Professional appearance at Swiss Challenge in Sempach
26.06.2019

Swiss PGA Captain Marc Chatelain draws a positive conclusion after the Swiss Challenge in early June at Golf Sempachersee. 14 Swiss PGA members had been at the start of the Challenge Tour tournament, three of them made it into the weekend and thus into the prize money. The dream of a home win, as Joel Girrbach had celebrated in 2017, was over quickly this year. "Of course I had hoped that one of the Swiss PGA Pros would be able to play for victory until Sunday afternoon," says Chatelain. "But you also have to be aware that this is the only home tournament on the Challenge Tour - there are higher expectations and pressure. For some of our pros, this is also the only opportunity on the Challenge Tour, "said the Swiss PGA captain, putting the expectations into perspective.

He was hoping for the Playing Professionals, who spend the whole year on tours and earn a living playing golf. (The Swiss PGA was able to secure eleven slots, which went first and foremost to those members of the Swiss Pro Team who do not have a category on the Challenge Tour.) Three places have been awarded on the basis of the Swiss PGA Order of Merit of the current year, the others according to the Order of Merit 2018. Joel Girrbach, Marco Iten and Raphael de Sousa qualified for the field due to their Challenge Tour ranking.) From a Swiss point of view, there were also three tour professionals who survived the cut - and one from Marco Iten. He kept up the fans hope for a home win for at least one round. "Marco started very well in the tournament with a round of 65. Unfortunately, on this tour, a single very low round is not enough to be at the top on Sunday. To win, you need four rounds of 4 or 5 under par, "says Chatelain. The statistics proves him right: the winner of the Swiss Challenge 2019, the Portuguese Ricardo Santos, was 15 under par after four laps.

"The consistancy of our Playing Professionals is a positive factor. Benjamin Rusch played four very consistent laps, none over Par, and was ranked 25th, "says Chatelain. The Swiss PGA captain also noted positively the appearance of his "protégés" on and off the course: "I expect all Swiss PGA members to present themselves well in such a tournament. This includes the athletic appearance on the course as well as a positive and professional behavior off the course. A professional golf player must always be able to represent himself and the Swiss PGA at all times. "Chatelain gives his colleagues a good testimonial:" Our players were also very professional after the end of the round, they were there for fans and sponsors, and they have been there on Saturday Juniors Day for signing autographs. "The image of Golfpro has changed significantly in Switzerland in the recent past, says Chatelain:" The job of a golf professional involves more than just playing golf well. The awareness has increased. Golf pro is a way of life - you have to create an environment that allows you to deliver top performance. In every sector!"

Top performances are necessary if you want to win on the Challenge Tour and get on the European Tour. "Constistancy is nice and good, but with ten top 10 classifications on the Challenge Tour you will not make the step onto the European Tour at the end of the year," says Chatelain. Anyone who wants to move forward in the Order of Merit needs podiums - "the distribution key for prize money and ranking points favors the top-ranked. That's why the challenge tour is very aggressive. Everyone knows that he has to bring really low scores to the clubhouse if he wants to be top. "Chatelain knows that this is a topic which Stuart Morgan, Performance Manager of the Swiss PGA and Swiss Golf, has already discussed with some of his protégés. "This year, our tour professionals have played more aggressive off the tee than in previous years," says the Swiss PGA captain.

Stuart Morgan was on site at the Swiss Challenge, observing his protégés on the course and in the preparation. His work with each player is highly individual: "Everyone needs different tips and other prerequisites to perform at their best - some need tips on how to take decisons on the course, others in preparation for the tournament. »

Like Chatelain, Morgan had not formulated specific ranking goals for the Swiss prior to the Swiss Challenge. "When you play golf you can play great and still miss the cut, or even advance into the top 10 despite a bad daily performance. Therefore, I do not set a specific classification as a goal, but I hope that my 'protégés' play courageously, free and detached from the result. "He does not let himself be blinded by results:" Of course I am pleased if my players perform well, but first they should continue to improve and do what is necessary to get to the top. "First steps have been taken, the performance manager's work is already bearing fruit, but Swiss PGA Captain Marc Chatelain also knows that there is alot more to be done.

The classification of Swiss PGA members at the Swiss Challenge 2019 on the Golf of Sempachersee (par 71): 25. Benjamin Rusch 280 (68/71/70/71), 50. Mathias Eggenberger 285 (70/70/72/73) , 56. Marco Iten 287 (65/73/77/72). Cut (141) missed: 84. Joel Girrbach 144 (71/73), 97. Luca Galliano 145 (72/73), 106. Perry Cohen 146 (75/71) and Raphaël de Sousa 146 (67/79), 116 Yann Pfeiffer 147 (69/78) and Philippe Weppernig 147 (71/76), 123. Jeremy Freiburghaus 148 (73/75), 139. Marc Dobias 151 (73/78) and Fredrik Svanberg 151 (76/75), 148. Jean-Luc Burnier 156 (73/83), 155. Roberto Francioni 166 (85/81).