14th May 2022 | Alps Tour Golf
Austria’s Markus Brier wins the 30th anniversary of the Gösser Open
Graz, May 14th, 2022 –The Final Round of the 30th Gösser Open began at 8:30 from hole 1 and 10. The final group that included, two Legends Tour players, Austria’s Markus Brier and America’s Clark Dennis with Round 2 leader Lukas Lipold teed off at 9:47 from the 1st hole. It was a beautiful spring day with optimal scoring conditions for the players, at Golf Club Erzherzog Johann in Maria Lankowitz. This course has hosted the Gösser Open since 2000.
Legends Tour player, Austria’s Markus Brier won by one shot on the 18th hole over his compatriot Lukas Lipold. One shot back, there was a three-way tied at 16 under-par : Italy’s Andrea Saracino, Austria’s Lukas Lipold and fellow Legends Tour player American Clark Dennis. This is the third time that Markus Brier wins the Gösser Open, his previous wins were in 1994 and 1995.
Koen Kouwenaar, remains the current Alps Tour Order of Merit leader. He has a 3,399.39 points advantage over Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli who is still in second place.
Winner Quotes-
Legends Tour player, Markus Brier, won by 1 shot the 30th Gösser Open celebrating another home success for Austria. He is a previous winner of this tournament in 1994 and 1995 when it was still played at its previous host, Steiermärkische Golf Club Murhof. Brier shot a 6 under-par round for an overall 17 under-par. He turned professional in 1995 and he is a multiple winner on the Challenge Tour as well as the European Tour. Brier was very happy after his round today, “This is probably the most surprising victory I have celebrated in my professional career. The key to success today was that I got into a good rhythm very quickly and made a lot of birdies on the first nine holes.” He was really pleased about the victory today especially after not having played well the week before at the Legends Tour event at Murhof Golf Club.
Andrea Saracino who finished in a tied for 2nd place, just one shot back, had a final round, 6 under-par 66 that included 1 eagle, 6 birdies and 2 bogeys. After his solid performance this week, Saracino has now moved to 19th in the Alps Tour Order of Merit. He turned professional in 2017 and hopes to move up in the Alps Tour Order of Merit to regain his Challenge Tour card.
Austria’s Lukas Lipold who unfortunately bogeyed the 18th hole to finish in a tied for 2nd, had 5 birdies and 3 bogeys in today’s round for a 2 under-par. Lipold turned professional at the end of 2019, this is his 3rd season as a professional player and he hopes to qualify for the Challenge Tour.
In his final round, Clark Dennis shot a 5 under-par 67 with 1 eagle, 4 birdies and 1 bogey finishing tied for 2nd. Dennis turned professional in 1986 and has played on the Nationwide Tour, on the PGA Tour, and currently plays on the Legends Tour as well as the Champions Tour. He was very pleased with his result this week in preparation for `his participation in the Senior PGA Championship in a few weeks.
Final Round-
Markus Brier, winner of the 30th Gösser Open, earned € 6,162.50. There was a three-way tied for second place at 16 under-par that included, Clark Dennis, Andrea Saracino and Lukas Lipold.
For the Final Round leaderboard click here or go on the official Alps Tour Golf app
The Alps Tour returns to the Northern part of Italy for the 9th event of the season. The event is scheduled from May 25thuntil May 27th at Golf Club La Pinetina in Como, Italy for the 2022 Memorial Giorgio Bordoni.
Tournament Promoter-
The promoter of this week’s tournament is the Murhof Gruppe. They own various golf courses throughout Austria that include this week’s venue.
The sponsors and partners of Murhof Gruppe are Gösser Beer, Region Graz, Lipizzaner Heimat- Steiermark, Austrian Golf Federation, the city of Maria Lankowitz Wallfahrtsort Freizeitparadies and Steiermärkische Sparkasse. Their media partners are: Gepa Pictures, Antenne Steiermark, Kleine Zeitung.
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)
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13th May 2022 | Alps Tour Golf
Austria’s Lukas Lipold leads entering the Final Round at the 30th Gösser Open.
