For Immediate Release	Thursday June 20, 2019
Scots in top 20 mix at Estepona, Spain
Tournament: Andalucía Costa del Sol Match Play Venue: Valle Romano Golf, Estepona, Spain
This image of Marcus Mohr is displayed by courtesy of Getty Images. Round one report Marcus Mohr carded his first European Challenge Tour sub-70 round to take a share of the lead at the end of the first day of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Match Play 9 at Valle Romano Golf. The Englishman signed for a four under par 67 to hold a share of top spot with countryman Dale Whitnell, Ugo Coussaud, Jordan Zunic and Simon Forsström, with the quintet sitting one shot clear of four players sharing sixth place on three under par. High winds meant it was a challenging opening round for the entirety of the field and Mohr, who secured Challenge Tour playing privileges through the Alps Tour last year, stayed patient to post his best round since making the step up from the satellite tour. “This year didn't start too well as I had to get used to a new arena and a new tour, but I just took my time figuring it out,” he said. “It was important that I remembered what I could do and what I think about when I do it and that's it. “I play my best when I am in the moment and today, I was pretty much right in the moment.” With five birdies and a single blemish, Mohr put together a strong round in tough conditions and admitted that some of his highlights were par saves. “I hit an eight iron that touched the pin on 13 and that was pretty sweet,” he said. “I also had a couple of par saves which I had to really dig deep for and I feel like I'm pretty good at digging deep. Everything was great today; I love being in Spain and I had two really nice guys as playing partners. “Hopefully I can put another good round together tomorrow and get into the weekend. I love match play because I only have to beat one guy at a time.” Swede Forsström came close to posting the only bogey-free round of Day One but a bogey on the ninth – his final hole – meant he slipped back to four under par and was forced to share the advantage. The fight will continue tomorrow as the field vie for one of 64 places up for grabs for the match-play section of the tournament over the weekend Players will be seeded according to their position at the end of the 36 holes of stroke play and should there be a tie for 64th spot,a play-off will take place on the ninth hole until there are exactly 64 players remaining. Scores after round one: 67 S Forsström (Swe) , M Mohr (Eng) , D Whitnell (Eng) , U Coussaud (Fra) , J Zunic (Australia)  68 F Laporta (Ita) , M Jordan (Eng) , B Easton (SAf) , C Del Moral (Spn)  69 J Pastor (Spn) , R Santos (Portugal) , B Hafthorsson (Iceland) , M Simonsen (Den) , C Gloet (Den) , M Armitage (Eng) , C Hanson (Eng) , C Robb (Sco) , M Haastrup (Den) , M Fenasse (Fra) , C Howie (Sco) 70 T Tree (Eng) , N Højgaard (Den) , C Ross (Sco) , R McGee (Irl) , S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) , F Aguilar (Chile) , E Johansen (Nor) , A Sagar (Eng) , D Boote (Wales) , J Kunzenbacher (Ger)  71 R Cho (SKor) , M Young (Eng) , B Poke (Den) , R Saxton (Ned) , A Olsen (Nor) , W Besseling (Ned) , P Maddy (Eng) , G Porteous (Eng) , J Lando Casanova (Fra) , L Nemecz (Aut) , T Cruz (Por) , C Gane (Eng) , J Wrisdale (Eng) , M Ford (Eng) , D Perrier (Fra)  72 D Stewart (Sco) , M Iten (Switz) , M Carlsson (Swe) , J Geary (NZ) , M Eriksson (Swe) , S Tarrio Ben (Esp) , O Lindell (Fin) , M Elvira (Esp) , E Lipparelli (Ita) , M Decottignies-Lafon (Fra) , B Eccles (Aus) , J Galbraith (Nir) , M Kim (SKor) , A Meronk (Pol) , G King (Eng) ,  73 J Sarasti (Spn) , M Beltran (Esp) , C Lloyd (Eng) , C Mivis (Belgium) , P Angles (Spn) , A Garcia-Heredia (Spn) , A Knappe (Ger) , C Koepka (USA) , C Pigem (Esp) , F Mruzek (Czech) , R Højgaard (Den) , C Ford (Eng) , C Syme (Sco) , A Hidalgo (Spn) , A Ahokas (Finland) , D Coupland (Eng)  74 S Tiley (Eng) , A Michael (SAf) , V Riu (Fra) , T Linard (Fra) , D Im (USA) , L Renolds (Canada), T Collier (USA) , E Dubois (Fra) , R Evans (Eng) , F Nilehn (Swe) , L Jensen (Den) , E De La Riva (Spn) , O Mikkola (Finland) , J Stalter (Fra) , J Freiburghaus (Switz) , J Heath (Eng) , B Spooner (Eng) , F Daux (Fra) , A Gutierrez (Spn)  75 A Cockerill (Canada) , G Havret (Fra) , J Kukkonen (Finland) , M Baldwin (Eng) , M Lafeber (Netherlands) , J Kölbing (Ger) , M Helligkilde (Den) , S Del Val (Spn) , J Lorca (Spn) , S Gros (Fra) , A Saracino (Ita) , G Stal (Fra) , P Cohen (Switz)  76 R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) , A Schwartz (Fra) , R Caron (Netherlands) , J Maurer (Austria) , R Dawson (Irl) , M Quiros (Spn) , J Thomson (Eng) , M Gradecki (Poland) , H Joannes (Belgium) , V Lopes (Portugal) , N McCarthy (Eng) , D Berna Manzanares (spn) , M Cea (Ita) , R Bland (Eng) ,  77 O Stark (Swe) , A Lguirati (Morocco) , S Fernandez (Spn) , J Carlsson (Swe) , R Roussel (Fra), P Oriol (Spn) , R Enoch (Wales) , A Hortal (Spn) , N Geyger (Chile)   78 L Lilja (Spn) , A Esmatges Riu (Spn) , A Arizabaleta (Colombia) , G Petrozzi (Eng) , H Sturehed (Swe) , J Brun (Fra) 79 B Virto (Spn) , E Cuartero Blanco (Spn) , M Albertus (Netherlands) , J Parry (Eng) , J Abbott (Eng) , J Lima (Portugal) , L Acikalin (Turkey) (am)  80 J Vecchi Fossa (Ita) , S Henry (Sco) , R McGowan (Eng) , B Neil (Sco)  81 M Trappel (Austria)   82 J Glennemo (Swe) , C Griffiths (Eng) , D Suchan (Cze)  83 N Tinning (Den) , J Dean (Eng) ,  88 J Friesz (Svk)  Ends
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS Wentworth Drive | Virginia Water | Surrey | GU25 4LX | UNITED KINGDOM Tel :  +44 (0)1344 840400 Email : media@europeantour.com Twitter: @Challenge_Tour Facebook: @challengetour Web: www.challengetour.com

