28th September 2020 | Alps Tour Golf
Alps Tour in Spain: Next Stop Salamanca
Salamanca, (Spain), 28th September 2020 – After Andalusia, the Alps Tour players head north to the autonomous community of Castile and León and the western province of Salamanca for the Alps Tour de Las Castillas.
This eighth edition is being held for the first time at the Salamanca Golf & CC – Zarapicos. Situated in the Monte de Zarapicos, around 30 kilometres outside the historic town of Salamanca, the club boasts two magnificent 18-hole courses.
And yet again, it is a full field signed up for the tournament. Of the 120 players we have 105 professionals and 15 amateurs. The large Spanish contingent of 61 players will be hoping for a repeat of last week’s result where all three top spots went to home grown players. Lucas Vacarisas, winner of the Alps de Andalucia, a victory that rocketed him to second place on the Order of Merit, and the tournament runner up, Jordi Garcia Del Moral, currently top of the OofM and winner of the Cervino Open will continue fighting to maintain one of the top three places to gain a card on the Challenge Tour for next year. Their compatriot, Angel Hidalgo Portillo, in sixth place will definitely give them a run for their money though.
But stiff competition will come from Italy with Stefano Mazzoli, winner of this year’s Red Sea Little Venice Open and the other Egypt series victor, Lars Keunen from the Netherlands with his Ein Bay Open win.
Whilst from France, Thomas Elissalde would like nothing more than a repeat of his 2018 victory at the Alps de la Castillas and follow on from last year’s win by fellow countryman Frédéric Lacroix who now plays on the Challenge Tour. There was another notable French winner in 2016, when Victor Perez took the title, the current top French player, 54th in the OWGR.
The tournament will be played on the Zarapicos course, designed by the former European Tour and Ryder Cup player, Manuel Piñero. Although located in a scenic hilly setting, the course is relatively flat with an abundance of holm oak trees. The main challenge comes from the numerous strategically placed bunkers both on the fairways and around the greens. An impressive artificial lake comes into play on four of the holes of the Par 72, 6860 yard/6273 metre course.
The weather conditions for the Pro-Am tomorrow and the first day of play on Wednesday promise to be warm and sunny.
The Alps de la Castillas enjoys the support of Federación de Golf de Castilla-Leon, Federación de Golf de Castilla-La Mancha, Salamanca Golf & CC – Zarapicos, Consejo Superior de Deportes, EDP Solar, Kyocera, Tag Heuer, Bodegas Barbadillo (official wine), Agua En Caja Mejor sostenible, pura y natural, and Jgolf.
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7th July 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Focused Frédéric Lacroix Wins the Saint Malo Mixed Open
St. Malo (France), July 7, 2019 – After a nail-bitingly, closely fought, final round, Frédéric Lacroix emerged victorious at the Saint Malo Mixed Open and claimed the 7,200€ first prize.
Stepping up on the first tee at the Saint Malo Golf Resort on the final day of the ground-breaking Saint Malo Mixed Open, just one stroke separated Alps Tour player, Frédéric Lacroix from France (-17) and Manon De Roey, the Belgian LET Access Series player (-16). Joining them on the tee-box was Alps Tour player, Enrico Di Nitto (-13).
The first two holes saw all three players giving tit-for-tat with par and birdie for each of them. The next four holes were a veritable ping-pong match between the Belgian and the Frenchman with the Italian putting pressure on both.
Lacroix and Di Nitto both carded pars on the third but De Roey sank a birdie to draw even with the leader at -18. But the Frenchman’s riposte was immediate on the par 3 fourth with another birdie to pull ahead again at -19. De Nitto was right up there with him as he also birdied the hole to move to -15.
But the Belgian came right back on the par 4 fifth with her third birdie of the day to put her neck and neck again with Lacroix at -19.
The par 3 sixth saw a minor blip on De Roey’s card as she scored her first bogey of the day and slipped back to -18 whilst Lacroix made par to stay steady at -19. De Nitto continued to steadily duplicate Lacroix’s score with a par to maintain -15.
The next two holes saw Lacroix shift gears with two birdies in a row to put him at -21. De Nitto followed suit moving to -17 whilst De Roey’s two pars kept her at -18.
At the end of the front nine Lacroix and Di Nitto had identical scores at -4 (32). Frédéric Lacroix:
“The front nine wasn’t easy because Enrico had a good start too. He was always there and when I made birdie he made birdie.”
The leader board at the start of the back nine showed Lacroix at -21, De Roey at -18, Di Nitto at -17 and everything still to play for.
Par for all three players on the first two holes then on the par 4 twelfth, Di Nitto took another birdie, his fifth of the day, to put him even with De Roey at -18.
Steady pars for all three until the par 5 fifteenth when Lacroix made a birdie to move to -22 and Di Nitto did another copycat score moving him to even with De Roey at -18.
Barring catastrophe, Lacroix looked set to for first place and the battle was on for second position heading into the signature hole 16. Par for the men but an unfortunate bogey for Manon De Roey moved her back to -17.