Graz, May 13th 2022- An overcast day with a comfortable temperature allowed the players in the morning wave of Round 2 at the 30th Gösser Open to have perfect scoring conditions. The afternoon wave had a mix of rain, overcast and some sunshine for their round. The event is being played in the Western part of the state of Styria at Golf Club Erzherzog Johann in Maria Lankowitz, its host since 2000.
At the conclusion of the second round, Austria’s Lukas Lipold leads the field with a two-day total of 14 under-par and a stellar 9 under-par in today’s round. Tied for second place, 3 shots back of the lead, there are two Legends Tour player’s: American Clark Dennis and Austrian Markus Brier. At 10 under-par, 4 shots from the lead, there are two compatriots, Stefano Mazzoli and Andrea Saracino.
Round 2 Leader Quotes-
Austria’s Lukas Lipold who turned professional at the end of 2019 had the lowest round of the day and is leading by 4 shots entering the final round of the 30th Gösser Open. His round today, included 6 birdies, 2 eagles and a single bogey for a 9 under-par round, 63. Lipold was very pleased after the round and did not expect to play as well due to an ongoing injury. After his round, he happily commented: “This round comes at a pretty unexpected time as I had to take a break before this tournament due to an injury which is still ongoing. Today things just worked out for me. I 3-putted on 17 and then was able to bounce back immediately which got the momentum going.” Lipold’s 2 eagles today included a hole out on the 4th hole: “I eagled Hole 1 which was a kickstarted for me. Then the eagle on the 4th was the icing on the cake when I holed out my pitching wedge from 135m.” He feels very blessed to be in contention entering the final round and is focused on having a good finish at this tournament to see what happens next.
American Legends Tour player, Clark Dennis had a bogey-free 6 under-par round today for an overall 11 under-par and 3 shots back of the lead. Dennis turned professional in 1986 and has played on the Nationwide Tour, on the PGA Tour, and currently plays on the Legends Tour as well as the Champions Tour. Dennis commented “I played very solid so far this week. This is a very fun event being able to play with the younger generation and would love to see more events like this.” He also mentioned, “On courses like this week, that are shorter and tighter having the experience us Legends Tour players definitely helps. I was able to use my experience and place my shots to put together a good round.” Dennis is satisfied with the week so far, especially being able to get some good competitive reps in as he is preparing to play in the Senior PGA Championship in a few weeks.
Markus Brier, from Austria, one of the five Legends Tour players competing this week shot a 6 under-par, bogey-free round for an overall 11 under-par and 3 shots back of his compatriot’s lead. Brier, turned professional in 1995 and is a multiple winner on the Challenge Tour and on the European Tour. Brier has some previous experience on this golf course, “I’ve played this event many times and know this course well, that is one of the reasons why I’m playing this week.” He is grateful to his short game for his good scoring so far, “My putter and short game have been amazing, I haven’t missed any short putts and made good recovery when I was in trouble. I don’t hit it very long but thanks to my short game I’m able to be competitive with the younger guys.”
Andrea Saracino of Italy, had a wonderful bogey-free 6 under-par round 66 for an overall 10 under-par for the tournament and 4 shots back of Lukas Lipold’s lead. When Saracino completed his round, he was happy especially with the weather in his draw, “My long game was very solid which allowed me to hit a lot of shots close and have birdie chances. I was very lucky with the draw and happy to have taken advantage. Saracino hopes to earn his Challenge Tour card back by finishing in the Top 5 Alps Tour Order of Merit at the end of the season, therefore his goal is to have a good finish this week.
Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli, had 6 birdies and 1 bogey in his round and is also 4 shots back of the lead. Mazzoli’s last win comes at the 2022 Ein Bay Open and is currently second in the Alps Tour Order of Merit. He has been playing consitent this entire tournament and was happy with his round today to get back in contention. “I was mentally at ease today compared to yesterday and that helped me shot a lower score. I’ve been playing well all week but struggling with my green reading.” Mazzoli is looking “forward to another positive round tomorrow and hope it won’t rain a lot. I will focus on my strategy of placing my tee shots to have a lot of birdie opportunities.”
