Alps Tour Golf | Open de la Mirabelle d’Or

12th June 2022 | Alps Tour Golf

Tom Vaillant wins the 2022 Open de la Mirabelle D’Or.

Metz, June 12^th, 2022 – Tom Vaillant wins the 2022 Open International de la Mirabelle D’Or with a birdie on the 4th hole of sudden-death playoff. France’s Tom Vaillant and Italy’s Manfredi Manica both concluded their final round at Domaine de la Grange aux Ormes, taking part in the two-way sudden-death playoff thanks to their three-day score of 14 under-par. One shot back tied for 3^rd place at 13 under-par France’s Franck Daux and Romain Guillon.

The final round of the 2022 Open de la Mirabelle D’Or began at 7:27 am from hole 1 and 10. The final group teed off at 9:00 am from the 1^st hole. A beautiful day allows spectators to anticipate optimal scoring conditions from the players at Domaine de la Grange aux Ormes. The course has hosted this event since its inaugural year in 2003. However, it officially became part of the Alps Tour schedule in 2005.

Koen Kouwenaar, remains the current Alps Tour Order of Merit leader. He has a 406.74 points advantage over Tom Vaillant who has moved into second place.

Winner Quotes-

French amateur, Tom Vaillant celebrates another home success for France winning on the 4^th hole of sudden-death playoff with a 2m 50cm birdie putt. He was 8^th in the Order of Merit before the start of this week, has now moved to 2^ndin the rank. Tom shot a bogey-free final round 63 with 5 birdies and 1 eagle for a total at 14 under-par. Even though, Tom is still an amateur, he is an experienced Alps Tour player being his second season playing on the tour. When he completed the playoff, he was very pleased, “It was a really good day, played very nicely so it’s always great to have a great day like today. It means a lot to win here in France in this historical tournament. Even after the win today, my goals won’t change, I want to do my best everyday in every round.”

Italy’s Manfredi Manica, who was leading after round 1, had a final round, 6 under-par 64 that included 2 hole-out eagles and 2 birdies for a three-day total of 14 under-par. He had a strong start to his final round, holing out the eagle from 70 meters, on his 1^st hole. Nevertheless, his strong finish on the 18th hole allowed him to compete in the playoff at 14 under-par, holing out for eagle from 153 meters. Manfredi was extremely happy, “on the 18^th hole, I knew that I had to make 2 to be in the playoff, therefore I tried to go for the pin to hole it and it worked. My goal for the season is to do the best I can and try to be in the top 5 of the ranking. Another couple of weeks like this week and it might happen. This was a very positive week and I’m very happy.”

Franck Daux of France, shot a 7 under-par round 63 today with 9 birdies and 2 bogeys for an overall 13 under-par ending the tournament in a tie for 3^rd place. After his round, Franck commented, “It went very well today. I started very strong, had some bad breaks mid round but then had a strong finish which I’m pleased at. I want to try and maintain a good quality of golf for this big stretch of tournament that is coming up.”

France’s Romain Guillon shot a final round 6 under-par 64 for a three-day total of 13 under-par. He had a very strong start to his back nine, with an eagle at the par 5 10^th hole and another eagle at the par 4 11^th hole.

Final Round-

Tom Vaillant winner of the 2022 Open de la Mirabelle D’Or, earned 6,525 Order of Merit points. Manfredi Manica earned the €5,800 check as Vaillant is an amateur player. There was a two-way tied for third place at 13 under-par that included, Franck Daux and Romain Guillon. Just one shot back from there, in a tied for 5^th place at 12 under-par: amateur Julien Sale and James Sugrue.

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

The 11^th event of the Alps Tour season will be played next week near the Northeastern border of Spain. The event is scheduled from June 16^th until June 18^th at Aravell Golf & Country Club in Aravell, Spain for the inaugural full field event, the Aravell Golf Open by Crèdit Andorrà.

