Alps Tour Golf | 2023 qualifying school

16th November 2023 | Alps Tour Golf

Two Amateurs co-lead after Round 2 at the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage

Rome, November 16^th, 2023 – Amateurs Luca Cavalli from Italy and Mason Essam from England are in the lead with a two-day total of 7 under-par at the end of the 2^ndround of the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. In a two-way tie for 3rd place at 6 under-par, another amateur duo: Italy’s Luca Memeo and Ireland’s Robert Moran.

A chillier but beautiful sunny day was the backdrop of today’s second round of the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. The 156 players are competing to earn their 2024 Alps Tour Playing Cards on two different courses: Golf Nazionale, Par 71, and Olgiata Golf Club, Par 73. The players switched between the two golf courses compared to yesterday’s round.

Round 2 Player Quotes

Italy’s Luca Cavalli (am), 18 years old, who was in a tie for 3^rd place at 4 under-par yesterday, concluded his 2^nd round of the 2023 Alps Tour Q-School Final Stage with a two-day total of 7 under-par. Today, he competed at Golf Nazionale, where he made 4 birdies and 1 bogey. He is in a share of the lead heading into tomorrow’s final round of the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. Once he concluded his 3-under-par 2^nd round, Cavalli commented: “I played well again today, however, I can say that I found Golf Nazionale to be more tiring both physically and mentally. Overall though, I am very pleased with how both days went everything worked well in my game, and the work I did is paying off.” As he is competing as an amateur, he’s “not planning on turning pro right away as I still need to graduate from high school so I will see how I rank and go from there. If I earn playing status this week, I will play as an amateur at first and then, by July or August, decide what is best for me to do.”

Round 1 Leader, English amateur Mason Essam, remains in a share of the lead heading into tomorrow’s final round of the 2023 Alps Tour Q-School Final Stage. He is 24 years old and represents Dartford Golf Club. He shot a 1 over-par 72 at Golf Nazionale for a two-day total of 7 under-par. Today Essam wasn’t pleased with his: “ball striking wasn’t nearly as good. I don’t think I hit many greens today. It was a tough day overall, I had to stay patient and calm. I did my best, and it kind of fell away at the end, but it wasn’t a bad round of golf.” He said he planned on “going to go to the range now to figure out a few things and then try and take that into tomorrow so I can hit more greens and go from there.” When asked about the two host golf courses this week, Essam added that “the score suggest I prefer Olgiata GC between the two courses. Olgiata lived up to my expectations of what my thoughts of a typical Italian course would be, but we will see tomorrow.”

Round 2 Co-Leader at the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage, England’s Mason Essam(am). Photo Credit: Alps Tour Golf / Federico Capretti

Eighteen-year-old Italian amateur, Luca Memeo is in a two-way tie for 3^rd place with a two-day total of 6 under-par. Today, he shot a 1 under-par, 70 at Golf Nazionale with 3 birdies and 2 bogeys. He currently represents Royal Park I Roveri. After today’s round, Memeo commented: “The course is definitely different, maybe trickier in some aspects, the greens are faster.” He has one of his good friends and already Alps Tour Player Elia Dallanegra as his caddie this week, “He helped me a lot so far this week, and I’m sure he will do the same tomorrow. He’s a good friend of mine, and having him on the bag this week has been amazing.” Memeo plans on “gaining as much experience as possible by playing Alps Tour events, but at the same time, I would like to earn full playing status for next year, so I will play in as many events as possible.”

Alongside Memeo in the two-way tie for 3^rd place at 6 under-par Irish amateur Robert Moran. He played at Olgiata Golf Club today and shot a 4 under-par with 4 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 1 eagle.

A total of 74 players (45 pros and 29 amateurs) made the cut which was set at +5 (149).

Final Round

The top 65 players and ties gained access into tomorrow’s final round, which will be played at Golf Nazionale. The tee times will begin again at 8:00 am local time from the 1^st and 10^th hole. The final pairing will tee off at 10:12 am local time from the 1^sthole.