Tournament Promoter-
This week’s event is promoted by the Murhof Gruppe. They own various golf courses throughout Austria including this week’s venue. The sponsors and partners of Murhof Gruppe are Gösser Beer, Region Graz, Lipizzaner Heimat- Steiermark, Austrian Golf Federation, the city of Maria Lankowitz Wallfahrtsort Freizeitparadies and Steiermärkische Sparkasse. Their media partners are: Gepa Pictures, Antenne Steiermark, Kleine Zeitung.
The Final Round-
The Final Round of the 30th Gösser Open, will begin tomorrow morning at 8:30 from hole 1 and 10. The final group will tee off at 9:47 from hole 1. The winner of the 30th Gösser Open will earn 6,525 Order of Merit points.
A total of 48 professional players made the cut which was set at -4.
For the complete Round 2 leaderboard click here or go on the official Alps Tour Golf app.
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10th May 2022 | Alps Tour Golf
The Tour heads to Austria for the 30th Gösser Open.
Graz, May 10th 2022– The tour heads to Graz, Austria this week for the 30th Gösser Open. This will be the eighth event of the 2022 season and will be played at Golf Club Erzherzog Johann in Maria Lankowitz from Thursday May 12thuntil Saturday May 14th. On Wednesday May 11th, the traditional Pro-Am will take place with 32 teams on the course.
This year we celebrate the 30th edition of the Gösser Open. The event began in 1993 at Steiermärkischer Golf Club Murhof and in 2000 moved to Erzherzog Johann GC, now its permanent host location. A year later, in 2001 when the Alps Tour was founded, the Gösser Open became part of the Alps Tour, and has been a regular event on the schedule since then. This event has become the most traditional professional golf tournament played in Austria.
The Field-
This week, there will be 150 players competing from 17 different nationalities for the title. The players in the field will be playing for a prize fund of €42,500 and 45,000 points.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the event, the promoter has invited five players from the Legends Tour to take part in this special edition. Clark Dennis, Markus Brier, David Morland IV, David Shacklady and Peter Wilson who all played last week (May 6th-8th) at the nearby Legends Tour tournament at Golf Club Murhof will be competing this week.
Some notable players have won this tournament including England’s Matt Wallace in 2016 with a score of 20 under-par. Furthermore, since its inaugural year in 1993, a number of Austrian players have triumphed. The latest Austrian player to have won the tournament for the second time, was Lukas Nemecz in 2020 with a score of 17 under-par. Besides Nemecz, Austria’s Timon Baltl has also been a past Gösser Open winner. He was able to earn his Challenge Tour card in 2020 thanks to his 2019 Alps Tour results. Balt will be competing for title this week alongside numerous past champions like: Martin Wiegele, Markus Brier, Thomas Elissalde and Jurgen Maurer.
Niklas Regner who is just 23 years of age, and a current DP World Tour player will be competing this week. He has already played this tournament in the past and is looking forward to hopefully capture a win this time. Regner commented, “At the 2019 tournament, I led as an amateur after two days, but then I collapsed on the final round and finished 20th. The following year it went a lot better with sixth place and now I feel ready to play for the victory.”
Netherland’s Koen Kouwenaar, who won last week’s Alps Tour tournament in Italy is the new Alps Tour Order of Merit Leader. Kouwenaar will be in the field this week playing along side Order of Merit number 2 and 3, Stefano Mazzoli and Tomas Bessa Guimaraes.
The Course-
Golf Club Erzherzog Johann Maria Lankowitz is a 5967 meters par 72 course. It was designed by architect DI Herwig Zisser and inaugurated in 1992. The course is located about 40km from the city of Graz on the edge of a natural reserve in the Western Styria area and has some picturesque views including rolling hills, lakes, and forests which appease the eye. Nonetheless, the course creates numerous challenges for the players that require accuracy and precision due to the layout of the golf course.
The current tournament course record is held by Thomas Feyrsinger in his 2nd round of the 2005 Gösser Open and Claude Grenier in his 1st round of the 2011 Gösser Open, both with a score of 63.