Tournament Promoter-

This event is organized and promoted directly by the golf club, Golf Domaine de la Grange Aux Ormes. The Institutional Sponsors that support this tournament are: Région Grand Est, Département de la Moselle, Ville de Marly, Inspire Metz and Fédération Française de Golf. The Private Partners at this event are: Crédit Agricole, Quadral, Mercedes Kroely, Demathieu & Bard, JC Decaux, Opéra Théâtre, Mayer and Banque Populaire. The Official Suppliers of the tournament are: Eurogolf Luxembourg, Lemoy, Heineken, Château Sainte- Marguerite, Cristian Senez, Agence Grand Angle and Café Richard. In addition, their media partners are the following two media outlets: La semaine and Républicain Lorrain.

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11th June 2022 | Alps Tour Golf

Victor Trehet and James Sugrue lead after Round 2 at the Open de la Mirabelle D’Or.

Metz, June 11^th2022- Round 2 of the 2022 Open International de la Mirabelle D’Or greeted the players with a favorable sunny day and a high around 27* which allowed them to take advantage of the good scoring conditions of today’s round. The tournament played at Golf Domaine de la Grange Aux Ormes began at 7:30 am from both the 1^st and 10^th hole.

There is a packed leaderboard at the completion of Round 2 with France’s Victor Trehet and Ireland’s James Sugrue leading the field with a two-day total of 9 under-par. Finland’s Eemil Alajarvi, round 1 leader Italy’s Luca Cianchetti, France’s Nicolas Platret, Netherland’s Vince Van Veen and the other round 1 leader Italy’s Manfredi Manica are in a five-way tie just one shot back at 8 under-par entering the final round of the tournament.

Round 2 Player Quotes-

France’s Victor Trehet, holds a share of the lead at the end of round 2. He shot a 4 under-par 66 for a two-day total of 9 under-par. During today’s round, Victor had 3 birdies on the front nine and 3 birdies and 2 bogeys on the back nine. He turned professional two years ago and this is his first event in the past month. After his round, he commented: “I played very well yesterday but unfortunately doubled the last hole as was disappointed. Today I had almost the same but missed a few putts on the front nine. The golf course is in good shape which allows for good scoring. Victor also is looking forward to tomorrows round: “I haven’t won a tournament in a while so I’d be happy to win here tomorrow.”

James Sugrue, from Ireland, the 2019 Amateur Open Champion, had a brilliant 6 under-par round 64 today and holds a share of the lead at 9 under-par entering the final round. He turned professional at the beginning of 2020 but due to the pandemic, he is playing his first full season on the Alps Tour. James was pleased after his round, “I played very nice today, it was only 3 shots better than yesterday but I played much better. The course was playing very similar to yesterday for me. A win would be great but I’m not going to think about it to much. I’m just going to go out and play my game and see what happens at the end of the round.”

Finland’s Eemil Alajarvi who turned professional last year and is playing his second season on the Alps Tour, is one of the five players one shot back of the lead entering the final round. His round today included 6 birdies and two bogeys for a 4 under-par 66 and a two-day total of 8 under-par. He had a very consistent round today with 3 birdies and 1 bogey on the front nine and 3 birdies and 1 bogey on the back nine to end his round. After his round, Eemil was satisfied with how he played today even though, he said, “It was a solid round, nothing magic, a few good putts and a few bogeys unfortunately, a round very similar to yesterday. The course played similar to yesterday for me, although some pin positions were more difficult.”

Luca Cianchetti, a past winner on the Alps Tour, was co-leading after round 1 at 6 under-par. Today he shot a 2 under-par 68 round for an overall 8 under-par round and he is in the five-way tie just one shot back of the lead. Luca’s round today included, 1 eagle, 3 birdies and 3 bogeys.

Nicolas Platret from France, who represents Golf de Biarritz, is also in the five-way tie at 8 under-par. He turned professional at the end of 2018. Today, he shot a bogey-free 4 under-par round 66. Nicolas has had a successful result here at the Open de la Mirabelle D’Or in 2019 having finished in 2^ndplace, but is looking for a victory tomorrow, “it would mean a lot to win here in France for sure. I’ve had a good finish here in the past but there are still 18 holes to play so I’ll do my best and see what happens”. When he concluded his round, Nicolas commented, “I played really solid, my strength the past two days have been my tee shots, it helps a lot to hit many fairways here. Overall the last two days have been very similar and I’m pleased.”

