Alessandro Nodari leads in Tunisia as wind shortens tournament to 36 holes

At the top of the leaderboard is Italy’s Alessandro Nodari, who finished at 5-under par. Trailing closely behind are Italy’s Jacopo Vecchi Fossa and Spain’s Rocco Repetto, both at 4-under. Three players share fourth place at 3-under: Spain’s Mario Galliano Aguilar and Alvaro Hernandez Cabezuela, alongside French amateur Paul Franquet. Six players sit at 2-under, including Italians Lucas Fallotico, Mattia Comotti, and Manfredi Manica, joined by France’s Xavier Poncelet, England’s Harry Goddard, and Spain’s Javier Barcos.

Due to today’s adverse weather conditions, tournament officials decided to shorten the event to 36 holes. As a result, play did not continue beyond Round 1 today. The cut was set at +2, allowing the top 40 players and ties, totaling 53 players, to advance.

ROUND 1 PLAYERS QUOTES

Alessandro Nodari, a 24-year-old Italian from Vicenza, is teeing off his rookie season on the Alps Tour after turning pro last autumn during the Qualifying School. Today, Nodari kicked off his round from the 9th hole and here’s what he had to say after his round:

“I started on the 9th today, feeling a bit jittery. This morning, it seemed calm with no wind, but then, gusts kicked up on the tee, and I was a touch rattled. I misfired on my first two shots and couldn’t save par. Then I dropped another bogey on the 12th. It was a tough day out there, the wind stayed strong, but I played very solid from tee to green. My putting was on point, and then I scored four birdies, including two long putts on the par-3 14th and on the closing hole.”

The 22-year-old Spaniard Rocco Repetto, currently in 7th position in the Order of Merit, is in his first official season on the Alps Tour. Here are his words:

“It was a special round; the wind was crazy. I was trying to focus as much as possible to shoot the lowest score I could while surviving out there. I hit a lot of good shots and a lot of long drives, which helped me perform on the par 5s. It was very tough out there, and I think the Alps Tour did the best thing possible for the tournament. I hit as many low shots against the wind as I possibly could and tried to chip the best I could.”

Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, a 30-year-old Italian from Reggio Emilia, has built a notable golf career, winning three Alps Tour events in 2020 and 2021 (Italy Open, Abruzzo Alps Open, and Golf Nazionale Alps Open) and the Alps Tour Order of Merit in 2021, earning him a spot on the HotelPlanner Tour in 2022. He also won the Italian National Open Championship in 2018 and 2021, and the PGAI Championship in 2019 and 2023, alongside many top-10 finishes. Here’s what he said about his round today:

“Yesterday, I didn’t start playing very well, but I managed to hole a long 20-meters putt on the third hole, which helped me a lot. I made three bogeys and three birdies yesterday, finishing at par. This morning, there was less wind, and I took good advantage of holes 16 and 18. Over the two days, I played the par fives well, there are five on this course, and made birdie on all of them. I played solidly in all parts of my game, because in these conditions, to shoot 4 under, you can’t do it if you’re playing badly…”

FINAL ROUND