Austria’s Christoph Bleier takes advantage of late conditions to lead in Miglianico

Italy, April 30th, 2026 – Austria’s Christoph Bleier capitalised on more favourable afternoon conditions to take the lead after the opening round of the Miglianico Alps Open at Il Cerreto di Miglianico Golf.

Weather played a key role on Thursday, with the morning wave facing rain, while the afternoon starters enjoyed calmer conditions. Taking full advantage, Bleier signed an impressive 64 (-6) to set the early pace. The Austrian’s round was eventful, featuring seven birdies, one eagle and three bogeys.

Full leaderboard

Also playing in the afternoon, France’s Ewan Le Tennier sits just one shot back after a solid 65 (-5). Italy’s Alessandro Nodari holds third place at -4, highlighted by a hole-in-one on the 15th. A group of seven players shares fourth place at -3.

For Round 2, play will begin at 7:30 a.m. from both the 1st and 10th tees. At the conclusion of the second round, a cut will be made to the top 40 professionals and ties, who will advance to the final round (including all amateurs within the cut).

Round 1 Player Quotes

Christoph Bleier: “Today’s round was a bit wild, but I did a really good job making the important putts and hitting some key chip shots when I needed to. I also had a bit of luck — on hole 4, I hit it into the trees but ended up with a great lie and made birdie. On 18, I hit a drive that just carried the water, then an 8-iron to two metres for eagle. Overall, I stayed very composed. I didn’t feel nervous or stressed, even if I wasn’t hitting it exactly how I wanted. It could have been a bit tidier, a bit less wild, but overall it was really good golf.”

Mason Essam : “It was a solid round today. I got off to a nice start, and I was a bit surprised to be leading at -3 after the morning session, but the conditions were quite tricky with the wind and some rain this morning. I just focused on taking it shot by shot. I’m still recovering from a stomach issue from Egypt, so that was also a challenge out there. My short game really helped me today — I relied a lot on my chipping and gave myself a lot of easy pars. Tomorrow, I’d like to hit it closer with my irons and wedges, especially on scoring holes where I felt I could have created more chances.”

Tournament Sponsors

The Miglianico Alps Open is promoted by the Italian Pro Tour, branch of the Italian Golf Federation which is supported by Buccellati (Presenting Sponsor), Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking (Official Bank), Enel (Official Sponsor), Unipol (Official Sponsor), GTZ Distribution – Nike (Official Technical Supplier), Gazzetta dello Sport (Media Partner), and Infront Italy (Official Advisor).

Photo : Alps Tour/Raffaele Canepa

Alps Tour Media Contact- Nathan Cardet : [email protected]

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