Winners of the Alps Tour Ranking 2017-2020, In their words: The Last Chapter – So Far!

20 years of life and 20 different winners of the Alps Tour Order of Merit. For the 5th and final chapter of our story “In their Words”, we have asked the last four, from 2017 to 2020 – Adria Arnaus, Santi Tarrio, Edoardo Lipparelli and Jordi Garcia del Moral – to share their memories with us. Here’s what they recalled, with some really nice words from each one of them. 

Who’s going to follow in their steps by winning the 2021 Order of Merit? Just wait until October and see… In the meantime, enjoy these interviews. 

Class of 2017

Adria Arnaus (Spain)

“I’m really proud to be part of the history of the first 20 years of the Alps Tour. I feel like it definitely made me the player I am today. Alps Tour got me in a position to kick off my career and made me realize I was good enough to compete with the bigger guys. 

I have so many great memories of the events I’ve played on the Alps Tour. You know, it is just different when you play in the bigger tours… it gets a bit lonelier; while playing the Alps, I’ve made so many great friendships travelling, sharing houses and moments with other players – not not only Spanish guys!, friends I still have today. On the Challenge and European Tour we are a bunch of players coming from the Alps and we all support each other and remember those times. 

I guess one of the most special moments I had, it was when I won the first Alps Tour event – The Villaverde Open in Udine, Italy – it was my third tournament and third playoff of the season, and I felt like I needed some help, so I went to see one of my friend (another Alps Tour player) David Morago, and he caddied for me that playoff and we were able to pull it through. This shows what the Alps Tour is, it is about competing but at the same time having the support of those you are travelling with, and that was great.

Along the same line, I feel like the courses were a lot of fun for me, they gave me the opportunity to be aggressive or to be cautious when I had to, they weren’t too long so that just made it very enjoyable for me, those “go and attack” kind of courses which reminded me of my home course in Catalonia, Moià, where you can get close to the greens in the par 4s and this would remind me of my roots back home.

It was a great year overall and I will always cherish those moments and I will remember all of the people I was with that year, and I hope that everything continues going forward in the situation we are in nowadays and I am sure we will hear more about Alps Tour graduates in the future”.

Class of 2018

SANTIAGO TARRIO (Spain)

“The time I’ve spent playing on the Alps Tour is some of the happiest golfing memories I have, it is where I’ve learnt more, where I’ve forged my game in hundreds of battles, where we were all helping one another, no matter the nationalities, as if we were a family.

I cherish all those memories very much, and I’m grateful for the good friends I made: this is not always the case in some other tours. I think the Alps Tour is absolutely necessary to forge and toughen up any player facing a professional career; of course the economic side is difficult, but let me use a soccer metaphor: let’s say you learn the ropes in the Alcoyano (in third division), and therefore you’re used to a hard-working but humble team, to a certain level of stadium, stairs, changing rooms; and when you arrive at the Bernabeu in Madrid or at Camp Nou in Barcelona, then you’ll be able to play your best game more easily.

I remember the Alps Tour as a hard stage but with no doubt, immensely gratifying. I have been incredibly happy to win two tournaments and the Order of Merit in 2018. I think I’ve learned a lot in those years and so did my caddie, we strengthened up together: I am a better player now, and she’s a better caddie. We hope we can keep on progressing, never forgetting where we come from”.

Class of 2019 

Edoardo Lipparelli (Italy)

“The Alps Tour is an important start for the approach to professionalism, it is where you begin to understand everything you need to do and how to manage yourself to work in golf. It sets a great foundation for what you will find later in the bigger Tours. I really liked the organization of the tournaments and the information and assistance we were given for the trips. I’ve never felt lost.

As for the experiences worth remembering, there are many. I really like the atmosphere after a lot of tournaments together with the different players and the team of the staff. I even dare saying that you become for us as a big family!

It has always been a pleasure to travel to be able to compete in the Alps Tour”.

Class of 2020 

Jordi Garcia del Moral (Spain)

“2020 was a very important year for me. It has helped me to gain confidence because the standard level on the Alps Tour is becoming higher and higher every year. 

I would even say that 2020 was more important than 2012 and 2013 when I played on the European Tour. Now I feel I am more prepared than I was at that time and I’m going to work very hard to get back and enjoy it there. 

The best moment of the year was probably the -12 round I made at Gosser Open, in Austria; even though I didn’t win the tournament, it really meant a lot to me mentally, for my confidence.

I am very grateful for the effort made by the entire Alps Tour organization in 2020 as it was very difficult to get the tour going out with all the Covid restrictions!”.

The Alps Tour in numbers since 2001:

€ 15.400.000 prize money distributed;

369 tournaments;

14 countries visited;

153 different venues;

219 different tournament winners

Please click:

here for the full list of Schedules and Winners 2001-2020 

here for the alpha list of winners 2001-2020

here for the Top 5 OoM 2001-2020