Three pars across the board on the seventeenth and down the eighteenth heading into the clubhouse.
Lacroix’s tee shot went a little left giving him an unfavourable lie, so he chose to lay up and not risk the water hazard in front of the green. Di Nitto’s drive went straight down the fairway putting him on the green for two as did De Roey’s second shot.
Obviously, the fat lady was now singing but Enrico Di Nitto had not had his last word as he finished the round with a seventh birdie for a total of -20. Manon De Roey continued to show her formidable fighting spirit by also birdying the hole for a final -18.
Both players were more than happy with their performances. Enrico Di Nitto:
“I feel really happy about it. I made no bogeys today and I finished the weekend strongly with a 20 under, so that was great. But Frédéric was really strong too today.”
Manon de Roey:
“I’m quite happy with the week and how it went. Today wasn’t as good as the last few days but I’m happy I finished in the top three. Today I didn’t make enough birdies and Frederic played really well and solid.”
Indeed, nothing could stop Frédéric Lacroix with his -22 for the tournament thanks to his approach to the game. Frédéric Lacroix:
“I just didn’t make any mistakes. That’s the key on this course, I think. Overall there are guys who made more birdies than I did but I kept it steady and made good saves when I needed to.”
With his third Alps Tour victory of the season, Frédéric Lacroix now moves directly to the Challenge Tour.
A fantastic climax to the inaugural Saint Malo Mixed Open witnessing a mixed podium from the Alps Tour and the LETAS. The reaction from players from both tours to this ground-breaking format has been overwhelmingly positive and promising for next year’s event.
Next stop for the Alps Tour is the Fred Olsen Alps de La Gomera in the Canary Islands from 11th to 13th July.
11th May 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Frenchman rookie Lacroix seals second win of the season with incredible low aggregate (-28)
11 May, 2019 – Guadalajara (Esp) – Frenchman rookie Frederic Lacroix won Alps de Las Castillas on Golf de Valdeluz with an incredibly low aggregate of 188 shots, -28, leaving his closest competitor – local hero Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez – four strokes back, at -24.
Lacroix, 24, debuted last February on the professional stage by winning the first tournament of the season, Ein Bay Open in Egypt. After some inconsistent results in the following tournaments – two missed cuts, two 25th positions and one 12th – he felt that his game was back on track, thanks to a new driver which gave him the confidence he had lost somehow. With one double-bogey 5 on the first round, on hole 12 – the only mistake he made in 54 holes – 26 birdies and 2 eagles, Lacroix was never really threatened today, as overnight co-leader Edgar Catherine (Fra) slipped back a little, settling for a third place at -23 tied with Julien Foret (Fra), Felix Schulz (Aut) and Antonio Hortal (Esp). The only critical moment came when Garcia made birdie-eagle on holes 13 and 14 against two complicated pars of Lacroix, so narrowing the gap, but the advantage that Lacroix had at that moment was still quite comfortable – 3 strokes – and the Frenchman was not in the mood for loosing his momentum.
« In a course like this, you know that you need to go low, because your competitors will make a lot of birdies, but at the same time you also know that you cannot force birdies, you just have to be patient and focussed – said Lacroix, showing a high rate of maturity both in his game and in his attitude. « On the first tee this morning my expectations were for winning, of course. I was here to win, I felt it could be possible again because my game was good this week, and when you play well, you have to win ! ». Lacroix’s cheque is worth 6,960 euros out of a total prize money of 48,000 euros ; Garcia’s winnings is 4,728 euros.
Garcia Rodriguez, who was playing in the same match with Lacroix, had his own « army » of followers who were warmly supporting their hero : « It was fun actually, and they were fair, they applauded also to my and Edgar’s good shot. It is nice to see many spectators on the course ».
Garcia Rodriguez has kept the lead of the Order of Merit with 17,297 points, followed by Lacroix (15,517 points). The top 5 at the end of the season will be promoted to the Challenge Tour.
Next tournament is in just 5 days (May 16-18) on beautiful GC Erzherzog Johann at Maria Lankowitz, Graz, in Austria.
Alps de las Castillas, promoted by JGolf 18.0, was possible thanks to the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, Castilla La Mancha Federation, Castilla y León Federation, La Liga 4Sports, the Consejo Superior de Deportes, and the collaboration of Kyocera, Bodegas Barbadillo (official wine), Agropecuaria Fraile, Asendia, Volvo Auto Elia, Wilson Staff, IT Regalos.
Final results: click here
Order of Merit : click here
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21st February 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Lacroix seals his first win as a pro in wire-to-wire fashion
The first winner of the 2019 season corresponds exactly to the profile of the ideal Alps Tour player: Frederic Lacroix is a young, gifted golfer who decided to start his professional career building up some experience on our satellite tour, looking to soon progress to Challenge and European Tours.
On the pristine fairways of the Sokhna Golf Club B&C courses, in perfect weather conditions, Lacroix showed an uncommon coolness for a rookie playing – and leading from the start – his first tournament as a pro.