Netherland’s Vince Van Veen had a 6 under-par 64 today for an overall 8 under-par round and be one shot from the lead. During today’s round, he had 4 birdies in a row on the front nine holes for a 30 and 3 birdies and 1 bogey on the back nine for a 34. At the end of his round he said, “I played some good golf today. I hit it inside birdie range for most of the day and was able to make some important putts at some important moments.”

Manfredi Manica, one of the two players that was leading after round 1, shot a 2 under-par round 68 today for an 8 under-par overall and be in the five-way tied for the lead, just one shot back. This is his first year as a professional player after he turned pro in January 2022. He has competed in the past as an amateur but this is his first full season as a professional. Manfredi’s round today was very consistent with 2 birdies and 1 bogey on the front and back nine.

In a tied for 8^th place at 7 under-par and 2 shots back of the lead there is: Romain Guillon, Andrea Romano, Alessandro Notaro, Benjamin Kedochim, Tom Vaillant, Riccardo Bregoli and Adrien Bonnet.

Final Round-

The Final Round of the 2022 Open de la Mirabelle D’Or, will begin tomorrow at 7:27 am from hole 1 and 10. The final group will tee off at 9 am from hole 1. The winner of this event will earn 6,525 Order of Merit points and €5,800.

A total of 49 players, 42 professional and 7 amateurs, made the cut which was set at 3 under-par.

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

Tournament Promoter-

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10th June 2022 | Alps Tour Golf

A three-way tied for the lead after Round 1 at the 2022 Open de la Mirabelle D’Or.

Metz, June 10^th 2022– A beautiful morning with clear skies and a pleasant temperature with a highs around 25* welcomed the 142 players in Metz, France for the 1^st round of the 2022 Open International de la Mirabelle D’Or. The event is being played at Golf Domaine de la Grange Aux Ormes and play began at 7:30 am from both the 1^st and 10^th hole.

At the conclusion of the first round, we have a full leaderboard. Italy’s Luca Cianchetti, Manfredi Manica and Austria’s Daniel Hebenstreit are in a three-way tied for the lead with a 6 under-par round 64. There are 9 players who are in a tied for 4^th place just 1 stroke back at 5 under-par that include Spain’s Manuel Morugan (winner of the 2022 Abruzzo Alps Open) and French amateur Tom Vaillant who is currently 8^th in the Alps Tour Order of Merit.

Round 1 Player Quotes-

Italy’s Manfredi Manica shot a 6 under-par 64 round today and is one of the players tied for the lead entering round 2. He was born on January 29^th 1996 and turned professional on January 24^th 2022 representing GC Castelconturbia, Italy. In the past, he has competed in various Alps Tour events as an amateur however this is his first full season as a professional. After his round, Manfredi was very pleased especially after holing out his shot from 97 meters on the 15^thhole for an eagle. He commented: “Today I played very well, I’m very happy. My second shots helped me a lot today for the good round.” Manfredi was also happy with the course, “the greens were in very good conditions and the course gave a lot of birdie opportunities.”

Luca Cianchetti, a multiple winner of the Alps Tour also tied for the lead at 6 under-par 64. His round included 5 birdies, 1 bogey and 1 eagle. Cianchetti’s last win was at the 2021 Red Sea Little Venice Open and is looking to add another title. After his round, he was very happy about today and commented on how: “all areas of my game worked well today, especially my putting.”

Austria’s Daniel Hebenstreit representing Golf & Country Club Brunn is the third player in the three-way tied for the lead at 6 under-par. He turned professional in January 2020 and has played on the Alps Tour since. After today’s first round, his goal is to bring home a victory here at the 2022 Open de la Mirabelle d’Or. Daniel commented: “The course is very enjoyable and in great conditions. I had an up and down round today, some very good shots as well as some very bad ones but I managed to keep it together and bring home a good score so I’m very pleased with myself.”