Three Scots make it to final day   in Prague: Rozner leads by one     Day Three report  Antoine Rozner will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner on the European Challenge Tour since 2012 when he tees it up with a one-shot lead in the final round of the Prague Golf Challenge on Sunday. The Frenchman posted a four-under-par 68 on a weather-affected third day at Prague City Golf and was forced to wait over an hour to play the final two holes, eventually posting the clubhouse target at 13 under par 203 as thunder and lightning descended on the Czech capital. He leads by one from playing partners Mathieu Fenasse – the 36-hole leader – and Jonas Kölbing while countryman Grégory Havret and 26-year-old Cormac Sharvin are a shot further back on 11 under par. Rozner claimed his first Challenge Tour title as he raced through the field on the final day of last week’s Challenge de España and should he win again this week, he will be the first man to triumph in successive weeks since Kristoffer Broberg’s pair of victories at the Finnish Challenge and Norwegian Challenge in August 2012. However, in stark contrast to last weekend’s final- day leaderboard ascent, he will tonight sleep on the lead with 18 holes remaining, a prospect he recognises as being entirely different. “It’s totally different to last weekend,” he said. “Being the leader on Saturday night is a whole different story. “I’ll call my coach, my sports psychologist as well, and we’ll talk about it and I think I’ll be ready for it. I’ve just got to keep doing what I’ve been doing for the last few weeks and I should be fine.” The 26-year-old had a two-shot cushion prior to the weather delay but then bogeyed the 18th hole after the hour’s break, which he believes was a momentum killer. “The delay wasn’t easy,” he said. “I was lucky enough to play that second shot on 17 before the delay so I just had to putt on that hole and I hit a great putt but it just lipped out. “The 18th is a tough hole and I played it a bit too safe. I was too far left from where I wanted to be and the greens were slower after the rain. I left it short and missed the second shot but that happens. “I’m just a bit disappointed with that finish after the rain delay because I three-putted at the last but tomorrow’s a new day. I still have a one-shot lead so I’ll just do everything I can to keep that lead and we’ll see who wins.” Rhys Enoch, who posted a five-under-par 67 on Day Three, and Wil Besseling share sixth place on ten-under-par 206, while French duo Sébastien Gros and Robin Roussel, along with Richard Bland and Mark Flindt Haastrup, are a shot further back on nine under par. Havret moved into contention with the low round of the day – a seven under par 65 – which was bogey free and nine under par before two blemishes in his final three holes meant he dropped back to 11 under par. The final round of the Prague Golf Challenge will begin at 9.00am local time on Sunday, with the final group of Rozner, Fenasse and Kölbing set to tee off at 10.40am. Scores after round three par 216 (3x72) 203 A Rozner (Fra) 70 65 68 204 J Kolbing (Ger) 65 69 70, M Fenasse (Fra) 67 66 71 205 C Sharvin (NIr) 69 69 67, G Havret (Fra) 69 71 65 206 R Enoch (Wales) 70 69 67, W Besseling (Netherlands) 65 70 71 207 M Haastrup (Denmark) 68 72 67, S Gros (Fra) 71 69 67, R Roussel (Fra) 68 69 70, R Bland (Eng) 65 72 70 208 C Lloyd (Eng) 69 71 68, L Canter (Eng) 67 70 71, R Højgaard (Denmark) 69 72 67, F Nilehn (Swe) 69 71 68  209 B Virto (Spn) 70 71 68, M Simonsen (Den) 68 72 69 210 J Wrisdale (Eng) 73 68 69, E Ferguson (Sco) 65 77 68, A Garcia-Heredia (Spn) 73 69 68, P Oriol (Spn) 72 71 67, J Heath (Eng) 73 70 67, J Lando Casanova (Fra) 68 73 69, B Poke (Denmark) 66 72 72 211 C Robb (Sco) 70 73 68, M Armitage (Eng) 73 70 68, D Coupland (Eng) 70 74 67, R Saxton (Netherlands) 74 70 67, D Van Driel (Netherlands) 68 70 73, R Santos (Portugal) 68 72 71, J Erkenbeck (USA) 71 69 71, T Tree (Eng) 68 72 71  212 D Boote (Wales) 69 73 70, B Spooner (Eng) 65 72 75, R Cho (SKor) 69 74 69, R Dawson (Irl) 69 73 70, F Aguilar (Chile) 71 71 70, N Tinning (Denmark) 71 71 70, O Lengden (Swe) 72 72 68 213 P Maddy (Eng) 71 73 69, F Laporta (Ita) 69 75 69, M Eriksson (Swe) 67 77 69, R McGee (Ire) 70 72 71, M Helligkilde (Denmark) 72 72 69, N McCarthy (Eng) 71 72 70, L Robinson (Eng) 74 69 70  214 B Stow (Eng) 69 75 70, F Fritsch (Ger) 69 75 70, B Neil (Sco) 73 68 73, B Easton (SAf) 73 71 70, C Pigem (Spn) 68 73 73, J Glennemo (Swe) 71 71 72  215 S Matus (Czech) 70 74 71, M Schneider (Ger) 73 68 74, R Evans (Eng) 69 73 73, A Olsen (Norway) 71 72 72, P Angles (Spn) 71 73 71 216 M Carlsson (Swe) 72 71 73, A Cockerill (Canada) 74 68 74, N Johansson (Swe) 70 71 75, D Huizing (Netherlands) 72 70 74, M Keyser (SAf) 73 70 73 217 J Huldahl (Den) 72 72 73 220 S Tiley (Eng) 71 73 76 SCOTS WHO MISSED THE SECOND-ROUND CUT 145 D Stewart  73 72 147 C Howie 75 72, S Locke 74 73  148 S Henry 72 76  150 C Doak 72 78  151 C Hill 75 76   154 C Ross 77 77

