1st April 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Rookie Scalise is the Master of New Giza
It took only four tournaments to Italian rookie Lorenzo Scalise to catch his first win as a pro in the first edition of New Giza Open, on the spectacular New Giza course in Cairo (Egypt), with a total of -12 and one stroke advantage, the same he had after the second round. It was not an easy path for Scalise, though, because Dutch Lars Keunen had no intention of giving up at any time, after he signed a 65 yesterday, and so they went head-to-head scoring both 70 (-2) on the last round ; Spaniard Xavi Puig Giner popped up from behind – he was tied 9th at -4 after 36 holes – matching the course record 65 and joining the two leaders for a short time, and then settling for second place tied with Keunen.
Scalise, 23, turned pro at the end of last year and gained access to the Alps Tour at the Qualifying School last December with a category 6 which gave him right to play all the tournaments in the 2019 schedule, and now he has jumped to category 1 – those of winners. « If it had been the first round, I must say I wouldn’t be too happy about my game because it was kind of crappy at times – said Scalise – I hit two balls in the water on 11 and 14, but in the end I won the tournament! So I’m really happy and it was a good fight until the end, when the birdie on 17 gave me the advantage I needed to win. It is such a nice feeling, last time I won it was back in 2017 as an amateur, a college tournament in the U.S.A., so being able to be solid at the beginning of my pro career makes me very happy ».
Keunen, 21, is on his second season as a pro, and last year had two top 5 out of 12 tournaments played : « Today it was a really close fight between Lorenzo and me, and when on 13th we saw that another player had reached us on -11 I told myself ‘come on, we’re going to catch that guy !’. In the end Lorenzo finished one stroke better than us, a well deserved win for him. It was a very good tournament in all, on a great course with probably the best conditions we’ve ever had on Alps Tour lately ».
Xavier Puig Giner, 30, from Barcelona (Spain), scored a bogeyfree round : « I knew there were many players in contention, and that with a lot of wind anything could happen, so the chip in at the first hole gave me a lot of confidence. I really played well the whole round, always on the fairway with my drives and on the greens in regulations, I’ve also made a very long putt from 15 metres ; it was one of those days when all goes well. I worked especially on the mental side of the game, sometimes you need to forget about the result and concentrate shot by shot, and I’m happy because I was able to do that and finish with a birdie on 18 » – so to tie the course record 65 (-7) signed yesterday by Keunen.
Scalise’s cheque is worth 5,800 euros, and the young Italian is now leading the Order of Merit with 9,295.38 euros and a very small margin over Austrian Lukas Nemecz.
Alps Tour schedule will resume in just three days for the last of the Winter Series tournaments, Katameya Dunes Open (4-6 April), on another great venue in Cairo and for the same prize money, 40,000 euros.
Final round results: click here
Order of Merit: click here
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31st March 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Italian rookie Scalise leads by one at New Giza
Weather conditions were milder today in Egypt at New Giza Golf for the second round of the New Giza Open, although still not what you would expect in this part of the world, with the wind blowing at peaks of 30 km/h and temperatures fluctuating between 13° and 18°.
Whatever the weather, it was another perfect day for Italian rookie Lorenzo Scalise, who added a 66 (7 birdies and one single bogey) to the 68 he signed yesterday and is now one stroke clear of Dutch Lars Keunen. With eight birdies and one bogey Keunen, 21, at his second year on Alps Tour, climbed five positions on the leaderboard – yesterday he was tied 7th with a 70 (-2) – and is now owner of the new course record, 65 (-7).
Alone in third position at -7, is rookie Frenchman Pierre Pineau (71-66), 19, also successful at the Qualifying School last December as Scalise and Parisian Frederic Lacroix, who sits in fourth position at -6 (72-66) tied with first-round leader Julien Foret. Lacroix, winner of the first tournament of the season at Sokhna, the Ein Bay Open, today climbed 19 steps in the rankings (he was tied 25th yesterday) ; his same second-round score 66 was posted by Argentinian Martin Contini (9th place, at -4) and Spaniard Angel Hidalgo Portillo (15th place, at -3).
« I’ve played even better than yesterday – said Scalise, 23 – the quality of my shots was certainly higher and I hit my drives well, this was one of the goals I had for the day ; I’ve also made some more putts, which always helps. The first holes were the key, I’ve started strong – I was minus 3 after 6 although it was cold and quite windy, and then in the front nine (my back nine actually, since I’ve started from hole 10) from hole 2 to 5 I could save pars and take advantage of two more birdies. Now I’m exactly where I wanted to be, on top, and if I can keep this rythm it will certainly be an interesting and amusing day ».
Fifty players made the cut on level par, among them only the 4 amateurs will not share the 40,000 euros prize money at stake.
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30th March 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
New Giza proves to be an excellent test with Frenchman Foret leading at -5
Although the first round could not be completed due to darkness – a couple of teams will have to finish tomorrow morning – we can already say that the verdict is unanimous : New Giza is a real gem, a spectacular course and a true test of golf.
Players are enthusiastic about the new venue chosen by Alps Tour for the New Giza Open, the second tournament of the March Winter Series, taking place in Cairo, Egypt. Only four months after its inauguration, New Giza Golf is hosting its first pro tournament, and although the severe weather conditions put to the test the players – especially those playing in the morning, with wind (and sand) blowing with gusts of 45 km/h – they all had words of praise for the work of art made by designer Tim Lobb.
