15th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Xavier Poncelet Leads in Rome
July 15th, 2021 – Rome, Italy. With a -8 (64) Xavier Poncelet entered the clubhouse at the top of the leader board after his morning round and at end of play, he had not been dethroned. The Frenchman carded a total of 9 birdies and just one bogey in the Roma Alps Letas Open here at the Golf Club Parco dei Medici.
« It was a really great round. The front nine . I played really well all the day. On the front nine there was less wind at the beginning so it was easier to manage the distance so I got a lot of opportunities. My putting was good. Then on the back nine the wind picked up but I only missed two greens today. I managed my game well and when I missed I made a chip putt. The greens were soft and slow so I could be more aggressive ».
It was his first time playing the course and he was full of praise for the greenkeepers’ work preparing the course which he described as a « great design ».
Two shots behind on -6 (66) are three players. The Cross of Saint Andrew flag is being proudly brandished by two Scottish players. The lowest score among the LETAS players went to Gabrielle Macdonald who started with a double bogey but did not let it faze her :
« I was annoyed with myself as I hit the fairway but pulled my eight iron into the bunker, thinned it out and missed my putt, so short game errors. But, I’d seen people in the morning who had a bad start and knew that there was time to come back, so I just tried to forget about it. I made a couple of good pars and then a hole-in-one on the 13th and after that I just couldn’t stop smiling. My first ever hole-in-one so quite a special moment for me ».
Macdonald finished her round with six birdies and not a bogey in sight. She is shoulder to shoulder with her compatriot Ryan Lumsden, winner of last week’s Alps de la Castillas, his second victory this season, after the MIRA Golf Experience Acaya Open in March. Lumsden has made no secret of his quest for a third title and with eight birdies and two bogeys he looks on form. Right alongside them is Sigot Lopez from Spain, whose eagle on the par five 17th lifted him up a slot after 6 birdies and two bogeys.
Eight players are right behind on –5 (67) including the highest placed amateur today, Paul Margolis from France. They are closely followed by a group of eleven players just one stroke behind on -4 (68) including the next four LETAS players. The Australian player, Kristalle Blum had briefly held the lead at the end of her morning round. She is joined by the two top lady amateurs, Anouk Casty from Switzerland and the Italian, Alessia Nobilio.
Play resumes tomorrow at 7:30 am from tees one and ten with the cut coming at the end of the thirty-six holes and 45 players and ties qualifying for the final on Saturday.
Results Round 1: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
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11th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Return to Rome for a Mixed Open
July 11th, 2021 – Rome, Italy. The Golf Club Parco dei Medici welcomes the Alps Tour players back for the Roma Alps Open. After hosting the Qualifying School First Round in 2020, this time the course will also welcome players from the LET Access Series (LETAS), the official development tour to the Ladies European Tour. This will be the second mixed tournament in the 20 years of the Alps Tour.
The Alps Tour created golf history in 2019 when it organised the first, official mixed gender professional golf tournament in Europe, the Saint Malo Golf Mixed Open. That tournament ended with a mixed Alps/LETAS podium, which could be a possible result here in Rome for the 10th event of the 2021 season.
Competition promises to be fierce. On the Alps Tour side, a total of nineteen players in the top twenty of the Order of Merit are present and eager for points. Third placed Ryan Lumsden, winner of the MIRA Golf Experience Acaya Open and flush from his second win last week at the Alps de las Castillas has made no secret of his wish to make it a three. He will have his work cut out for him though as this season’s other two-time winner, Angel Hidalgo Portillo from Spain will be intent on keeping his OofM first place. Not forgetting the number two, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa who would ike nothing more than a home win.
Of the 112 men players among the 13 amateurs are Paul Margolis and Tom Vaillant from France. The pair were on the French team that were runners-up in last week’s 2021 Men’s European Amateur Team Championship. Another excellent result for Margolis following his MIRA Live the Soul Open in March.
Over to the 44 LETAS players, where the Russian, Nina Pegova, has been showing consistent form with three top-10 finishes so far to put her top of their OofM. The winners of this season’s first three events are present. From England, Lily May Humphreys had her first LETAS win the same month she turned professional at the Golf Flanders LETAS Trophy in June. Among the 18 amateurs are Marine Griffaut from France who had a home win at the Montauban Ladies Open whilst Sara Kouskova, became the first ever Czech player to win a LETAS event, the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge, and the first Czech amateur to win a professional event.
The Parco dei Medici Championship Course is technically demanding with strategically placed bunkers and water hazards. Thus, to level the playing field and be fair to all the competitors, the course has been set-up to take into consideration the carry yardages off the tee and stroke distances of the different categories of players as well as the course architecture regarding the positioning of bunkers and hazards.
Each flight will be a mix of Alps Tour and LETAS players and based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback after the last mixed open, the players should enjoy their rounds amidst the pine, cypress and weeping willows trees in what promises to be hot and sunny conditions.
Entries: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
Stay tuned! www.wp-alpstour.ocs-sport.com and the app « Alps Tour Golf » (on App Store for iOS devices and Play Store for Android) will keep you updated on every news about Alps Tour.
Instagram @alpstourgolf
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Twitter @AlpsTourGolf