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Frenchman Rozner wins Challenge de Espana by four strokes

Antoine Rozner carded a five-under-par back nine to clinch the 2019 Challenge de España title by four shots at Izki Golf today.
The Frenchman began the day three strokes behind overnight leader Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, but surged ahead after gaining five shots in four holes, signing for a bogey-free round of 66, six under par, to seal his first European Challenge Tour victory.
The 26-year-old started the round with a birdie on the first before carding 11 consecutive pars. As overnight leader Garcia Rodriguez made back-to-back bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes, Rozner made his move, holing a 15-foot birdie putt on the 13th.
He followed that up with another gain on the par three 14th, before producing the shot of the day, holing out for eagle from 123-yards from the 15th fairway. His advantage was extended with a final birdie of the day on the 16th and returned home with back-to-back pars to be crowned the 20th anniversary Challenge de España champion.
“It’s amazing. I don’t know if I’m realising what has happened yet,” he said. “I played really well the whole week and I’m so happy I turned out to be the winner.
“It was a bit of a frustrating round. I was playing well and hitting good putts, but they were not going in, then I had two good putts on 13 and 14.
“On 15 it was just one of those shots. I was in the rough a bit but had a good yardage and the ball got a good bounce and it rolled in the hole. It was amazing.
“On 16 I hit a really solid shot and a great putt to make another birdie, which helped me for the last two holes.
“I couldn’t control what was happening behind me and I didn’t know what was going on. I tried to keep playing my game and hit a few good shots to finish.
“The victory will bring me confidence. It puts me in a good position in the Rankings. It’s going to be a long season, so I’ll keep playing tournament after tournament, fighting to the end, and hopefully get a European Tour card.”
Garcia Rodriguez carded a disappointing round of 73, one over par, seeing his chance of victory on home soil fade during the back nine with three bogeys in six holes.
The Spaniard finished four strokes behind Rozner in a share of second place alongside Finland’s Antti Ahokas, Dane’s Rasmus Højgaard and Martin Simonsen, and Joel Sjöholm of Sweden.
With his victory, Rozner moves from 47th to second place in the Challenge Tour Rankings with Garcia Rodriguez in tied sixth position.

Final scores:

 Par 288 (4x72)

 275 A Rozner  (Fra) 69 73 67 66, 

 279 R Højgaard (Den) 71 67 71 70, M Simonsen  (Den) 69 69 70 71, A Ahokas (Fin) 70 71 69 69, J Sjöholm (Swe) 70 69 71 69, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 68 70 68 73, 

 280 R Roussel  (Fra) 72 70 70 68, A Meronk  (Pol) 71 69 74 66, 

 281 C Hill (Sco) 72 69 71 69, L Canter (Eng) 73 70 70 68, H Sturehed (Swe) 70 71 72 68, B Stow (Eng) 68 72 68 73, 

 282 M Armitage (Eng) 70 68 74 70, M Baldwin (Eng) 69 74 71 68, J Vecchi Fossa  (Ita) 69 74 69 70, E Ferguson  (Sco) 68 74 69 71, L Nemecz (Aut) 74 70 66 72, S Forsström (Swe) 70 70 69 73, J Dean  (Eng) 71 71 68 72, 