Tournament Promoter-
The 8th event of the 2022 season, is promoted by Murhof Gruppe. The sponsors and partners of Murhof Gruppe are Gösser Beer, Region Graz, Lipizzaner Heimat- Steiermark, Austrian Golf Federation, the city of Maria Lankowitz Wallfahrtsort Freizeitparadies and Steiermärkische Sparkasse. Their media partners are: Gepa Pictures, Antenne Steiermark, Kleine Zeitung.
The Murhof Gruppe owns various golf courses throughout Austria including this week’s venue.
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)
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6th May 2022 | Alps Tour Golf
Koen Kouwenaar wins the inaugural 2022 Molinetto Alps Open
Milan, May 6th, 2022 – A long day ahead for the players competing in the inaugural 2022 Molinetto Alps Open at Molinetto Country Club near Milan, Italy. At 7:30 under a consistent rain, play for round 2 resumed. Once, round 2 was completed, a total of 50 players, which included 46 pros and 4 amateurs made the cut that was set at 138, 4 under-par.
The Final Round of the 2022 Molinetto Alps Open began at 9:20 from hole 1 and 10. The final group that included, Round 2 leader Alessandro Tadini at 11 under-par, his fellow countryman Gregorio De Leo just 1 stroke back at 10 under- par and Netherland’s Koen Kouwenaar at 9 under-par teed off at 10:48. After a long battle especially on the last couple of holes between Alessandro Tadini and Koen Kouwenaar, Kouwenaar wins on the 18th hole by just one stroke at 14 under-par.
Molinetto Country Club is a course that has never previously hosted an Alps Tour event before this week but proved to be a good test for the players especially in the conditions they had to face the last two rounds.
Player Quotes-
After his win today, Koen Kouwenaar, has become the new Order of Merit Leader after the 7th event. Koen who turned professional at the end of 2020 but is playing his first season on the Alps Tour as he was unable to play last year due to a wrist surgery. His final round, included 1 double bogey and 3 birdies on the front nine and 4 birdies on the back. After his round, Koen was very pleased with his day, “My game was good, I was satisfied with my game especially with my long irons and I had my putter which was hot and obviously that helps and I’m very happy.” Koen complimented his playing partners especially Italy’s Alessandro Tadini, “I didn’t know Alessandro but you can see in his experience and especially the way he handled his game while being in contention.” Koen dedicated this win to himself, especially the hard work, long hours and dedication he had to put in his game since his surgery. Now, Koen looks ahead and is excited for the rest of the season as he has reached one of his goal and now looks towards gaining his Challenge Tour card especially being the new Order of Merit Leader.
Alessandro Tadini of Italy, who was in tied contention with Koen Kouwenaar up until the 18th green, shot a 2 under-par final round which included 6 birdies and 4 bogeys. He had a consistent game throughout the final round but slightly blames his nerves for not being able to capture the win. “I needed to be a bit less nervous on the last 4/5 holes and probably I would have been more in contention. I came on 18 after a few holes of mishitting my tee shots and wasn’t at ease on the 18th hole. I am very happy about this week and I putted very well so I gave myself a chance to return to victory but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be this week.”
The four amateurs that made the cut, concluded their tournament at 8-under-par.
Final Round-
The winner of the inaugural 2022 Molinetto Alps Open, will earn €5,800 and 6,525 Order of Merit points.
For the Final Round leaderboard click here or on the official Alps Tour Golf app
The next stop on the Alps Tour schedule moves to Graz, Austria for the 30th Goesser Open. The event is scheduled from May 12th– May 14th at Golf Club Erzherzog Johann, Maria Lankowitz.
Tournament Promoter-
Like the majority professional golf events that are played in Italy, the inaugural 2022 Molinetto Alps Open is organized by the Italian Pro Tour. The main sponsors that support the Italian Pro Tour include DS Automobiles, Fideuram, Kappa and Eureco. In addition, their media partners are the following three Italian newspapers: Corriere dello Sport, Tuttosport and Il Giornale. The Italian Pro Tour featured social partner is Sport Senza Frontiere Onlus with official advisor, Infront.
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)
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