For tomorrow’s final round, it is forecasted to be a sunny day with temperatures that will reach around 17°C and Northwestern winds at approximately 12-25km/h.

At the conclusion of tomorrow’s final round, the top 35 players and ties ranked according to score, will be eligible to receive Category 6 membership for the 2024 Alps Tour Season. The rest of the players who will make the cut, and finish between the 36^th and 65^th position will be eligible to receive Category 8 membership for next year’s season. The remaining players who compete in this Final Stage and conclude the tournament between the 66^th and 156^th position will be eligible to receive membership in Category 9.

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).

#risinggolfstars
#raisinggolfstars

15th November 2023 | Alps Tour Golf

Amateur Mason Essam leads after Round 1 at the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage.

Rome, November 15^th 2023 – English amateur Mason Essam leads with an 8 under-par, 65 at the end of the 1^st round at the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. Another amateur, Italy’s Luca Memeo, is in 2^nd place at 5 under par. There is an Italian trio in a 3-way tie for 3^rd place with a Round 1 score of 4 under-par that includes: Filippo Bergamaschi, Adalberto Montini, and amateur Luca Cavalli.

An overcast morning with a comfortable temperature in Northern Rome, welcomed the 156 players who began their quest to earn one of the 2024 Alps Tour playing cards that is up for grabs. For the first two rounds, the players are split between Golf Nazionale (Par 71) and Olgiata Golf Club (Par 73) and will play one round on each course.

Round 1 Player Quotes

Twenty-four-year-old, English amateur Mason Essam, who currently represents Dartford Golf Club, leads after Round 1 at the 2023 Alps Tour Q-School Final Stage. He shot an opening round at Olgiata Golf Club of 8 under-par, 65 today with 1 eagle, 7 birdies, and 1 bogey. He qualified for this week’s Final Stage of Q-School after concluding tied for 6^th place last week at the Stage 1 event held at Terre dei Consoli Golf Club. After he signed for his 8 under-par, he proudly commented, “I played lovely today, I was able to manage my misses well, and had a good game plan I committed to. My game has been improving recently, and my goal for the day was to stick to my plan and play with freedom and confidence. My expectations for the week are to finish with a full card on the Alps Tour for next season, and this has been a great start for sure, I’m grateful for the opportunity.” He will turn professional “if I am able to accomplish my goals this week to earn a card.”

Luca Memeo (am), from Italy, 18 years old, who currently represents Royal Park I Roveri, finds himself in 2^nd place after the 1^st round of the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. He shot a bogey-free first round making 1 eagle and 3 birdies at Olgiata Golf Club. After the round, Memeo explained how he “hit nearly every green in regulation and put together a bogey-free round. I was able to hit the majority of the fairways, too, which allowed me the opportunity to go for the pins. I don’t have any real expectations this week, I’m trying to do the best I can in every shot and every round and gain some experience. Today was definitely an ideal start.” As he is playing as an amateur, he added that he “plans to turn pro at the end of next year.”

Italy’s Filippo Bergamaschi, who represents Villa Paradiso Golf Club, is the 1^st player in the three-way tie for 3^rd place after his opening round of 4 under-par, 67 at Golf Nazionale. He began his round with a bogey on his opening hole, the 10^th of the golf course, and then from there on, he made 5 birdies. When he finished his round, he commented: “My putting today was exceptional today. I struggled slightly off the tee today, a little more than I expected, but overall, I’m pleased, it puts me in a good position with two rounds left to be played.” When asked about his preference between the two host golf clubs this week, he added: “I personally prefer Golf Nazionale compared to Olgiata Golf Club, I like it more. I think it suits my game a bit better, I enjoy it more as I’m able to hit a variety of shots, and I’ve played it more, so have more experience on it.”

Alongside Bergamaschi in the three-way tie for 3^rd place at 4 under-par, there is: Adalberto Montini and amateur Luca Cavalli. Both players competed during today’s 1^st round at Olgiata Golf Club.