 283 D Stewart (Sco) 72 71 69 71, M Jordan  (Eng) 70 71 70 72, A Knappe (Ger) 72 70 72 69, 

 284 R Bland (Eng) 71 73 69 71, C Mivis  (Belgium) 71 70 72 71, T Linard (Fra) 69 74 71 70, M Wiegele  (Austria) 67 73 73 71, 

 285 B Rusch (Switz) 70 71 73 71, C Berardo (Fra) 72 72 69 72, G Porteous (Eng) 75 68 68 74, M Hoey  (Nir) 67 76 72 70, R De Sousa (Sui) 71 70 74 70, E Di Nitto  (Ita) 68 73 73 71, C Syme  (Sco) 71 69 71 74, W Besseling  (Netherlands) 71 73 73 68, 

 286 C Howie  (Sco) 71 73 68 74, J Senior (Eng) 71 73 70 72, S Henry  (Sco) 71 73 72 70, 

 287 F Mruzek (Cze) 69 70 73 75, T Murray (Eng) 71 73 72 71, A Garcia-Heredia (Spn) 72 71 71 73, M Schneider (Ger) 70 70 71 76, 

 288 R Cho (SKor) 71 69 71 77, C Blomstrand (Swe) 72 71 77 68, A Connelly (Canada) 72 70 73 73, D Perrier (Fra) 69 73 74 72, C Ross  (Sco) 69 74 73 72, 

 289 E De La Riva  (Spm) 70 71 74 74, S Fernandez  (Spn) 69 71 70 79, M Haastrup  (Den) 71 72 71 75, D Borda (Spn) 72 71 73 73, R Evans  (Eng) 72 71 73 73, K Johannessen (Norway) 69 75 71 74, G Bourdy (Fra) 71 72 76 70, 

 290 T Tree (Eng) 71 73 71 75, O Lindell  (Finland) 72 72 72 74, R Kakko  (Finland) 70 72 76 72, 

 291 F Nilehn (Swe) 71 71 76 73, J Thomson  (Eng) 76 67 73 75, L Robinson (Eng) 76 68 72 75, C Hanson (Eng) 71 71 78 71, J Erkenbeck (USA) 73 70 76 72, 

 292 R McGowan  (Eng) 75 69 75 73, L Weber (Fra) 71 73 74 74, 

 294 S Tiley (Eng) 70 72 72 80, 

 297 R McGee (Ireland) 70 74 79 74, 

 298 J Kolbing  (Ger) 69 72 71 86, 

Garcia Rodriguez eyes home victory in Spain Venue: Izki Golf, Urturi, Alava Province, Spain This image of Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez is displayed by courtesy of Getty Images.  Round three Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez will take a two-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the Challenge de España as he goes in search of his maiden European Challenge Tour victory. The Spaniard carded a round of 68, four under par, to break away from fellow overnight leaders Marcus Armitage, Rasmus Højgaard and Martin Simonsen, topping the leaderboard on ten under par total 206, as looks to become the fourth homegrown winner of the event as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Garcia Rodriguez’s best finish on the Challenge Tour was tied fourth at the 2015 Swiss Challenge, however, following his third consecutive round under par, he is in pole position to clinch his inaugural Challenge Tour title on home soil. The 30-year-old made a quick start to his third round with a birdie on the first hole before bouncing back from a dropped shot on the second with a gain on the third. Like the weather, Garcia Rodriguez’s putter remained hot as he made two more birdies to extend his lead ahead of the turn. With playing partners Armitage and Simonsen struggling, the Spaniard holed his fifth birdie of the day on the tenth before carding eight consecutive pars to end round three in pole position at Izki Golf.   “It was perfect,” he said. “My game was very solid, and I only had one bogey. The bogey was a three-putt, but I made a great birdie to bounce back from it, plus a few more, then made lots of pars. “To win would be special. There are so many good players here this week and there are two good players at eight under behind me, so I’ll take it hole by hole and see what happens tomorrow. “This course is so difficult, so it is very important to hit a good tee shot with my driver, which makes my second shot easier. The key to playing well here is putting and driving, because there is so much rough. “The key for tomorrow is the same feeling; good drives, good second shots and good putting.” Simonsen carded a two under par round of 70, including an eagle on the par five eighth to lie two strokes behind and remain in the hunt for his first Challenge Tour title. Joining the Dane in a share of second place is England’s Ben Stow, who signed for a round of 68, four under par, which included a birdie on the last. Sweden’s Simon Forsström, Højgaard of Denmark, and Frenchman Antoine Rozner are a further shot back on seven under par. While Lukas Nemecz shot the low round of the week with a six under par round of 66 to be one of five players four strokes off the leader. Scores after round three:  par 216 (3x72)  206 S Garcia Rodriguez (Spn) 68 70 68  208 B Stow (Eng) 68 72 68, M Simonsen  (Den) 69 69 70  209 A Rozner  (Fra) 69 73 67, S Forsström (Swe) 70 70 69, R Højgaard (Den) 71 67 71   210 S Fernandez  (Spn) 69 71 70, A Ahokas (Finland) 70 71 69, L Nemecz (Austria) 74 70 66, J Dean  (Eng) 71 71 68, J Sjöholm (Swe) 70 69 71  211 M Jordan  (Eng) 70 71 70, M Schneider (Ger) 70 70 71, R Cho (SKor) 71 69 71, G Porteous (Eng) 75 68 68, C Syme  (Sco) 71 69 71, E Ferguson  (Sco) 68 74 69   212 C Hill (Sco) 72 69 71, M Armitage (Eng) 70 68 74, D Stewart (Sco) 72 71 69, J Vecchi Fossa  (Ita) 69 74 69, J Kolbing  (Ger) 69 72 71, F Mruzek (Cze) 69 70 73, C Howie  (Sco) 71 73 68, R Roussel  (Fra) 72 70 70   213 C Mivis  (Belgium) 71 70 72, L Canter (Eng) 73 70 70, R Bland (Eng) 71 73 69, C Berardo (Fra) 72 72 69, H Sturehed (Swe) 70 71 72, M Wiegele  (Austria) 67 73 73,   214 S Tiley (Eng) 70 72 72, A Garcia-Heredia (Spn) 72 71 71, T Linard (Fra) 69 74 71, E Di Nitto  (Ita) 68 73 73, B Rusch (Switz) 70 71 73, A Knappe (Ger) 72 70 72, J Senior (Eng) 71 73 70, M Baldwin (Eng) 69 74 71, M Haastrup  (Denmark) 71 72 71, A Meronk  (Poland) 71 69 74  215 A Connelly (Canada) 72 70 73, E De La Riva  (Spn) 70 71 74, R De Sousa (Switz) 71 70 74, M Hoey  (Nir) 67 76 72, T Tree (Eng) 71 73 71, K Johannessen (Nor) 69 75 71,   216 J Thomson  (Eng) 76 67 73, L Robinson (Eng) 76 68 72, O Lindell  (Fin) 72 72 72, S Henry  (Sco) 71 73 72, R Evans  (Eng) 72 71 73, D Perrier (Fra) 69 73 74, T Murray (Eng) 71 73 72, D Borda (Spn) 72 71 73, C Ross  (Sco) 69 74 73   217 W Besseling  (Netherlands) 71 73 73   218 F Nilehn (Swe) 71 71 76, L Weber (Fra) 71 73 74, R Kakko  (Finland) 70 72 76  219 J Erkenbeck (USA) 73 70 76, G Bourdy (Fra) 71 72 76, R McGowan  (Eng) 75 69 75  220 C Hanson (Eng) 71 71 78, C Blomstrand (Swe) 72 71 77  223 R McGee (Irl) 70 74 79

