2022 | Alps Tour Golf

Koen Kouwenaar leads with a 7 under par after the First Round at Miglianico Golf.

It was a beautiful morning with perfect scoring conditions to start the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open at Miglianico Golf. This week the course is playing as a par 70 for the 138 players competing.  Thanks to Miglianico Golf and Country Club President, Mr. Mario Dragonetti and course superintendent Mr. Carmine Berardocco for the outstanding work preparing the golf course in excellent conditions allowing the players to have great scoring opportunities.

At the end of the first round of the Abruzzo Alps Open there is a packed leaderboard. Netherland’s, Koen Kouwenaar leads the field with an amazing 7-under par 63. He has a 1 stroke lead over Italian amateur, Flavio Michetti, Austria’s Uli Weinhandl, France’s Pierre Pineau and Portugal’s Tomas Bessa Guimaraes who all shot a 6 under par round 64.

Koen Kouwenaar turned professional at the end 2020 and is currently 8th on the Order of Merit. This is his first season on the Alps Tour, due to the fact that he had a wrist injury which ended up needing surgery last year and was unable to play. Koen after his amazing 7-under par round which included 1 eagle, 7 birdies and 2 bogeys said, “I played well today. The long game was good, not as sharp as always but it was good, especially my driver. My putter was very hot today which is why I was able to make a lot of birdies. The course conditions are great. The fairways are firm and fast and the greens are very pure. The greens are slightly soft with allows for shots to be close to the pin. For the next two rounds, my key is to stick to my process. I know I can play well so I want to stick to my process and see what happens.”

Defending champion, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, who is currently playing this week as the Challenge Tour has an off week, shot a 3-under par round 67 and is 4 shots back of our current tournament leader. After the round, Jacopo said “I played well from tee to green, however once I got on the greens, I was struggling with my green reading. The course and the greens are in perfect conditions like always, it’s overall consistently very well maintained by the course superintendents. The weather is good with a slight breeze and I’m looking forward to the rest of the tournament”

Italy’s Flavio Michetti only 18 years of age, had a great start to the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open with a bogey free round of 6-under par 64 round and currently tied in second place. After the round he was very pleased about his performance today. Michetti was pleased to comment “I played very well today especially around the greens in fact I didn’t lose any strokes with my short game or putter. My long game was pretty consistent and I was able to keep my ball always in play. I was very concentrated for all 18 holes which allowed me to have a 6-under par round. The greens are tricky but they are in very good conditions and roll very well.” 

Tomas Bessa Guimaraes, 25 years of age, who is a previous winner of this season at the 2022 New Giza Open and currently second in the Alps Tour Order of Merit had a good start to the tournament this week. He started his round with 6 birdies on his front nine for an incredible score of 29, 6 under par and continued with 2 bogeys and 2 birdies on the back nine to end his round.

“The course is in really good condition with maybe a few slight differences from the past years, maybe a little bit softer. I hit a lot of good drives which gave me a few easy birdies like on the 4th hole and the 8th hole where I had two eagle opportunities. My long iron game was very solid which allowed me to have 3 birdies on the par 3’s which for me is the toughest part of this golf course.” These were the comments from France’s Pierre Pineau after he completed a 6 under par, bogey free round this afternoon. He also said- “There was only a slight breeze therefore we had perfect conditions overall and I’m happy to have taken advantage.”

Uli Weinhandl, 45 years of age was consistent in his round today with a front nine score of 32 and a back nine score of 32 which included 8 birdies and 2 bogeys.

The 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open is an event organized by the Italian Pro Tour, promotes all golf professional events played on Italian soil.

Among the 138 players competing this week you’ll find 119 professionals and 19 amateurs. This week’s field is represented by 14 nationalities, the majority of which are French, Italian, and Spanish. In the French field, there are 23 players represented. Among the Italian players, there are 64 players represented, and among the Spanish there are 17 players. The tournament winner will earn €5,800 and 6,525 Order of Merit points.

Round 2 of the Abruzzo Alps Open, will begin again at 7:30 am from hole 1 and 10. It will be an intriguing round to watch thanks to the packed leaderboard and good scoring conditions.

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11th April 2022 | Alps Tour Golf

The Alps Tour returns at Miglianico Golf for the 8th Abruzzo Open

Pescara, April 11th 2022 – The tour returns to action this week in Italy after a two week break and head to the Abruzzo region in Central Italy. The 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open will be played at Miglianico Golf and Country Club in Pescara, Italy. The sixth event of the 2022 season, will be contended from Wednesday April 13th until Friday April 15th. On Tuesday, April 12th, the day prior to the start of the tournament, a “best ball aggregate to par” shot gun pro-am will occur.

Miglianico Golf and Country Club is a 5875 meters par 72 course. It was designed by well-known American golf architect, Ronald Kirby. Miglianico G&CC has hosted numerous events in the past including the Abruzzo Alps Tour Open seven times, the 2021 1st stage Alps Tour Qualifying School, and the 2009 Games of the Mediterranean. The course is surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, bunkers, and artificial lakes making Miglianico Golf a pleasant but challenging course to play having some strategically placed bunkers and water hazards.

The most recent winner of the Abruzzo Alps Open in 2021 is Jacopo Vecchi Fossa with a score of -15. Jacopo won the Alps Tour Order of Merit in 2021 earning him access in this year’s Challenge Tour. This week Jacopo will be in the field defending his title for the Abruzzo Alps Open. Past champions of this event include Guido Migliozzi who won the event in 2017 with a score of -14 and in 2018 with a score of -18, and is now a player on the DP World Tour. In addition, Matt Wallace, who is a current PGA Tour and DP World Tour player is also a past champion at Miglianico G&CC having won the 2016 Grand Final with a score of -17.

With most leading Order of Merit players competing this week, it is sure to be a very compelling week to watch. You’ll find the current Order of Merit leader, Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli in addition to the other top 5 players in the current Order of Merit rank. France’s Oihan Guillamoundeguy, winner of the second event of the season and 7th in the current Order of Merit is also playing this week.  All of this season’s previous winners are scheduled to compete this week and hope to each capture their second season win.

This week’s event is organized by the Italian Pro Tour, which is a branch of the Italian Golf Federation who promotes all golf professional events played on Italian soil. The main sponsors who support the Italian Pro Tour include DS Automobiles, Fideuram, and Kappa e Eureco. Their media partners are three Italian newspapers: Corriere dello Sport, Tuttosport and Il Giornale. The Italian Pro Tour also has a social partner, Sport Senza Frontiere Onlus and an official advisor Infront.

Among the 138 players competing this week, the field is represented by 15 different nationalities. The players will be competing for a prize fund of €40.000 and 45,000 Order of Merit points. Instead, the tournament winner will earn €5,800 and 6,525 Order of Merit points.

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