Players Corner
22.04.2019

Swiss PGA Team Championship: Title to Patuzzo & Castelanelli

The short-term return of the winter in mid-April at the Swiss PGA Team Championship 2019 resulted in a "shortening" to 27 holes. Due to the cold temperatures and the snowfall, only 9 holes could be played on Monday, April 15, at Golfpark Waldkirch. The place presented itself in view of the season in excellent and tournament-worthy condition. A perfect venue for a thrilling competition. After 27 holes in the "2 ball best ball" format, two teams were in the lead 11 under par: The two French-Swiss tournament players Alex Messiqua and Alain Jeanrenaud had made up the narrow deficit after day 1 with a 60-round on Tuesday. A playoff between the two Romands and the Ticino teaching-duo Gianluca Patuzzo / Simone Castelanelli had to decide on the title. The Ticino secured the tournament victory at the third extra hole. The Graubünden defending champions Claudio Blaesi / Corsin Caviezel finished fourth, four shots behind.

Staysure Tour: "Bossy" in Jordan in Cut

With a new tournament - and a world premiere - the Staysure Tour started the 2019 season. At the beginning of April, 40 professionals of the Ladies European Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Staysure Tour joined the Jordan Mixed Open at the Ayla Golf Club for a joint tour event. André Bossert was the only Swiss in the field. "Bossy" made the cut with two par-rounds and was ranked 57th after a 73 round.

Alps Tour: Ameil-Planchin and Eggenberger in Cairo in the prize money

The Alp Tour made another stop in Egypt at the turn of the month; the second part of the "Winter Series" was played around the capital Cairo. At the Dreamland Pyramids Open at the end of March, Arthur Ameil-Planchin was the only Swiss PGA professional in the prize money. The French-Swiss dual citizen took 25th place. A few days later, Ameil-Planchin placed at the New Giza Open in 36th place; the best-ranked Swiss was Mathias Eggenberger in 24th place in the tournament. At the last tournament of the "Winter Series", the Katameya Dunes Open - played on the Lakes Course of the Katameya Dunes Golf - Arthur Ameil-Planchin was ranked 13th and best Swiss; Mathias Eggenberger followed on rank 23.

Alps Tour: Mathias Eggenberger in Abruzzo just past the podium

For two days, Mathias Eggenberger held the promising second place at the Abruzzo Open in Pescara (Italy) and consequently started the final lap in the leader-flight. There, however, he made two double bogeys - on hole 1 and 10 - the hopes of the 27-year-old on the first Alps Tour victory destroyed. However, thanks to seven birdies in the final round, Eggenberger remained the sole fourth place in the end. With Arthur Ameil-Planchin in 16th place and Neo-Professional Philippe Weppernig (in 41st place), two other Swiss were classified in the prize money.

Pro Golf Tour: Benjamin Rusch in the Top 10

At the end of March the Pro Golf Tour visited Morocco. Two Swiss made the cut at the Open Ocean in Agadir. Benjamin Rusch came in sixth with three consistent under-par rounds (68/69/69) and a total score of 206 (7 under par). Perry Cohen slipped back to 26th place (212 strokes) with a 73 on the final day. One week later, at the Open Tazegzout in Agadir, Rusch and Cohen missed the top 10 by a narrow margin: they shared rank 11. Both fell out of the decision to win the tournament by a 74-finals (+2). With Yann Pfeiffer on rank 48, a third Swiss player managed to cash in Agadir.

Pro Golf Tour: Top 10 classification by Luca Galliano

In the second week of April, the Morocco Tour on the Pro Golf Tour was again a sixth place for a Swiss to celebrate: Luca Galliano mixed at the Open Michlifen in northern Morocco for two days at the front, fell in the final round with 73 strokes ( +1) but back in 6th place. Benjamin Rusch also made the cut in Ifrane, but got a very bad final lap (77 strokes) and finally ranked 32nd.

LETAS: Caroline Rominger at the start of the season in the cut

At the first tournament of the LET Acces Series 2019, the Terre Blanche Ladies Open in the south of France, only the Engadine Caroline Rominger made the cut of the Swiss. She laid the basis for the leap into the final round on the starting day, when she started with 1 under par in the tournament, but then fell back in round 2 and 3.

Symetra Tour: Kim Métraux on debut in top-20

Kim Métraux made it into the field of a Symetra Tour event for the first time at the Windsor Golf Classic in California in early April. The older of the two Métraux sisters has a limited eligibility to play on this US second-level tour, equaling in her debut: With a solid 73 on the starting lap and a nearly flawless 67 (-5) on day two she eased the cut and finished seventeenth with a 71 on the final day.