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Hoey and Wiegele share lead on 67 in Spain Michael Hoey and Martin Wiegele share the spoils after day one at the Challenge de España following rounds of 67, five under par, at Izki Golf. The duo carded bogey-free front nines before finishing strong to leapfrog a congested leaderboard to take the lead by one shot at the end of round one in Spain. After missing the opening event counting towards the European Challenge Tour Rankings in Turkey due to illness last week, Wiegele showed no signs of time away from the course as he birdied the third and fifth holes en route to a blemish-free front nine. The Austrian made back-to-back gains on the 14th and 15th before carding a final birdie on the 17th to surpass the morning leaders and set the target at five under par. Hoey, playing two groups behind Wiegele, continued his surge to the top following his one under par front nine with a gain on the 12th to close the gap on the pacesetters. With five holes to play, the five-time European Tour winner carded back-to-back birdies before dropping his only shot of the day. However, he responded with two more gains to join Wiegele in the lead at the end of round one. With four players a shot behind and 13 a further stroke back, Wiegele was pleased to post a good round, especially in testing conditions. “I’m very pleased with a round like this, especially on a tough and tricky course like Izki,” he said. “I managed to get around without a bogey which is always fun, especially on a course like this. I really enjoyed today. “I was grinding well today. Hopefully I can keep that up tomorrow and play a little bit better than today and hit a few more excellent shots.” Hoey finished in a share of fifth place at last year’s Challenge de España, however, he knows he needs to maintain the intensity if he is to succeed this season. “I haven’t led a Challenge Tour event after round one for a couple of years, so I’m very happy,” he said. “I need to be aggressive going into tomorrow. Last year I had some good results – finished 25th on the Order of Merit – but you need really big finishes. “The greens are really good and they’re really quick and they’re breaking more. If you hit a putt to the high side it can die, so the putt on 18 always had a chance. The surfaces are really, really good and it’s enjoyable to putt on them.” Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez leads the Spanish charge as the 30-year-old carded two eagles amongst four birdies and four bogeys for a round of 68, four under par. The Madrid native sits one stroke off the leaders alongside Enrico Di Nitto of Italy, Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson and Englishman Ben Stow. Scores after round one:  par 72  67 M Wiegele  (Austria) , M Hoey  (Nir) ,   68 E Di Nitto  (Ita) , B Stow (Eng) , S Garcia Rodriguez (Spn) , E Ferguson  (Sco) ,   69 K Johannessen (Nor) , S Del Val (Spn) , M Baldwin (Eng) , J Kolbing  (Ger) , A Rozner  (Fra) , J Vecchi Fossa  (Ita) , T Linard (Fra) , C Ross  (Sco) , S Fernandez  (Esp) , M Simonsen  (Den) , J Cafourek (Cze) , D Perrier (Fra) , F Mruzek (Cze) ,   70 J Lando Casanova  (Fra) , R Santos  (Portugal) , E De La Riva  (Spn) , M Schneider (Ger) , S Tiley (Eng) , R Kakko  (Finland) , M Jordan  (Eng) , S Forsström (Swe) , J Sjöholm (Swe) , T Santos Silva  (Portuga;) , B Eccles (Australia) , A Ahokas (Finland) , M Armitage (Eng) , R McGee (Irl) , B Rusch (Sui) , H Sturehed (Swe) ,   71 F Nilehn (Swe) , T Murray (Eng) , M Lafeber (Netherlands) , L Weber (Fra) , D Berna Manzanares (Spn) , M Young (Eng) , T Tree (Eng) , A Meronk  (Poland) , M Haastrup  (Den) , D Van Driel  (Netherlands) , S Henry  (Sco) , M Cea  (Ita) , G Bourdy (Fra) , R Højgaard (Den) , R De Sousa (Switz) , M Ford (Eng) , C Mivis  (Bel) , W Besseling  (Netherlands) , J Dean  (Eng) , C Hanson (Eng) , J Senior (Eng) , C Syme  (Sco) , P Angles  (Spn) , O Lengden (Swe) , C Howie  (Sco) , L Jensen (Den) , R Cho (SKor) , R Bland (Eng) ,   72 M Iten  (Sui) , E Kofstad (Nor) , S Tarrio Ben  (Esp) , C Berardo (Fra) , B Virto  (Esp) , A Leitmannstetter  (Ger) , D Borda (Esp) , R Evans  (Eng) , O Lindell  (Fin) , M Kim (Kor) , B Poke (Den) , A Knappe (Ger) , E Jonasson (Swe) , C Hill (Sco) , A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) , R Roussel  (Fra) , F Aguilar (Chi) , A Connelly (Can) , D Stewart (Sco) , A Wejshag (Swe) , S Gregory (Eng) , C Blomstrand (Swe) , V Pastor (am) (Esp) ,   73 A Cockerill (Can) , C Sharvin (Nir) , M Fenasse (Fra) , M Manassero (Ita) , J Erkenbeck (USA) , B Neil (Sco) , K Hesbois  (Bel) , E Cuartero Blanco  (Esp) , L Canter (Eng) , M Ovesen (Den) , J Girrbach (Sui) , L Galliano (Switz) , R Sciot-Siegrist  (Fra) , C Lloyd (Eng) , D Cooke (USA) , H Joannes  (Belgium  74 A John (Ger) , M Orrin (Eng) , L Nemecz (Austria) , C Del Moral (Spn) , M Gradecki  (Poland) , C Pigem  (Esp) , C Koepka (USA) , G Havret  (Fra) , F Laporta (Ita) , G Boyd  (Eng) , P Mejow (Ger) , L Scalise (Ita) , J Geary  (Nzl) ,   75 N Tinning (Den) , R McGowan  (Eng) , N McCarthy  (Eng) , P Oriol (Esp) , J Glennemo (Swe) , D Huizing (Ned) , P McBride (Irl) , N Von Dellingshausen  (Ger) , A Hidalgo (Esp) , G Porteous (Eng) , R Dawson (Irl) ,   76 B Easton (SAf) , P Langfors (Swe) , D Boote (Wal) , G Petrozzi  (Eng) , A Hortal  (Spn) , J Thomson  (Eng) , A Daydou  (Fra) , F Bergamaschi (Ita) , C Braeunig   (Ger) , L Robinson (Eng) , C Gloet  (Den) , T Yamac (am) (Turkey) ,   77 U Coussaud (Fra) , S Gros (Fra) , J Sainz (Spn) , P Valasek  (Svk) , M Elvira (Spn) , O Raouzi (am) (Morocco ,   78 S Luna (Spn) , J Huldahl (Den) , I Cantero Gutierrez  (Spn) , J Segurola (Spn) , D Peacock (Nir) ,   79 O Gillberg (Swe) , M Murray (USA) ,   80 J Quesne  (Fra) ,   81 L Vacarisas (Spn) , M Trappel  (Austria) , J Pastor (Spn)                                                                      ENDS