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 2024 Alps Tour Season. The rest of the players who will make the cut, and finish between the 36^th and 65^th position will be eligible to receive Category 8 membership. The remaining players who compete in this Final Stage and conclude the tournament between the 66^th and 156^th position will be eligible to receive membership in Category 9.

Round 2

For tomorrow’s Round 2, players will be alternating golf courses between Golf Nazionale and Olgiata Golf Club. Play will begin again at 8:00 am from the 1^st and 10^th hole 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 played at Golf Nazionale.

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).

#risinggolfstars
#raisinggolfstars

13th November 2023 | Alps Tour Golf

Welcome to Rome, host of the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage!

Rome, November 13^th, 2023 – The final hunt to capture a 2024 Alps Tour playing category gets underway on Wednesday when the 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage begins. It is a very anticipated week for the competitors as they will battle it out in Northern Rome, Italy, from November 15^th– 17^th to earn their 2024 Alps Tour card.

A full field of 156 players representing 17 different nations, will be competing at this year’s 54 holes Final Stage. 79 players were already exempt into the field, while the remaining 77 players qualified through the three Stage 1 events that were held last week at Miglianico G.C., Terre dei Consoli G.C., and G.C. Le Fonti.

The exempt players from the 1^st stage and automatically eligible to participate in the Final Stage are: all of the players ranked in the 2023 Alps Tour Order of Merit who weren’t in the field at the 2023 Alps Tour Grand Final presented by AURALIS, all of the past winners of the Alps Tour Order of Merit, the winners of the past three editions of the Alps Tour Qualifying School, the leading 10 European Amateur players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of October 17^th and players who competed at the 2023 World Amateur Team Championship and/or the 2023 European Boys/Men Team Championshipsand/or the 2023 Walker Cup.

For the first two rounds, the 156 competitors will be alternating between Golf Nazionale and Olgiata Golf Club. The final round will be played at Golf Nazionale.

The format of the tournament is a 54-holes stroke play, 18 holes a day. After 36 holes, a cut will be made to the top 65 players and ties who will compete in the final round.

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 2024 Alps Tour Season.

The remainder of the players who made the cut, and finished between the 36^th and 65^th position will be eligible to receive Category 8 membership for next year’s season. The remaining players who conclude the tournament between the 66^th and 156^th position will be eligible for membership in Category 9 for the 2024 Alps Tour Season.

The most recent winner of the Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage tournament is Netherland’s Lars Van der Vight, who won the event last year with a three-day score of 11 under-par.

For the most up-to-date entry list, click here.

The Golf Courses

Olgiata Golf Club is the first venue that will host this week’s 2023 Alps Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. It is home to 27 holes of golf: the West Course and the East Course. This week the players will be competing on the West Course, which is a 6547-meters, par 73 golf course. It was inaugurated in 1961 and designed by British Architect, C.Kenneth Cotton. The West Course is the older of the two and is an 18-hole course. Prestigious events like the Italian Open have been played numerous times on this course. This is the second time that an Alps Tour event will be played on the West Course. In 2012, it was completely redesigned by American Architect Jim Fazio to adapt it to new requirements. The current course record for the “West Course” is held by Ian Poulter and Angel Cabrera with a score of 11 under-par (61). Both players achieved the course record during the 2002 Italian Open.

Golf Nazionale, the second venue that is hosting this week’s 2023 Alps Tour Q-School Final Stage, is a 6482 meters par 72 course. It is considered one of the toughest and most challenging golf courses in Italy, as well as being recognized as one of the toughest courses in Europe. It was designed by George and Jim Fazio, and David Mezzacane, and has hosted numerous prestigious events over the years, including the 1991 World Cup and most recently the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup. Golf Nazionale is set in the natural landscape of upper Lazio with dense forests full of ancient oaks. It is a very technical but fun golf course for all types of players.

The Alps Tour wishes all of the competing #risinggolfstars a successful week!

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).

#risinggolfstars
#raisinggolfstars