Amateur Tom Vaillant from France currently 8^th in the Order of Merit, shot a 5 under-par 65 round which included 6 birdies and a single bogey on the 18^th hole is 1 shot back from the lead. After his round, Tom commented: “the course is in great shape, greens are great, rough too so it’s cool to play here.”

The 142 players in the field are competing for €40,000 and 45,000 points in the order of merit. The winner of the 2022 Open International de la Mirabelle D’Or will gain € 5,800 and 6,525 Order of Merit points.

Round 2-

Round 2 of the 2022 Open de la Mirabelle D’Or will begin again at 7:30 am from hole 1 and 10. After the second round, a cut will be made to the top 40 players.

For the complete Round 1 Leaderboard click here otherwise go check it on the official Alps Tour app.

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8th June 2022 | Alps Tour Golf

The Alps Tour heads to France for the Open de la Mirabelle D’Or.

Metz, June 8^th 2022– After a week off, the tour moves to the Northeastern Grand Est Region in France for the Open International de la Mirabelle D’Or. The tournament will be played from June 10^th until June 12^th at Golf Domaine de la Grange Aux Ormes near Metz, France. On June 9^th, the traditional pro-am with 40 teams will be played.

The tournament has reached its 19^th edition this year, however it has been part of the Alps Tour schedule since 2005. The event has had various winners over the years, including Italy’s Lorenzo Gagli and Spain’s Alejandro Del Rey who are now DP World Tour Players. The current defending champion is France’s Franck Medale who won in 2021 with a score of 14 under-par. On May 30^th, a qualifier event was played at the tournament host, Golf Domaine de la Grange Aux Ormes, that offered players the opportunity to qualify for the extra 7 available spots in this week’s event.

The Field-

Participating in this week’s field is current Order of Merit Leader, Netherland’s Koen Kouwenaar in addition to the other top 8 players in the current rank: Gregorio De Leo, Stefano Mazzoli, Tomas Bessa Guimaraes, Pierre Pineau, amateur Julien Sale, Mathias Eggenberger and amateur Tom Vaillant, all of whom are trying to capture the 2022 Open de La Mirabelle D’Or title.

It is sure to be a very compelling week to watch as all of this season’s previous winners except for Marcus Brier, winner of the 30^th Gösser Open, are scheduled to compete. As each player strives to capture their second season win, they will also strive to improve their current position in the Order of Merit rank. Current defending champion, France’s Franck Medale will be one of the many French players representing their country at the 19^th Open International de la Mirabelle D’Or, as a strong home field is expected.

Seven players were able to qualify at the qualifier that was held on May 30^th, 4 of which are professional players and 3 amateur players. The qualifier was won by Thomas Dorier with a score of 63.

There will be 144 players from 20 different nationalities competing for a prize fund of €40,000 and 45,000 points. The winner of the 2022 Open International de la Mirabelle D’Or will earn € 5,800 and 6,525 Order of Merit points. It is a 54 holes stroke play tournament where a cut will be made after 36 holes to the top 40 players and ties.

The Course-

Golf Domaine de la Grange Aux Ormes in Metz, France is a 6436 meters par 70 course. Designed by Philippe Gourdon, it is placed on an undulating terrain that offers various different challenges to each player. The golf course is outlined by century old trees and water hazards, yet provides views of the surrounding countryside as well as of Val Messin. The château in the background is the estate’s signature view. The fairways are relatively broad but the dense rough can penalize any inconsistent tee shot. Golf Domaine de la Grange Aux Ormes is home to 27 holes, an 18 holes course called “Le Bois Brûlé” and a 9 holes course called “Le Breuil”. “Le Bois Brûlé” has been the longtime host of this tournament.