He passed from co-leading on the first day at minus 6, to be sole leader in the second round with -11 and finally winning with a total of -15, carding only 3 bogeys in 54 holes, 14 birdies and 2 eagles. Lacroix ended four strokes clear of young Spaniard Manuel Elvira, 22 – author of the best card of the final round, 65 (-7) – and Irishman Jonathan Yates, 25. On fourth place, three players were tied at -10 : Frenchman Teremoana Beaucousin, 24 ; Spaniard Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, 29 ; and Italian Federico Maccario, 24.
« My goal was winning one of the tournaments of the Winter Series, and I worked for that ; and after the first round I told myself that it was possible, and I could have the chance right here. I never lost my confidence during the final round, although I did hit some really bad shot, especially on the back nine, but I was able to recover well ». This must have been possible also thanks to the preparation Lacroix went through during the last 3 years with coach Frank Lorenzo-Vera (brother of European Tour player Mike) for the game, but also the work done in the gym with a new trainer, and a positive attitude learned during the last year with a new mental coach: « all this seems to have given me the right tools that really worked well this week ».
Lacroix earned a cheque of 5.800 euros (out of a 40.000 euros prize money) and leads the ranking with 6.525 points.
Sokhna Golf Club will host also the second date of the Winter Series, the Red Sea Little Venice Open, starting next Monday 25th February on the A&B courses with the same prize money and same format : 120 players, 54 holes and cut after the second round for the top 40 pros and ties.
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20th February 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Rookie Lacroix pulling ahead in Egypt
It is his first tournament as a professional, and he’s leading by one shot after the second round of the Ein Bay Open on Sokhna Golf Club, in Egypt, but Frederic Lacroix, 23, is still not completely satisfied with his game: after returning his card (a 67, which follows yesterday’s 66) late in the afternoon, he heads to the practice ground to refine some details.
With a total of minus 11, Lacroix is followed very closely by his French colleague Teremoana Beaucousin (66-68), 24, who was co-leader after the first round; in third place stands a duo of Italian players, Lorenzo Scalise, 23 – also a rookie among pros, like Lacroix – and Alessandro Grammatica, 29, author of the best round of the day, 65 (-7) – same score posted by Swiss Mathias Eggenberger, 27.
« I would like to work a little bit on my wedges and irons, just to keep in touch with the good sensations and be ready for tomorrow », said Lacroix, who represents the Racing Club La Boulie of Versailles, in France. « Today my game was not as smooth as yesterday, I’ve started with a birdie at 10th, but then I had some tough moments and a stupid bogey on 14th. I had a good reaction though, with three birdies in a row on holes 17, 18 and 1, and two more birdies on the two par 5s, holes 3 and 7. Tomorrow I need to do the same thing and try to go low, if I want to win; all the other competitors behind me have the same goal as me! ».
The cut fell at 141 (-3), leaving 44 players in the field to share the 40.000 euros prize money (5.800 euros for the winner).
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19th February 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Four players share the lead after 1st round of Ein Bay Open
At last, it’s tournament-time again on the Alps Tour, and players are showing all their eagerness to give their best on the course after a long winter break.
They couldn’t find better conditions than what they had here in Egypt at Sokhna Golf Club, where the Ein Bay Open has started with four players sharing the lead after the first round at 66 (minus 6). The sun and a little breeze coming up in the afternoon, together with perfect fairways and smooth greens, gave way to 60 scores under par – exactly half of the field of 120 competitors.
The best cards of the day were returned by Spaniard Gonzalo Vicente Elena (6 birdies for him and no bogeys) and Frenchmen Frederic Lacroix (1 eagle, 4 birdies and no bogeys), David Antonelli (8 birdies and 2 bogeys) and Teremoana Beaucousin (6 birdies and no bogey).
While Antonelli, 32 years old, and Vicente Elena, 34, can count on a long experience in the professional rankings, Beaucousin, 24, is one of the most brilliant « rising stars » having started his career on the Alps Tour only last season, finishing 10th in the 2018 Order of Merit with a second place in the Open de la Mirabelle d’Or, last June in France.
The real good surprise comes from rookie Frederic Lacroix (pictured), 23, who turned pro in January after wearing the French amateur team uniform for many years and finishing his studies at the University; he is playing his very first tournament for a prize money – 40.000 euros, and a cheque of 5.800 euros for the winner, but – he assures – there’s no more pression than competing as an amateur, « it is still the same game, you always want to play at your best ». And this is what he did today : « I made no mistakes, really; no bogeys, the putting was working, I could always find the fairways and hit some beautiful irons ; so it was really a nice start for my professional career ».
Behind the leaders, three players are tied in 5th position with a 67 (-5), Spaniard Javier Ballesteros, Austrian Felix Schulz and Frenchman Nicolas Platret.
Tomorrow, at the end of the second round, the best 40 professionals and ties will make the cut and will go on playing the third and final day of the tournament.
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