Austria’s Jakob Lotschak eyes breakthrough win on home soil

Austria, May 15th, 2026 – Austria’s Jakob Lotschak has put himself in a strong position to claim the first title of his career after moving into the lead at the Gösser Open.

Playing in conditions similar to those of the opening round, the 21-year-old amateur carded an impressive 67 (-5) despite a double bogey on the 10th. Competing in his first tournament of the season, Lotschak showed composure throughout the day to take control heading into Saturday’s final round.

Full leaderboard

However, nothing is decided yet at Golf Club Erzherzog Johann, a course known for producing low scores. Italy’s Filippo Grossi sits just one shot behind after a solid 68 (-4).

Fellow Italian Andrea Romano made a strong move up the leaderboard thanks to a bogey-free 65 (-7), climbing into a share of third place alongside the Netherlands’ Lars Keunen and Spain’s Alejandro Rodriguez Andreu.

For tomorrow’s final round, play will begin at 8:15 a.m. from both the 1st and 10th tees. At the conclusion of the third round, the winner will receive €7,200 and 6,525 Order of Merit points. In the event of a tie, a playoff will determine the champion.

Round 2 Player Quotes

Jakob Lotschak: “I did everything the same as on any tournament day — had a good warm-up, something good to eat, and got off to a smooth start with a birdie on the first. After that, I kept giving myself chances, and it turned into a really wonderful day. We had a few rain showers here and there, but overall everything went really well.

Playing an event like this in my home country is amazing. Having a home event and playing in front of local crowds is really special, and I hope lots of people come out tomorrow and enjoy the day. I think I will feel pressure tomorrow — that’s completely natural — but I’ll try to use it to my advantage, stay shot by shot, not get ahead of myself, and just enjoy everything.”

Andrea Romano: “I played really good golf today. Tee to green, it was very solid. I just missed a few putts, but I’m happy with the round because a bogey-free score is always nice. For sure, I had the tougher draw yesterday with the rain, so it was difficult to stay dry and score in those conditions. Today was much better weather, and I’m happy with how I played both days. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

I try not to think too much about a third win because when you’re up there, of course you want to move to the HotelPlanner Tour as soon as possible. I’m trying to stay focused on my golf, but it’s hard not to think about it.”

Tournament Sponsors

The eighth event of the 2026 season is promoted by the Murhof Gruppe, which manages more than 30 golf courses across Austria, including this week’s venue in Maria Lankowitz.

This week’s main sponsor is Gösser Beer. Main tournament partners include Steiermark Tourismus and Erlebnisregion Graz.

The Pro-Am partners are Gösser, Steiermärkische Sparkasse, Antenne Steiermark and Murhof Gruppe. Supporting federations are the Österreichischer Golfverband (ÖGV) and the Steirischer Golfverband (StGV), while media partners include Kleine Zeitung, Antenne Steiermark and GEPA Pictures.

Photo : Nathan Cardet/Alps Tour 

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

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