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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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13th June 2021 | Alps Tour Golf

Franck Medale is King of Mirabelle d’Or

Metz, 13^th June 2021 – Frenchman Franck Medale started off so well on the final day of the Open de la Mirabelle d’Or, at Golf de la Grange aux Ormes, with five birdies in a row from hole n. 2 and finishing the front nine in 29 (-5), that he soon took the top spot on the leaderboard and never lost it afterwards. His final 62 (-8) and an overall -14, with one eagle, 8 birdies and two bogeys (one on the last hole), was what he needed to grab the trophy, the 5,800 euros check for the winner and the 6,525 points at stake as an Alps Tour member, which allowed him to climb 26 positions in the ranking and occupy the 7^th spot.

“I certainly like the course”, says Medale, 26, who studied in the U.S. and had some wins there during college years. “I finished in 3^rd position here two years ago, but this is my first win as a pro”.

“Obviously, the day went very well for me, I have followed my goals all along the game, trying to focus on making my best on every hole, and to stay in the moment. I was not thinking about what was going on around me because my partner Vitor Lopes was playing very well, too, and we had a genuinely nice fight! I chose to be aggressive on most of the game because I thought it was a good strategy, I was feeling like attacking and it actually paid back in terms of the score”.

On his side, Portuguese Vitor Londot Lopes, 24, did very well, too, starting the day T4 with Medale at -6 and chasing him very closely, to end on second spot at -13 with a partial for the day of 63 (-7). “Well, what a week it was, just short by one! I know it was not today that I gave it away, but on the first two days. Putting has not been my friend for the last weeks but I must keep practicing hard to get the first win here on the Alps Tour. Congrats to Franck for an amazing round. It was enjoyable to watch”. With a cheque of 3,940 euros and 4,432 points, Londot Lopes has improved his position in the ranking by 13 steps and has now reached the top 10.

The leader of the Order of Merit after seven tournaments is still Italian Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, who – with his third position at -11 at Open de la Mirabelle – has improved his margin on Spaniard Angel Hidalgo Portillo and Frenchman Pierre Pineau, third; Vecchi Fossa has 17,205 points, Hidalgo 14,053 and Pineau 11,514.

No time to rest for the Alps Tour players now, as next tournament is about to start in just three days at La Pinetina GC, in Italy, where 144 players will meet for the 7^th edition of Memorial Giorgio Bordoni.

Click here for the Final results, or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.

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12th June 2021 | Alps Tour Golf

Vecchi Fossa and Gris joint leaders on day 2

Metz, 12^th June 2021 – With another great day at the office at Golf de la Grange aux Ormes, Italian Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, 26, has climbed one step from yesterday’s position and is sharing the lead at -8 with Frenchman Jules Gris, 25, after the second round of the Open de la Mirabelle d’Or, in Eastern France. Portuguese Tomás Bessa, 24, is enjoying his third position just one stroke back at -7, while 4^th spot is shared by six players at -6.

On a weatherwise complicated day, with a light morning breeze turning into a real wind in the afternoon, Vecchi Fossa (teeing off at 13:14 from hole n. 10), leader of the Order of Merit after 6 tournaments, is showing once again that he is the man to beat: adding a 67 (-3) to yesterday’s 65 (-5), he has carded one eagle, three birdies and two bogeys. “It’s been a hard, windy day, the course is tight, the rough is definitely unforgiving, deep and thick. Overall, I’m satisfied with my game especially from the tee, I’ve missed some putts but I made an eagle three on hole n. 5 which definitely helped! I have suffered a bit on the last holes, with a bogey on n. 9; those are the most difficult holes and the wind made them even more problematic. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!”.

Jules Gris, who gained his spot in the tournament thanks to his 3^rd place in the French Qualifying School, which gives him the right to also play two Challenge Tour events on French soil, is obviously very happy with his result: “I have been playing well for a while now and my coach was feeling that something good was about to come, and it happened today. I’m curious to see how I’m going to face the game tomorrow, as it is the first time that I’m in such a good spot. My strategy was to keep the ball in play and play with my head, it worked well. I will try to keep the same mindset for tomorrow, always trying to have fun on the course whenever possible”.