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

SCOT CONNOR SYME WINS PLAY-OFF AGAINST LAPORTA FOR FIRST SUCCESS ON CHALLENGE TOUR

Connor Syme claimed his first European Challenge Tour title in style at the Turkish Airlines Challenge as he held his nerve to defeat Francesco Laporta in a play-off to triumph at Samsun Golf Club.

The duo played in the same group together for the second successive day and both carded five under par rounds of 67 to reach a 23 under par total, meaning extra holes were required to determine a winner.

Returning to the 18th hole, both players found the fairway with an iron off the tee before Syme hit a sensational seven iron approach to five feet and subsequently holed the birdie putt to win the first Challenge Tour Rankings event of the season.   

The 23-year-old was showered with water in celebration by his compatriots after securing victory and he believes this win justifies his decision to play in Turkey, and not in Morocco at the Trophée Hassan II.

“It’s massive, I’m absolutely thrilled,” he said. “A few people might have been thinking why I hadn’t gone to Morocco this week so it was good to justify my decision to come here and win. I’m absolutely delighted and it sets me up for the season so hopefully it’s just the start.

“Of all the holes, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to play 18 because I’ve not really got a club for it. I’ve got a five wood in the bag this week but that brings the bunker into play off the left, so I just had to hit four iron.

“I had 190 yards in regular play and it was right in between and eight and a seven for me because it’s a little bit down breeze, so I had to hit eight and try and draw it and didn’t quite get it right, so I holed a good putt for par.

“There in the play-off, I had 196 yards and it was very quick, I just pulled seven because it was the shot I’d been practising on the range and it was the right shot at the right time, so I’m delighted.”

With players shooting rounds of 11 under par and ten under par in the first three days, the course setup team set some testing pins for the final round, meaning scoring was more moderate and suited Syme’s game plan.

“The scoring has been crazy low the whole week and I had a feeling that I needed to get to 25 under par,” he said. “That was my target and I just wanted to play my own game but it’s just so difficult with the big leaderboards and you see people aren’t pushing as much as you possibly thought.

“I thought I had to get to 25 under par. The last few holes are challenging. I honestly thought last night that I was in the perfect position because the way the course is it’s so difficult to keep pushing all the time.

“When you’re ahead, it’s probably hard to keep pushing on so I was in a good position where I wasn’t sleeping on a lead. I was there still being able to shoot at a number and I was able to do that.

“I got a bit unlucky on 14 to make six; I was inches away from having a good opportunity to make birdie but I composed myself and made a really good birdie on 17 to give myself a chance.

“It was great to play with Francesco as well; we shot the same score and couldn’t be separated playing together two days in a row, so it was good that we finished with a birdie there to separate us.”

Dutch duo Wil Besseling and Darius van Driel shared third place on 22 under par following respective rounds of 65 and 67, while Mark Flindt Haastrup, who started the day in second place, and three-time European Tour winner Grégory Havret came tied fifth on 21 under par.

Overnight leader Adrian Meronk posted a one over par round of 73 to finish in a tie for seventh alongside English duo Gary Boyd and Matthew Jordan.

With victory in Turkey, Syme jumps straight to the top of the Challenge Tour Rankings with 32,000 points, while Laporta is second with 22,000.

The Challenge Tour now heads to Spain for the Challenge de España at Izki Golf, Urturi.

Final scores:
Par 288 (4x72)
265 C Syme (Sco) 65 67 66 67, F Laporta (Ita) 62 70 66 67
266 W Besseling (Ned) 66 68 67 65, D Van Driel (Ned) 64 69 66 67,
267 G Havret (Fra) 68 70 62 67, M Haastrup (Den) 67 61 68 71,
268 M Jordan (Eng) 68 62 67 71, A Meronk (Pol) 68 62 65 73, G Boyd (Eng) 67 66 68 67,
269 R Roussel (Fra) 67 65 69 68, E Cuartero Blanco (Spn) 68 70 66 65, T Tree (Eng) 65 67 68 69,
270 N Johansson (Swe) 65 71 64 70, O Lindell (Finland 68 67 68 67, R McGee (Irel) 66 66 67 71, A Schwartz (Fra) 69 65 69 67,
271 M Helligkilde (Den) 70 67 67 67, N Højgaard (Den) 70 68 65 68, J Brun (Fra) 68 65 67 71, B Stow (Eng) 70 64 63 74, M Lampert (Ger) 67 71 65 68, S Tarrio Ben (Spn) 70 66 64 71,
272 C Lloyd (Eng) 71 64 66 71, M Fenasse (Fra) 70 67 66 69,
273 C Berardo (Fra) 70 69 66 68, M Ford (Eng) 71 67 66 69, M Carlsson (Swe) 71 67 66 69,
274 J Kolbing (Ger) 66 72 65 71,
275 J Abbott (Eng) 68 68 69 70, V Riu (Fra) 66 69 71 69, A Knappe (Ger) 67 67 70 71, M Armitage (Eng) 68 71 67 69, S Heisele (Ger) 70 65 72 68, D Coupland (Eng) 67 69 68 71, J Wrisdale (Eng) 70 67 68 70,
276 C O'Rourke (Irel) 68 67 69 72, M Waite (Eng) 68 69 71 68, A John (Ger) 68 69 70 69, R Cho (SKor) 71 66 72 67, S Gros (Fra) 66 70 69 71, N Von Dellingshausen (Ger) 69 68 67 72, G Porteous (Eng) 68 66 71 71, R Enoch (Wales) 69 69 71 67,
277 M Simonsen (Den) 69 70 65 73, R Bland (Eng) 70 67 68 72, S Henry (Sco) 68 65 71 73,
278 A Arizabaleta (Col) 70 69 68 71, M Gaspar (Portugal) 69 68 70 71, L Nemecz (Austria) 69 69 70 70, A Rozner (Fra) 65 72 69 72, O Lengden (Swe) 72 66 71 69, S Tiley (Eng) 69 69 69 71, R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 66 65 70 77,
279 M Schneider (Ger) 69 69 69 72,
281 M Kim (SKor) 68 71 67 75,
282 P Maddy (Eng) 70 68 72 72,
283 M Keyser (SAf) 70 69 71 73,
284 R Saxton (Netherlands) 69 70 74 71, N McCarthy (Eng) 72 67 70 75,
291 D Foos (Ger) 69 70 75 77, 

Meronk is in Pole position at Turkish 

Challenge

Adrian Meronk will take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Turkish Airlines Challenge at Samsun Golf Club after posting a seven-under-par 65 on another day of incredibly high quality golf on the European Challenge Tour.

