Three way in Valencia

The first round of the Alps Tour season took place at Golf Club Escorpion during Peugeot Tour Alps de Valencia. This tournament was a kind of a good luck charm for last year winner, Italian Matteo Delpodio. It was his maiden win and won the final Alps Tour ranking.

This year, three great players took a splendid start to run for victory. Austrian Uli Weinhandl and Spain’s Fernando Garcia Heredia and Francis Valera shot a five under round 66 to lead by one. All these players have often proved their skills and talent.

Alfredo Garcia Heradia, 29 year old, gained his playing card on Tour by finishing 19th at Q School last December: “I really played well from tee to green. It is a great start, good for training and feel confident for newt tournaments on Tour”.

Uli Weinhandl, 34 year old, 3 time winner on Alps Tour, is well trained to be THE 2011 player. He made the cut in India on Challenge Tour last January and played some events this winter and had good results. Last year he was very closed to enter the upper circuit. “It was a very nice day. I had very good playings partners, good players Spain’s Carlos Del Moral and Frenchman Julien Foret. I was 5 under after 10 holes and had a bogey free round which always nice. I just struggled a little bit at the end”.

Last but not least, the third man on top today was Spain’s Francis Valera, 34 year old as well, former European Tour player and 2 time winner on Challenge Tour. Valera is living in Crans Sur Sierre Switzerland and will focus his season on the Challenge Tour. “It is my first round of the year and it is great to start like this. I enjoyed to come here, to play with friends and see everybody. Last year I made some changes on my swing, I don’t like to make big technical changes, but there are some you really need to make and help a lot. If I keep playing like this, I think I can win again, but there are many good players that also want to win; I am here to get feelings, and most of all, have a good time, and if something good happens, it would be great”.

Behind leaders, a group of 4 players: France’s Cedric Judlin and Julien Gressier, Italian Marco Crespi and Spain’s Carlos Del Moral.

Agathe Seron

Francis Valera (c) L.C. Peugeot Tour