The best card of the day was signed by Italian Gianluca Proietti, who shot a 63 (-7), ten shots better than first round, with one eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys, and is sitting on T15 at -4.

Once again, the work of the fore-caddies was really precious helping to find balls in the rough and speed up the game; 59 players (44 pros and 15 amateurs) made the cut at level par, and will play tomorrow to share the 45,000 points for the Alps Tour members (and the 40,000 Euros for the pros). The second round statistics record also 51 players under par and a total of one double eagle (made by Frenchman Sam Dumez, a 2 on hole n. 4, a par 5 of 460 metres!), 25 eagles and 460 birdies for the day.

Click here for the 2^nd round results or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.

11th June 2021 | Alps Tour Golf

Swiss Ameil-Planchin is solo leader after 1st round

Metz, 11^th June 2021 – As the turn of the 2021 Alps Tour season approaches, the 18^th edition of the Open de la Mirabelle d’Or has started at Golf de la Grange aux Ormes, in Eastern France, producing some great show, as expected. After the first round, in fact, Swiss Arthur Ameil-Planchin, 27, is leading on 64 (-6) on the par 70, Philippe Gourdon designed course, with one eagle, five birdies and just one bogey for the day.

Italian Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, 26, leader of the Order of Merit after 6 tournaments, is pushing on the accelerator with a 65 (-5, with six birdies and one bogey) and shares the second position with four other players – compatriot Andrea Saracino, and Frenchmen Frank Medale, Romain Vallaeys and Dimitri Darnaud, who lost his leadership with a double bogey on the last hole. Vecchi Fossa will try to increase the gap with his pursuers in the ranking – he has now an advantage of 767 points on the second, Spaniard Angel Hidalgo Portillo, currently T38^th at -1 (69) as well as Frenchman Pierre Pineau, third in the Order of Merit with 3,520 points less than the leader.

Ameil-Planchin started his round from hole n. 10 with fireworks: “I holed a nice putt for an eagle 3 at the first, followed by two birdies on 11^th and 12^th, then at the 13^th I hit probably the only bad shot of the day, a 3-wood that ended in the deep rough but I reacted with a nice wedge and saved par. I’ve putted well overall, I managed to stick with the strategy I had worked out and everything went smoothly. My caddie Guillaume certainly helped to stay calm and focussed. The course is more challenging than last year in September, the rough is really high and thick, you really need to keep the ball in play”.

In spite of the high temperatures – a bright sun shone all day, with virtually no wind – and a punishing rough that made the fore-caddies work hard on many holes and the players hit many provisional balls whenever they would miss the fairway, the first round statistics record 54 players under par and a total of 21 eagles and 484 birdies overall.

Tomorrow the second round will start at 7:30, and at the end of the day the top 40 and ties plus amateurs within the cut line will proceed to play the final round and share the 45,000 points (and the 40,000 Euros for the pros).

Click here for the results.

9th June 2021 | Alps Tour Golf

The show goes on in France for the 18th edition of Open de la Mirabelle d’Or

The 18^th edition of the Open de la Mirabelle d’Or gets back to its traditional June date, and looks to have what it takes for offering a great show by the talented Alps Tour players gathering at Golf de la Grange aux Ormes, in Eastern France. The stage will open from June 11^th to 13^th with 144 players from 15 nations competing for a €40,000 prize money and 45,000 points, anticipated on Thursday 10^th by the first Pro-am of the year in the Alps Tour schedule.

Most of the top ten players on the Order of Merit count present including the top three, as well as five winners of the 2021 season tournaments so far: from Italy, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa (Abruzzo Open), Stefano Mazzoli (Antognolla Alps Open) and, fresh from his Egyptian win two weeks ago, Luca Cianchetti (Red Sea Little Venice Open); from France, amateur Paul Margolis, Mira Live the Soul Open champion; from Spain, Angel Hidalgo Portillo, victor at the Ein Bay Open.

