Swiss PGA Monthly Players Corner
24.09.2019

Disappointing results for the Swiss at the European Tour home event in Crans: Both, the four Swiss PGA Playing Professionals as well as the four invited Swiss amateurs missed the cut clearly at the Omega European Masters 2019 (two and more strokes). With one over par after two rounds, the professionals Raphaël de Sousa and Benjamin Rusch ranked as best natives on the shared 92nd rank. Joel Girrbach, Mathias Eggenberger and amateur Ronan Kleu each needed one more stroke and shared rank 104.

Girrbach re-entered the highest European level one week after the home tournament. At the Porsche European Open in Hamburg, the Thurgauer missed the cut and prize money by two strokes. From Hamburg, Girrbach continued to Amsterdam for the KLM Open. In the Netherlands, he missed the cut with level Par by two strokes.

Three Swiss PGA members tparticipated in the KPMG Trophy, which coincided with the Omega European Masters. As the only one of the Swiss trio, Jeremy Freiburghaus made it into the prize money in Belgium. The Grisons was ranked 69th after four rounds with a total score of 7 under par. Perry Cohen and Marco Iten had to pack their bags on Friday evening.

A week later at the Open de Bretagne, the Swiss yield was better - both Swiss-PGA-Playing-Professionals ranked in the prize money. Raphaël de Sousa scored 13th. (Score: -4) just past the top ten, Marco Iten finished 47th.

A week later, a Swiss quartet traveled to the Open de Portugal in Portimao. In southern Portugal, however, Mathias Eggenberger (+3 / rank 81), Marco Iten (+4 / 95), Raphaël de Sousa (+5 / 106) as well as Benjamin Rusch (+8 / 125) missed the cut.

The European senior professional tour took place in Hertfordshire at the end of August / beginning of September. The only Swiss on the Staysure Tour, André Bossert, was ranked 24th with three consistent par-rounds. Paul Wesselingh, who still plays for England but lives in Maienfeld, was classified 47th.

Last week the tour was in France. Bossert and Wesselingh joined the Paris Legends Championship at the Racing Club de France La Boulie. This time the Englishman had the better end in the "Swiss PGA duel": Wesselingh was ranked 16th with a total of 3 under par, "Bossy" caught a rather black day (77 strokes) in round 2, so that he was only able to limit damage in the final round, working his way up to rank 32.

In September, the Qualifying School of the European Tour 2020 started with its first stage. The program included the first five (out of a total of nine) first-stage tournaments. Swiss were only in last week in Ebreichsdorf at the start. Jeremy Freiburghaus made the cut in Lower Austria, played in the final round 3 under par and classified in 19th place. This brings the Grisons into the Second Stage, which will be played from 7 to 10 November in Spain. Zeno Felder, however, failed after three rounds on the cut and has to wait another year.

At the beginning of the month the Cervinio Open was held in the Aosta Valley. Only one of the Swiss made it into the prize money: Arthur Ameil-Planchin classified 27th with 3 under par after three rounds. Mathias Eggenberger missed the cut by one stroke.

With three under-par rounds (71/71/68), this season's most consistent Swiss Proette, Caroline Rominger, ranked 12th at the Scandic PGA Championship in Helsingborg (Sweden) at the end of August. In addition to the Engadine, there were three other Swiss women at the start - Melanie Mätzler, Eva Baraschi and Rachel Rossel. They missed the cut by seven and more strokes.

In mid-September, the WGPA International Challenge continued in England in Stoke by Nayland - and again Rominger was the best-ranked Swiss. With solid rounds of 72/71/72 (one under par), she ranked 8th - it is Rominger's fifth top 10 result of the season. In the current Order of Merit, the Engadine is ranked 7th. Anaïs Maggetti, Melanie Mätzler and Christina Gloor did not make it into the money.

Kim Métraux has twice been in action on the Symetra Tour this month. In the first week of September, the Romande missed the cut at the City Charity Classic in Kansas the cut by 3 strokes. The following week, Métraux worked on her putting. That paid off last week at the Guardian Championship in Prattville, Alabama. The Romande had started with a 3-under-par round into the tournament and was placed 6th after day one. With a 74 on day 2, Métraux easily made the cut, but dropped back to 56th place in the final round with 76 strokes.

At the Championnat de Suisse Centrale in the middle of the month at Golf Club Markgräflerland Kandern, the Swiss PGA Professionals celebrated a triple victory: Jean-Luc Burnier claimed the title with a total score of 11 under par (his career best score for three rounds). Burnier on the podium: Yann Pfeiffer (-9) as runner-up and Philippe Weppernig (-8). Jean-Luc Burnier secured the victory with a round of 65 on the final day - "the second time within three weeks that I played a round of 7 under par," said the winner. At the Verbier ProAm, Burnier had already played a 62 on August 24, which also means -7 on the par 69 course.