Alps Tour Golf | León Golf Club

20th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Frenchman Thomas Elissalde wins Alps de Las Castillas

Alps Tour veteran player Thomas Elissalde (FRA) won today the Alps de Las Castillas at the Leon Golf Club with a total of -14 after a nerve wracking final round which saw three players ended their day tied for 1st place.

Conor O’Rourke (IRL), Guido Migliozzi (ITA) and Thomas Elissalde (FRA) had to play two playoff holes to determine the tournament winner.

The three players made par in the first playoff hole to remain tied. Elissalde was able to pull it off on a second playoff hole by making a birdie and thus winning his first Alps Tour tournament of the season.

« It feels great but this was not expected at all » Elissalde said. « The first hole of playoff was complicated, I had to make a wedge putt from the bunker, it was very tough. I made birdie on the second playoff hole, it’s just amazing » he explained.

Thomas Elissalde, who turned in the best card of the day at -9 (an eagle and 7 birdies), was first to tee off today’s final round with his brother Paul. He had to wait 2h30 before finding out he would have to do some overtime in a playoff game. « I thought the other players would have made more birdies so I was not expecting a playoff. I went to practice for 40 minutes just to practice my golf and to be ready for the playoff » he said.

It is the Elissalde’s fifth victory on the Alps Tour in his five years on the circuit. « I’ve won one Alps Tour tournament each year since turning pro, it’s just great to win five times on the Alps Tour. I just want to share this victory with my friends and family and be ready for next week’s event » Elissalde concluded.

Markus Habeler (AUT), who had been leading the tournament since round 1, made par in the final round to finish in 4th place.

The top 5 of the Order of Merit, the Alps Tour official season ranking, remains unchanged after this week’s tournament. Santiago Tarrio (ESP) is still the leader while Louis Cohen Boyer (FRA), Alexandre Daydou (FRA), Marcus Mohr (ENG) and David Borda (ESP) complete the top 5 of the ranking. At the end of the season, the top 5 of the Order of Merit qualifies directly to play on the Challenge Tour.

Rising golf stars of the Alps Tour will now travel to Italy for the Iles Borromees Open July 26th through July 28th.

19th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Habeler enters final round of Alps de Las Castillas as leader

Markus Habeler (AUT) remains leader of the Alps de Las Castillas at the Leon Golf Club for the second day in a row with a total score of -13.

He is followed by Guido Migliozzi (ITA) who turned in the best card of the day at -10 (-11 total) and by Conor O’Rourke (IRL) at -10 total.

« I’m pretty happy with a 5 under today » Habeler said. « I played solid, I started good with a birdie on the first hole. I made a lot of good drives today as well. I managed to make another 2 birdies on the front 9. The back 9 is a bit tougher, tee shots get a little bit narrow. I hit a really good 7 iron to the green on hole 12 to make an eagle. To make 2 eagles in 2 rounds is quiet nice. I also almost made a hole-in-one on hole 17 » he explained.

« I just want to play my game tomorrow, I won a tournament last year (Lignano Open in Venice, Italy) and I know how hard it is to win » he concluded.

« 10 under par is a great score, I played very solid game, I missed a few putts on the front 9 and then hit a lot of shots under 1 meter. It’s a great score, it’s a good feeling » Guido Migliozzi, recent winner of the Open La Pinetina in Italy said. Migliozzi made 2 eagles and 6 birdies.

44 players made the cut set at -2 and will play tomorrow’s final round.

Final round will tee off at 8h local time.

18th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Habeler leads Alps de Las Castillas

Markus Habeler (AUT) is the sole leader of the Alps de Las Castillas after round 1 held at Leon Golf Club with a total score of -8.

Thomas Grava (FRA) and Felix Schulz (AUT) share the second place at -6 total while a group of 5 players are tied for 3rd place 4 strokes behind Habeler at -4 total.

« The whole round was pretty good, I hit a lot of greens, a lot of fairways which is important on this course. I hit a few balls inside 6 or 7 feet, I putted really good today and having a bogey-free day is always nice » Habeler said.

« I’m hitting my driver pretty well at the moment So I’m pretty confident that I will hit a lot of fairways in the coming days and just go for it. If you want to win, you have to attack » he explained. « There are a few holes out there where you’re very happy with a par but on the others, you’re just trying to make birdies » the 25-year-old Austrian added.

« My start of the season was pretty bad. I had some issue with my swing and family-wise. But it’s all sorted out now and I’ve been playing a lot better for a couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to the next rounds » he concluded.

Habeler made an eagle and 6 birdies.

Also of note today is the hole-in-one by Frenchman Sébastien Gandon who used a 6 iron to cover the 182 meters between the tee and the pin on hole 2.

Round 2 will tee off tomorrow at 8h local time.

17th July 2018 | Alps Tour Golf

Rising golf stars head to the Alps de Las Castillas

Rising golf stars of the Alps Tour are heading this week to León, northwest of Spain, for the Alps de Las Castillas July 18th through July 20th.

The 6th edition of the Alps de Las Castillas is played for the first time at the León Golf Club, a 18-hole par 72 golf course designed by former professional Spanish player Manuel Piñero. The course is known for its large fairways, numerous bunkers, large greens and numerous lakes, making it a very demanding course but at the same time a continuous challenge.

128 players from 17 countries across five continents have entered the tournament including Santiago Tarrio (ESP), leader of there Alps Tour’s Order of Merit. Tarrio is looking for his third victory on the Alps Tour this season which would give him direct access to the Challenge Tour.

The €48,000 prize money tournament, making it one of the biggest events this season, is played over 54 holes of traditional stroke. Following a cut after 36 holes, the top 40 and ties will qualify for the final round of the tournament.

Round 1 starts at 8h local time tomorrow.