Players Corner - August 2020
22.08.2020
LPGA: Valenzuela twice in prize money
Albane Valenzuela has coped well with the new start of the season on the LPGA Tour. At the LPGA Drive On Championship earlier this month in Toledo (Ohio/USA), she finished 28th with a total score of 220 strokes. A few days later, the Marathon LPGA Classic was played over four rounds in Sylvana (Ohio/USA). The Geneva native was ranked 65th in the prize money again.
Albane Valenzuela
Ladies European Tour: Swiss ladies miss the cut
The close cooperation between LPGA and LET is bearing first fruits: The Ladies Scottish Open in mid-August at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick was the official season re-launch for the Ladies European Tour. Two Swiss women had made it into the field. However, both Albane Valenzuela and Kim Métraux lost the chance for a top result with 79 strokes each. With 73 (Valenzula) and 77 strokes (Métraux) on the second day, both French-speaking Swiss missed the cut.
Pro Golf Tour: Twice silver for Freiburghaus and Iten
From the Swiss point of view, the resumption of the tournament events on the Pro Golf Tour was almost perfect. Jeremy Freiburghaus was able to save his good form through the lockdown - after his victory at the last tournament in March, the player from Graubünden finished second at the first tournament after the long break at the end of July. At the Polish Open, Freiburghaus had to give way only to the Frenchman Julien Brun. With Marco Iten in 5th place and Luca Galliano in 11th place, two other Swiss players took prize money.
One week later Marco Iten showed up at the GC St. Pölten (Lower Austria) and secured 2nd place; Freiburghaus also made it into the prize money in 18th place. At the Starnberg Open in the middle of the month, the German pros used their home advantage; Iten and Freiburghaus shared 30th place, with Yann Pfeiffer (38th) and Luca Gallinao (50th), two more Swiss players in the prize money.
The good results are also reflected in the Order of Merit. Freiburghaus is currently ranked fourth, Iten sixth. At the end of the year, the five best ranked of this tour will be eligible to play on the Challenge Tour 2021.
Jeremy Freiburghaus
Alps Tour: Mathias Eggenberger in Austria on rank 22
Three Swiss Pros were at the start at the Archduke Johann Golf Club near Graz when the Alps Tour resumed tournament operations after the Corona break. Mathias Eggenberger improved from round to round and finished 22nd at the Gösser Open with daily results of 71, 68 and 67 strokes (a total of 10 under par). Arthur Ameil-Planchin started the restart with 72 strokes; despite the clear increase to 68 strokes, he missed the cut by one stroke. Philippe Weppernig was missing two strokes to reach the final.
Swiss PGA Tour: Benjamin Rusch wins in Leuk
On August 3/4, the Swiss PGA Tour made a guest appearance at Links Golfresort Leuk. Four ladies, 20 men and 18 seniors were at the start. With rounds of 66 and 70 strokes and a total score of 8 under par Benjamin Rusch won the tournament. In the battle for the winner's check Joel Girrbach (7 under par) and Mathias Eggenberger (6 under par) kept the race open for a long time. The seniors were clearer: Paul Wesselingh was slightly behind after a 73 on day one, but a squeaky clean 66 lap on day two brought him a total of 5 under par and the victory. Karim El Baradie (1 over par) and André Bossert (4 over par) ranked second and third. In the women's event, there was a Métraux double victory: Kim won by five strokes ahead of her sister Morgane.
Benjamin Rusch
Swiss Pro Series: Neal Woernhard wins in Heidental
The fourth tournament of the Swiss Pro Series was scheduled for August 17. At GC Heidental, 27 pros - including five ladies - were at the start. Neal Woernhard secured the winner's check with a convincing round of 66 strokes (6 under par). Philippe Weppernig needed one stroke more, Lionel Weber and Alexander Messiqua shared third place with 68 strokes each. The best ranked lady, Caroline Rominger, finished 5th with a bogey-free 69.
Swiss PGA: Andrea Gurini wins Apprentice Championship
As part of their training as Swiss PGA Teaching Professionals, Swiss PGA apprentices must organize their own championship each year. This year the championship took place on August 10th and 11th in the newly GEO-certified Golf Gerre Losone. The Ticino fans watched an exciting neck-and-neck race for victory, which in the end was won by Andrea Gurini with 144 strokes (70/74) and one stroke ahead of Davide Albertini (75/70) and Anaïs Maggetti (73/72).
