15th September 2016 | Alps Tour Golf
Lauro Golf holds the Alps Costa del Sol
Today starts the Alps Costa del Sol at Laura Golf Resort in Alhaurin. Borja Etchart, defending champion is in good form and will be part of the favourites.
Three of the current Top 5 of the Order of Merit, France’s Victor Perez – winner of the Alps de Las Castillas 2016 – and Franck Daux, and last week winner, Federico Maccario (Italy) will battle for the victory.
Alps Costa del Sol is the penultimate tournament of the season, qualifying for the Grand Final in October. All players are focused to gain or keep points to obtain one of the five cards to the Challenge Tour the next season.
122 players including 53 Spaniards look for a victory or a podium which could change their future. Among the national players, Borja Etchart comments: “I am eager to play here. In recent weeks I played very well and I would love to do well this week. I am very happy to return to Andalusia to compete. Summering in Andalusia since childhood and I feel something special for this land. I have been preparing the season and the goal is to get the European Tour card I had four years ago. Lauro Golf tournament is special for many things. It is the penultimate tournament schedule and there is much at stake. In addition, in August there was a break in the schedule and all the players are well prepared for this final straight.”
Gabriel Canizares, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, Jordi Garcia del Moral, Sebastian Garcia, Carlos Rodiles, Javier Ballesteros, the Senior Juan Quiros or Jesus Legarrrea are some of the rivals this week.
The Alps Costa del Sol will distribute 48,000 € of prizes and will count for the World Ranking, as all other Alps Tour events. After the first two rounds, the top 40 and ties will qualify for two other rounds.
This tournament receives the support of the Tourism Office Costa del Sol, Turismo y Deporte Andalucia, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Sports Council and the Royal Federation of Andalusia. Reale, Solan de Cabras an,d Kyocera complete the private sponsorship. Thanks to the promoter, JGolf18 too!
5th September 2015 | Alps Tour Golf
Etchart kept his title
Defending champion, Borja Etchart kept his crown in Alps de Andalucia. With -10 total after 70 final round, he won by 2 shots over fellow countryman Toni Ferrer.
On the third step of the podium, Nederland’s Darius Van Driel and England’s Josh Loughrey who celebrates his 25th birthday this Saturday.
The two Spaniards teed off ties at -8 this morning. The third lad of the group, France’s Léo Lespinasse was never able to worry them due to a lack of putting. The match was then 100 % Spanish. The first nine was clearly in Ferrer’s side. He took the lead since the first hole as his opponent dropped one shot. The two players were “square” during 3 holes from 4th to 6th and Ferrer dug his advantage on 8th and 9th with two birdies. He was -10 and Etchart was -7. The story seemed to be written.
But the race was the opposite side on the back nine. Etchart holed four birdies in five from the 11th and crucified Ferrer’s confidence. The 24 year old player dropped shots of the last two holes to offer the trophy to Etchart.
Matt Pavon is still leading the Alps Tour ranking with 20262 points. No less than 9 others players are within 5000 points so a win could easily change the top 5 until the end of the season.
27th October 2014 | Alps Tour Golf
Nino Bertasio, 2014 Alps Tour king
Italy’s Nino Bertasio, 26 year old, won the 2014 Alps Tour ranking (c) Agathe Séron
The 2014 Alps Tour is now completed and the five graduates have been deemed. Italy’s Nino Bertasio, 26 year old, won the ranking with 31 994,20 € and an easy margin of more than 7300 points over the second player, Spain’s Borja Etchart, 26 year old as well.
Bertasio won twice this season, back-to-back titles in Open de Saint François in Guadeloupe and Asiago Open. He recorded two runner-up places and two podiums as well.
Etchart won the Alps de Andalucia on his home soil and finished once second and once third. At third place of the ranking, Autria’s Tobias Nemecz. His elder brother Lukas, 25 year old, was graduated last year and Tobias, 3 years younger, walked in his relative’s steps. Tobias Nemecz won twice this season, the Servizitalia Open and the Open International du Haut-Poitou. He finished the season with solid 4th place at Masters 13 and as runner-up in Abruzzo Open, the last tournament of the international schedule. Thanks to these results, he climbed from 4th to 3rd place at the ranking.
Coming at fourth place, Spaniard Borja Virto, 23 year old, who won two Alps Tour titles in 2014 : Open de Las Castillas in Spain and Open La Pinetina in Italy. Finally, the last spot went to France’s Thomas Elissalde, 22 year old, who won the Gösser Open and recorded to places on the podium.
