Swiss PGA Players Corner
22.03.2020

LPGA Tour: Albane Valenzuela in Australia in the Cut
At the VIC Open in Victoria (Australia) at the beginning of February, Albane Valenzuela missed the qualification for the final rounds by one stroke. A week later, the Geneva native finished 48th at the Womens Australian Open in Grange. Since 20 February, the LPGA Tour has been on hold, and is due to resume on 14 May with the Pelican Women's Championship in Florida.

European Tour: standstill until 24 May
Due to the coronavirus crisis, the European Tour has cancelled or postponed all tournaments until 24 May.

Challenge Tour: De Sousa in Fancourt in the Cut
The Challenge Tour played three tournaments in South Africa in February. The only prize money for a Swiss player was at the Dimension Data ProAm in Fancourt in the middle of the month: Raphaël De Sousa finished 19th with 277 strokes (12 under par). The level was high, the cut after two rounds was -7. At the Limpopo Championship and the Cape Town Open, De Sousa and Benjamin Rusch both failed at the cut. The Challenge Tour will be suspended until the end of May; as of 22 March, play will resume with the Swiss Challenge on Golf Sempachersee on 28 May.

Staysure Tour: Two strokes too many for "Bossy
After a disappointing 2019 season, André Bossert wanted to fight for the full tour ticket for the Staysure Tour 2020 via Q-School again. After two rounds it looked good for "Bossy", with two under-par rounds he was in the top 5 in Portugal - an unrestricted eligibility for the coming season was within reach. In round three, however, the Swiss dropped back slightly with a 72 card (+1) and with a 2 under-par final round, he finally managed to finish 9th. Two strokes were missing on 5th place, which would have guaranteed a starting place at all Staysure Tour events in 2020. "Bossy" has a Category 9 tour ticket for this season. Play on the European circuit for the over-50s will also be suspended until the Senior PGA Championship (21-24 May) in Michigan; on European soil, the European Legends Links Championship in England will continue on 19 June at the earliest.

Alps Tour: Two top 10 results in Egypt
The first Egypt wing trip 2020 of the Alps Tour brought two top 10 classifications of Swiss-PGA players. At the Ein Bay Open in mid-February, Arthur Ameil-Planchin led the field after day 1 with a round of 65. In the end it was rank 8 (212 strokes) for the Frenchman. Mathias Eggenberger needed two strokes more and finished 13th, while Philippe Weppernig and Gregori Baumann failed at the cut. One week later, Eggenberger was third at the Red Sea Little Venice Open before the final round. With a 1 under par final round (and a total score of 204 strokes) Eggenberger dropped back to 9th place. Ameil-Planchin needed three shots more and finished 20th, Weppernig failed at the cut. The Alps Tour's trip to Egypt planned for March has been postponed to September; as things stand at present, the tour will resume operations on 29 May with the Open de la Mirabelle d'Or in Metz (France).

Pro Golf Tour: Jeremy Freiburghaus wins in Morocco
Also the Pro Golf Tour was in North Africa from February to the beginning of March; in Morocco. At the Open Bahia Golf Beach (10-12 March), the last tournament before the coronavirus lockout, the Swiss showed strong performances. Jeremy Freiburghaus secured his first professional victory with nine or more shots ahead of the competition. Luca Galliano was ranked 8th with twelve strokes behind; Marco Iten ranked 27th, Benjamin Rusch 28th, Alain Jeanrenaud, Zeno Felder and Yann Pfeiffer failed at the cut.

A week earlier, Rusch was sixth best classified Swiss player at the Open Royal Golf Anfa Mohammedia. Galliano in 11th place, Freiburghaus in 16th and Iten in 33rd completed the good Swiss result. The Swiss PGA already achieved a podium finish in mid-February: Marco Iten had only 62 strokes for the second round of the Open Casa Green Golf in Casablanca - ten under par! - was required. The Zurich native thus put himself in an excellent starting position; with a 72 final round, he finally finished third. Jeremy Freiburghaus finished the tournament in 20th place, Luca Galliano in 37th. Iten (26th) and Freiburghaus (29th) had already won the prize money at the first seasonal tournament in Morocco, the Open Palmeraie Country Club. At the moment, the Pro Golf Tour is suspended; the tournament is scheduled to resume on April 28th with the Haugschlag Niederösterreich Open.

Kim Métraux, twice in the cut
At her first regular tournament in 2020, the Ladies Classic Bonville at the end of February in Australia, 24-year-old Kim Métraux confirmed her good form. With a total score of 287 strokes, she finished 32nd, while her 22-year-old sister Morgan Métraux failed to make the cut. One week later the second prize money check for Kim Métraux. At the Womens NSW Open (Australia) she was ranked 54th.
In mid-March the LET performed in South Africa. At the South African Womens Open four Swiss women mastered the cut and classified as follows: 39th Rachel Rossel (223 strokes), 57th Morgane Métraux (225), 68th Christina Gloor (229), 71st Caroline Rominger (231). Kim Métraux and Clara Pietri did not qualify for the two final rounds. Play on the Ladies European Tour is expected to be suspended until 7 May (Jabra Ladies Open).

LETAS: Start of season postponed
The Terre Blanche Open planned for the beginning of April has been postponed to October. According to the current (22.3.2020) calendar the season is now scheduled to start on 14 May with the Flumserberg Ladies Open at the GC Gams-Werdenberg.

Sunshine Ladies Tour: Top 10 classification by Rachel Rossel
Several Swiss PGA proettes were in action on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in South Africa in February and until the beginning of March and delivered pleasing results. Clara Pietri ranked 26th in the SuperSport Ladies Challenge at Gary Player Country Club at the beginning of February (score: 232 strokes). One week later, two Swiss players, Christina Gloor and Caroline Rominger, made it into the prize money at the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am in Fancourt. The two shared 25th place with 229 strokes each. At the South African Women's Masters at the San Lameer Country Club, Clara Pietri finished 13th with 228 strokes; Christina Gloor needed four strokes more and finished the tournament in 23rd place. The next day Pietri finished 20th in the Canon Serengeti Par 3 Challenge. In the last days of February, three Swiss PGA members in the prize money classified themselves at the Joburg Ladies Open at the Soweto Country Club: 13th Caroline Rominger (229 strokes), 22nd Christina Gloor (232), 37th Rachel Rossel (238). In the first week of March there was a top 10 classification for Rachel Rossel at the Jabra Ladies Classic at the Glendowner Golf Club: she had shown up in round 2 with a 66-card, but fell back to tenth place in the final round with 75 strokes. Caroline Rominger classified herself as 18th.