Spaniard Pardo Benitez Takes Early Lead After Round 1 at Qualifying School Final Stage.
Rome, November 12th, 2025- Spain’s Jose Manuel Pardo Benitez leads with a 7 under-par at the end of the 1st round at the 2025 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. Italy’s Luca Cavalli is in 2nd place at 6 under-par. French amateur Ewan Le Tennier is in 3rd place at 5 under-par, while France’s Mateo Bardou, Ylan Guerin-Pozzalo (am,) and Alexandre Bauduin (am), Austria’s Jakob Lotschak (am), Spain’s Agusti Quinquilla, and Christoph Bleier from Austria share 4th place at 4 under-par.
A beautiful sunny morning in Northern Rome welcomed the 156 players who began their quest to earn one of the 2026 Alps Tour Playing Cards that is up for grabs at this week’s event. For the first two rounds, the players are split between Golf Nazionale (Par 72) and Terre Dei Consoli Golf Club (Par 72) and will play one round on each course. After Round 2, a cut will be made, and the players who qualify for the final round will compete in the last 18 holes at Golf Nazionale.
Marco Durante, President of the Alps Tour Golf Association, commented: “A great moment is about to start! The Final Stage of our Qualifying School opens the door to a bright future in professional golf. Hard work and passion brought our players here to build their careers. I wish each of them the very best as they take the next step in their professional journey, and I look forward to seeing the next #RisingGolfStars.”
Round 1 Player Quotes
Spain’s Jose Manuel Pardo Benitez, 26, holds the lead after the opening round of the Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. He fired an impressive 7-under-par 65 at Terre dei Consoli, highlighted by one eagle, seven birdies, and one double bogey. A past winner on the Alps Tour (Alps de Andalucia in 2023), he will look to maintain his strong form throughout the week as he aims to secure his playing status for the 2026 season. Reflecting on his opening round, Pardo Benitez said: “My start today was perfect. I hit all the greens and made the most of my birdie opportunities, really taking advantage of the chances that came my way. I struggled on Hole 2, my 11th hole, where I hit a poor tee shot and had some unfortunate consequences. But I knew I was playing well before that hole and overall, so I kept believing. I knew I had a chance to recover, and that’s what I did.” He added: “I like this course a bit more than Golf Nazionalewhere I’ll be playing tomorrow, but I also have good memories there from the past, so we’ll keep fighting. I just want to keep playing my game. I’m playing really well, I trained a lot ahead of this tournament, so I need to stay patient, I’m confident it will be a good week.”
Italy’s Luca Cavalli, 20, sits in second place after the opening round. He began his tournament with an impressive bogey-free 6-under-par 66 at Terre dei Consoli, carding birdies on holes 2, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 17. Reflecting on his round, he was very satisfied: “Today went really well, my game was extremely solid from tee to green. I putted really well too, and even when I missed some greens, I recovered very nicely. Overall, I have great feelings, and I hope to have the same tomorrow.” Cavalli added: “I know Golf Nazionale very well, actually better than this one, so I hope to have some insight knowledge which will help me with a good score. But since I’m already playing good golf and I have good feelings, I’m optimistic for a good round. Definitely being patient, that’s going to be the most important aspect I’ll be focusing on over the next two days.”
Round 2
For tomorrow’s Round 2, players will be alternating golf courses between Golf Nazionale and Terre dei Consoli Golf Club. Play will begin again at 8:00 a.m. from the 1st and 10th holes at each golf course.
After tomorrow’s round, a cut will be made to the top 65 players and ties who will compete in the final round of the tournament that will be played at Golf Nazionale. At the conclusion of the 54 holes, the top 35 players and ties ranked according to score will be eligible to receive Category 6 membership for the 2026 Alps Tour Season.
The remainder of the players who made the cut and finished between the 36th and 65th positions will be eligible to receive Category 8 membership. The remaining players who conclude the tournament between the 66th and 156th positions will be eligible for membership in Category 9.
Alps Tour Media Contact- Alice Barbieri: [email protected]
For further information, please visit the official Alps Tour website at www.alpstourgolf.com or download the official Alps Tour Golf mobile application, available on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). Stay updated by following the Alps Tour on social media via Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and X.
#2025AlpsTourSeason
#raisinggolfstars
#risinggolfstars