While Spaniard Manuel Elvira was the best of the morning draw, at -3, scores improved a bit during the afternoon with the wind calming down, and Frenchman Julien Foret could take advantage of it by posting a spotless 67 (-5) with five birdies, which becomes the first record of the course. « When you score minus 5 in those hard conditions, you are satisfied by all means – said Foret, 36, winner of Open de Fes in 2006. « Everything worked really well for me from tee to green, and in the last five-six holes the wind was less strong; of course I could have done better, but I’m really happy. The course is outstanding, since I first came here I fell in love with it, the first practice day I’ve played 27 holes! Hats off to Alps Tour for choosing such a great venue, and to the designer for the fantastic job he did».
Alone in second position is Italian rookie Lorenzo Scalise, at -4 (one eagle, 5 birdies and 3 bogeys), also playing in the afternoon. « I’ve started solid with a birdie on the first hole, I knew I had to attack on the front nine because the strong wind was actually helping to reach the greens. I made a couple of stupid mistakes from the tee, a lack of concentration maybe, and I’ve hit fairway bunkers – something you really cannot afford to do here, but I’ve also made some 2-3 metres putts, something you cannot take for granted in the wind », conceded Scalise, 23, with a strong amateur career in the Italian team. « On the back nine I’ve played better, even if I left a couple of shots here and there ; I’m very happy with my 68, which would be a good score in the sunny weather and even more so today ». The course? «Fantastic and in great conditions, although it is very young ».
In third position at -3 (69), together with Elvira, are Italian Edoardo Lipparelli, Swiss Arthur Ameil-Planchin and Dutch Lars Van Meijel.
Final results of the first round will be finalised when the six players who had to leave the course due to darkness will play the last couple of holes, tomorrow morning at 7:00.
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23rd March 2019 | Alps Tour Golf
Egypt & Pyramids on stage for the Second Swing of the Winter Series
In a couple of days, the Alps Tour schedule will rhyme with great golf and spectacular views on Egyptian pyramids. After a three-weeks break, our Rising Stars are gathering again for the Second Swing of the Winter Series: three tournaments in a row, played from March 25th to April 6th, with a field of 132 players for each venue; three different courses around Caire, with breath-taking sights of the pyramids: Dreamland Pyramids Open from 25 to 27 March on Dreamland GC, New Giza Open from 30 March to 1 April on New Giza GC – a new spectacular venue inaugurated last October – both on the West side of Cairo; and Katameya Dunes Open from 4 to 6 April, on the Lakes Course of Katameya Dunes (a Sir Nick Faldo’s design), on the East side of the Egyptian capital.
Our players are coming from all over the world, literally, with 19 nationalities represented, to test two courses for the first time, New Giza and Katameya, which are new additions to the Alps Tour schedule, while Dreamland is an « old friend » of Alps Tour, having hosted one of our tournaments the last time back in 2016, when our most brilliant rising star – Matt Wallace – won the first of his six titles of that year and started his stellar career towards Challenge and European Tour, where he is now 10th in the Race to Dubai.
All of the hottest players of the moment are already at Dreamland Golf Course, looking to accumulate points and high rankings from the start of the season; all eyes are on the first two winners of 2019, Frenchman rookie Frederic Lacroix, 24, and more experienced Englishman Ben Wheeler, 26, but also Italian Edoardo Lipparelli, 22, looks in great shape having just won the French Qualifying School with a large margin – 6 strokes – over Spaniard Xavi Puig Giner, and 8 strokes over fellow compatriot Michele Cea: they will all be admitted to play the four Challenge Tour events hosted in France this year, and of course they’re all in Egypt competing in the three Alps Tour tournaments, which boast a 40,000 euros prize money each.
The venues
DREAMLAND PYRAMIDS OPEN, 25-27 March
The Dreamland Golf Course is a world class facility located just a few minutes away from the Great Pyramids. The layout of the course was designed by the world renowned architect, Karl Litten and in 2010 the course was redesigned by popular Irish architect David Jones. At present it consists of 36 beautifully manicured challenging holes. The Championship Course in total measures an impressive 7,205 yards that can be played from five sets of tees, as well as a floodlit driving range. http://dreamlandgolf.com/
NEW GIZA OPEN, 30 March-1 April
The highly anticipated New Giza signature golf course is well worth the wait. The 200-acre, 18-hole designer golf course is designed by award-winning Thomson, Perrett and Lobb and seamlessly melds the natural terrains creating an inspiring environment for all players, professionals and amateurs alike. Teeing off with views of the Great Pyramids of Giza is no longer a fantasy. As a particularly exquisite touch, the course is surrounded by a 4km walkway encouraging people to walk for health and leisure.
http://www.newgiza.com/life#golf-clubs-6-october-newgiza
KATAMEYA DUNES OPEN, 4-6 April
Created by nature – designed by golfing legend Sir Nick Faldo. Katameya Dunes is a masterpiece of golf course design, from the spectacular to the subtle. Katameya Dunes comprises the Lakes Course (7,435 yards) and the Palms Course (6,767 yards), with five tee positions to provide a challenge suited to any standard of golfer, from the beginner to the mid-handicappers and tour players. The rolling fairways, spectacular views from elevated tees and the challenge of raised greens are just part of the golfing experience at Katameya Dunes. As the unbroken sunshine sparkles off lakes and fountains, take your golfing enjoyment to a new level. http://www.katameyadunes.com/
Click here for the field of the Dreamland Pyramids Open
Click here for the field of the New Giza Open
Click here for the field of the Katameya Dunes Open
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