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.
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