Saint-Omer, September 15^th 2023 – Ireland’s Ronan Mullarney leads the field after two bogey-free rounds and a total score of 11 under-par at the 2023 Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open. In 2^nd place, the winner of the 2023 Aravell Golf Open by Creand, Italy’s Manfredi Manica.  In 3^rd place, is the tournament’s defending champion, Netherland’s Davey Porsius. At 6 under-par, the winner of the 2023 Red Sea Little Venice Open Spain’s Quim Vidal. France’s Théo Brizard closes out the top 5 spots with a total score of 5 under-par.

Another beautiful day with mostly sunny skies and a pleasant temperature welcomed the players at Aa Saint- Omer Golf Club for the 2^nd round of the 2023 Hauts de France- Pas de Calais Golf Open. Play began at 8:15 am from both the 1^st and 10^th hole. The scoring conditions were slightly more favorable in the morning as there was more wind during the afternoon.

The 2023 Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open is a co-sanctioned tournament between players from the Alps Tour and the Ladies European Tour Access Series (LETAS). There are 66 players competing from each tour for two different dedicated prize funds and thus, trophies. The Alps Tour players are playing the golf course as a 6182 meters par 71. The Ladies European Tour Access Series (LETAS) players are playing the golf course as a 5349 meters par 73.

Round 2 Player QuotesIreland’s Ronan Mullarney who was in 3^rd place at the conclusion of yesterday’s 1^st round, finds himself in the lead after today’s round at 11 under-par. He followed his bogey-free opening round of 4 under-par, with another bogey-free round at 7 under-par for a two-day total of 11- under-par. He began today’s round on the 10^th hole, where he made 1 birdie, then on the front nine he made 4 birdies and an eagle on the par 5 9^th hole, his 18^th of the day. Mullarney is already a winner this season as he captured the 31^st edition of the Gösser Open and finds himself in 3^rd place in the current Order of Merit standings. He turned professional in 2019, and this is his 1^st full year on the Alps Tour. After his 2^nd bogey-free round, Mullarney commented, “my short game was very good today, my long game was ok, but honestly, nothing really stood out. I’ve been working really hard on my putting, chipping, and wedge play, so it feels good. It added up to a good score, but it definitely didn’t feel as tidy as maybe it looked but I’m very happy.” He found that, “it’s really tricky out there, to be honest, there is a lot of concentration going on. I tend to play better on those types of courses so there is a lot of things to be thinking about it I will focus on the golf, and I’ll worry about the rest later as I don’t have time for it.” When asked about competing in a mixed event with the LETAS, Mullarney acknowledged that, “It’s nice, we are not really mixed so it doesn’t really feel we are in the same exact tournament, but it’s nice. This is the best tournament we’ve played the whole year by far, the organization and everything that goes in it is brilliant here. It’s probably the best golf course also, for sure one of them.” Looking ahead to the final round tomorrow, Mullarney said, “To win, I have to be one shot better than the next person. That’s it.”

Italy’s Manfredi Manica shot a 4 under-par, 67 today for a two-day total of 9 under-par and be in 2^nd place entering tomorrow’s final round. He captured his 1^st professional win at the 2023 Aravell Golf Open by Creand. Manica is 27 years old, turned professional at the end of 2021, and currently represents Golf Nazionale. After his round, Manica commented:“there definitely was more wind today, I had a slow start today, a bogey on the 2^nd hole, which doesn’t help. I tried to get in the rhythm of things and had a great finish. It could have been an even better one, but I’m in a great position to battle for it tomorrow.” He’s 11^th in the Order of Merit rank and is looking to make a final move, “I would be lying if I said I’m not thinking about the Order of Merit, but let’s worry about that tomorrow. There is a lot of golf left, the front nine and some accurate tee shots will be crucial in putting a good round together.”  

Netherland’s Davey Porsius, 28 years old, is in 3^rd place at 7 under-par and 4 strokes off the lead. He shot a second round of 5 under-par, 65 with 6 birdies and 1 bogey. He currently represents Goyer and finds himself 8^th in the current Order of Merit rank. Porsius is the tournament defending champion and looks forward to trying to defend the title he captured last year.

Twenty-three year old, Quim Vidal from Spain, shot a 5 under-par, 66 today for a two-day total of 6 under-par and be in 4^thplace entering tomorrow’s final round. He made 1 bogey, 3 birdies, and an eagle on the 9^th hole, his final hole of the day. Vidal captured his first professional win at the 2023 Red Sea Little Venice Open in a sudden-death playoff. After his 5 under-par he commented on how, “I had a rough start to the tournament with my putting, I was struggling a lot but found something which is now working, and today I made a lot of really good long-range putts.” When asked about if playing in the morning was more favorable, he added that, “The last three holes, the wind picked up and was swirling, so I think it was good to play this morning with no wind. Yesterday, the afternoon was calm, so you never know what can happen. I will try and do my best tomorrow, stick to my game plan, and see what will after on the 18^th hole.” 

LETAS

In the LET Access Series event, Slovenia’s Katja Pogacar, 29 years old, keeps her lead after two rounds. She has a two-day total of 10 under-par.

She has three top-10 finishes on tour this season, including a second place at the Montauban Ladies Open in June. Pogacar has made every cut of the tournaments she participated in this season.

After her round, Pogacar commented, “Today was amazing, I had a little slower start as it was windy and felt different. There weren’t many nerves at the end when I knew I could lead again, I just really looked forward to some birdies because I had some opportunities already before the last four holes. Tomorrow, let’s play some golf.”

In the Ladies European Tour Access Series (LETAS) players field, they are competing for LETAS Order of Merit points and their prize fund, which is set at € 40.000.

Final Round

A total of 36 players made the cut which was set at +2. The 2023 Hauts de France- Pas de Calais Golf Open winner will earn €6,400 and 6,525 Order of Merit points.

Tournament Promoter

The tournament this week is promoted and organized directly by the host golf club, Aa Saint-Omer Golf Club.

The 2023 Hauts de France-Pas de Calais Golf Open can count on the support of the following official partners: Région Hauts-de-France, Pas-de-Calais Mon Département, CAPSO Communauté D’Agglomération du Pays de Saint-Omer, Autosphere, BFM Grand Littoral, Frigolet, Najeti Hôtels & Golfs Collection, Sdez, Sysdeco, Golf+ and Vittel. 

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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