27th February 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
It’s Ben’s time, at last!
A par on the first playoff hole of the Red Sea Little Venice Open was enough for Englishman Ben Wheeler to finally catch the first title of his professional career, while Italians Enrico Di Nitto and Federico Maccario – leaders respectively after the first and the second rounds – both missed their second putts and had to settle for sharing second place on another quite windy day in Egypt.
The three talented players had finished their third round tied at -6 – with Di Nitto returning the best card, a 68 (-4) after a disappointing second round ; Maccario dropping one shot compared to the -7 he had on the previous day ; and Wheeler adding a 69 to the 68-73 he had on his records.
Maccario and Di Nitto have both already won Alps Tour events in the past, but on Sokhna GC course, at last, it was Ben Wheeler’s time: « It’s such a relief » he said, after holing a not-so-easy 3-ft putt, when his opponents had already missed from a slightly further distance for bogeys. « I had been close a few times, especially last year, so I was really waiting for this moment » he conceded, « although I’m a bit surprised it happened in such windy conditions, usually I don’t like them at all ».
Ben, 26, from South London, had joined Alps Tour back in 2016 having finished 6th in the Qualifying School, and collected 7 more “top tens” since; in 2018 he ended in 12th position in the Order of Merit, playing 15 tournaments and totalling about 12.500 points. Now, after two tournaments he has already 6.500 points to his credit – more than a half than last year – and shares the leadership of the OoM with Frenchman Frederic Lacroix, winner of the first tournament of the 2019 Alps Tour schedule, the Ein Bay Open.
Experienced Argentinian Rafa Echenique had the best comeback with a round in 66 (-6), made of six birdies and one bogey in the front nine holes, followed by two more birdies and a bogey on the back nine, and shared fourth place with Englishman Jack Clarkson, at -5.
The 50 players who made the cut could share a total prize money of 40,000 euros, with the winner cashing in 5,800 euros.
Next swing of the Egypt Winter Series will take place from March 25th to April 6th with three tournaments in a row played on three spectacular courses near Caire and the Pyramids, with a field of 132 players and a prize money of 40,000 euros each.
14th August 2017 | Alps Tour Golf
Coupe Canada this week at Victoriaville
Credit: Tristan Jones
No.1 of the current Order of Merit, the Frenchman Ugo Coussaud will be one of the six Alps Tour members who will cross the Atlantic to take part in the Coupe Canada Sani Marc – Desjardins, from August 17 to 20 at the Victoriaville Golf Club.
Coussaud will be in a country of knowledge in Quebec soil since he completed a few years ago his university studies in administration at Laval University where he was in the Red and Gold Team with Sonny Michaud and Clément Herviou, both from La Tempête.
The five other players are Ben Wheeler, Liam Harper and Jake Ayres from England, Dutchman Rowin Caron and Italian Carlo Casalegno.
The presence of European golfers in Victoriaville is not the result of chance. It is the beginning of a cooperation between the Alps Tour and the Circuit Canada Pro Tour. This first step should lead in the short term to the presentation of a competition between both Tours.
This event, sponsored by Plombaction Group in conjunction with Baton Rouge, Investors Group, Fibrobec and the City of Victoriaville, is offering an overall prize money of $ 175,000 and the winner will go with a cheque of $ 30,000.
In addition to the European delegation, the Canada Sani Marc – Desjardins Cup will bring together a squad of 156 golfers from across Canada and the United States.
Ontario title holder Eric Hawerchuk confirmed his participation as well as former Canada Cup champions Sani Marc – Desjardins Dave Levesque (2010), Bryn Parry (2011, 2012), Oliver Tubb (2014) and Lee Curry (2015).
The tenors of the Quebec scene will naturally be on the list with Marc-Étienne Bussières (Longchamp), second in the Coors Light Ranking and champion of the Quebec Canam Open presented by Desjardins, and Pierre-Alexandre Bédard Cap-Rouge), Desjardins Securities Tournament winner René Gagnon, Sonny Michaud (La Tempête), Tim Alarie (Saint-Jérôme), Jérôme Blais (Venice), Vincent Blanchette (Pinegrove), and Jean-Philip Cornellier (Knowlton), the recent winner of the PGA Championship of Canada.