With 70 French players confirmed there will be a strong home turf contingent vying for grabbing the coveted trophy, won last September by Spaniard Alejandro Del Rey, now active on the European Tour. Among them, previous tournament winners Maxime Radureau who won in 2017 and Xavier Poncelet who triumphed in 2012. Also, Pierre Pineau, number 3 on the Order of Merit, will be looking to add his first victory to his season after the two 2^nd spots in the Ein Bay Open and Abruzzo Open.

Also, Issa Nlareb is in the field for the Open de la Mirabelle d’Or. The 30-year-old player from Cameroun, who was struck by bacterial meningitis in February 2018 and suffered complications which led to a partial amputation of his legs and fingers, hit the headlines last month when he made the cut in the Ein Bay Open in Egypt, with three birdies in the last four holes. He will be hoping to repeat the exploit, but his participation itself is a proof once again that an iron will can overcome any disabilities.

The Golf de la Grange aux Ormes always ensures a great welcome for the players and guests. The Philippe Gourdon designed course just outside Metz in the Lorraine region of France offers a par 71, 6664 yard/6094 metre parkland terrain lined with century old trees. The fairways are broad, overall, but with dense rough running the length to grab any wayward drives.

For the list of entries, click here.

24th March 2021 | Alps Tour Golf

Nicolas Platret Leader after Round1 at Acaya

March 24th, 2021 – Lecce, Italy. Nicolas Platret from France came into the clubhouse at -5 (66) to take the lead at the inaugural competition of the 2021 Alps Tour season here at the Acaya Golf Resort. He swung back into action after five months without any competitive play and was focussed on the result based on applying what he has been doing with his coach in France over the past few weeks rather than the score. He talks us through his round:

“I started early this morning at 7:20 so it was kind of windy and pretty cold so for the first few holes I just tried to keep the ball on the fairway and hit as many greens as possible. I got some good opportunities for birdie in the first few holes and so I was quickly two under after 5. Then I had a good up and down on 6 for par. Then 7 and 9 downhill are pretty easy par fives so I had two birdies there. Unfortunately, I had a bogey on 8 with a ball in the water. So, after the front nine I was pretty confident because it was windy and not easy to play. The back nine for me is a little tougher than the front nine, so I tried to do the same thing as on the front nine. I made some good birdies on 12, 16,17. I had a bogey on the 11th but for me it’s the toughest hole on the course, so I just tried to stay patient and take the opportunities for birdie when I had them”.

This is Nicolas’s second season on the Alps Tour, and he will be hoping to keep the lead to secure his first victory with his best finish to date being second place at the 2019 Open de la Mirabelle d’Or.

One shot behind at -4 (67) is Matteo Manassero who played two under on each nine. Two birdies and a bogey-clear front nine plus three birdies and one bogey on the back nine leave him in serious contention. The Italian player sat second for the first two rounds in his previous tournament with the Alps Tour, ultimately going on to win the Toscana Alps Open last year.

Just behind him in third place are three players. The Scot, Ryan Lumsden, winner of his first Official World Golf Ranking professional title at the Journey to Jordan #2 at Ayla Golf Club in March last year and with two top ten finishes on the Alps Tour in 2020, he carded five birdies and two bogeys for a solid -3 (68). Joinng him are the two Spanish players Alejandro Del Rey, winner of the 2020 Open de la Mirabelle d’Or and Angel Hidalgo Portillo, runner-up at the Toscana Alps Open Last year.

In sixth spot there is a group of six at -2 (69). Two French players; Romain Guillon who was joint leader when he entered the clubhouse and Paul Elissalde. The Italian players, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa along with Davide Buchi who is the highest ranked amateur today. Mathias Eggenberger from Switzerland and the Dutch player, Pierre Verlaar complete the group.

Despite the difficult windy conditions, we saw a total of eleven eagles out on the course today, all of them on the par 5’s with Edouard Espana from France scoring two of them which helped him to finish at par for the round.

The forecast for tomorrow is partly cloudy and the temperatures will continue to be below average for the time of year and the wind will also be present if less so than today. Tee off starts at 7:00am from tee 10 and 7:05 from tee 1. The cut will take place on completion of the second round.

Results Round 1: click here

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