Meronk’s three-round total of 21 under par means he has a one-shot advantage over playing partner and overnight leader Mark Flindt Haastrup who carded a four under 68 for a 20 under par total, while English duo Matthew Jordan and Ben Stow are a shot further back on 19 under par.

The Pole immediately began building on his overnight total of 14 under par with a pair of birdies and an eagle on the front nine before posting four more gains and a single bogey on the back nine, meaning he will begin the final round one shot ahead of Haastrup, with whom he will resume battle on the final day.

It was another excellent day for Meronk, who recorded his only bogey on the 505-yard par four 16th hole.

“It was pretty solid again,” Meronk said. “I played good golf and didn’t make many mistakes so that was the key again.

“My plan was the same as every day. I changed the club for a couple of tee shots to stay out of danger but other than that, it was the same.

“The 16th is probably the hardest hole and definitely the longest of the par fours. The landing area for driver is pretty small. I hit a good drive actually but took the wrong club for the second shot and left it a little bit short of the green and just didn’t make up and down. It was still a good effort for a par and I couldn’t do much more.”

During the 2018 season, Meronk placed himself in promising positions on numerous occasions but was not able to close out victory, something he hopes will change on Sunday.

“I have been in this position before so I have some experience but I’m just going to try and play my game as best I can and try to enjoy it,” Meronk.

“I’ve been there before so I’ve seen my name on the leaderboard many times before and last year I wasn’t able to close it but I hope tomorrow will be the day I do. If not, that’s fine, we just move on.

“It would be great to win tomorrow. I don’t even want to think about it now; I just want to play 18 good holes tomorrow and see what happens.

“I’m just going to do the same stuff. I think my strategy is pretty good for this course and has been working pretty well this week so I’m just going to stick to it and not change anything.”

Grégory Havret carded the low round of the day, a sublime ten under par 62 to reach 16 under overall, before Stow posted a nine under 63 while Niclas Johansson and Santiago Tarrio Ben both signed for eight under par rounds of 64 to move into a tie for ninth ahead of the final day.

Meronk was one of five players to post rounds of 65, with Junior Ryder Cup star Nicolai Højgaard, Jonas Kolbing, Moritz Lampert and Martin Simonsen also taking advantage of scoring opportunities by carding seven under par rounds at Samsun Golf Club.  

Behind Jordan and Stow in tied third are first round leader Francesco Laporta and Connor Syme in tied fifth on 18 under par, both of whom posted six under par rounds of 66.

The final round will begin at 7am local time, with Meronk and Haastrup teeing off in the final game at 11.51am.

Scores after Round Three:
PAR 216 (3X72)
195 A Meronk (Pol) 68 62 65,
196 M Haastrup (Den) 67 61 68,
197 B Stow (Eng) 70 64 63, M Jordan (Eng) 68 62 67,
198 F Laporta (Ita) 62 70 66, C Syme (Sco) 65 67 66,
199 D Van Driel (Ned) 64 69 66, R McGee (Irl) 66 66 67,
200 T Tree (Eng) 65 67 68, J Brun (Fra) 68 65 67, S Tarrio Ben (Spn) 70 66 64, N Johansson (Swe) 65 71 64, G Havret (Fra) 68 70 62,
201 C Lloyd (Eng) 71 64 66, G Boyd (Eng) 67 66 68, R Roussel (Fra) 67 65 69, R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 66 65 70, W Besseling (Netherlands) 66 68 67,
203 O Lindell (Finland) 68 67 68, M Fenasse (Fra) 70 67 66, M Lampert (Ger) 67 71 65, A Schwartz (Fra) 69 65 69, J Kolbing (Ger) 66 72 65, N Højgaard (Denmark) 70 68 65,
204 C O'Rourke (Irl) 68 67 69, N Von Dellingshausen (Ger) 69 68 67, M Simonsen (Denmark) 69 70 65, M Carlsson (Swe) 71 67 66, D Coupland (Eng) 67 69 68, M Ford (Eng) 71 67 66, E Cuartero Blanco (Spn) 68 70 66, A Knappe (Ger) 67 67 70, M Helligkilde (Denmark) 70 67 67, S Henry (Sco) 68 65 71,
205 J Wrisdale (Eng) 70 67 68, C Berardo (Fra) 70 69 66, R Bland (Eng) 70 67 68, J Abbott (Eng) 68 68 69, S Gros (Fra) 66 70 69, G Porteous (Eng) 68 66 71,
206 A Rozner (Fra) 65 72 69, V Riu (Fra) 66 69 71, M Armitage (Eng) 68 71 67, M Kim (SKor) 68 71 67,
207 A John (Ger) 68 69 70, A Arizabaleta (Col) 70 69 68, M Schneider (Ger) 69 69 69, M Gaspar (Por) 69 68 70, S Heisele (Ger) 70 65 72, S Tiley (Eng) 69 69 69,
208 L Nemecz (Austria) 69 69 70, M Waite (Eng) 68 69 71,
209 O Lengden (Swe) 72 66 71, R Enoch (Wales) 69 69 71, R Cho (SKor) 71 66 72, N McCarthy (Eng) 72 67 70,
210 P Maddy (Eng) 70 68 72, M Keyser (SAf) 70 69 71,
213 R Saxton (Netherlands) 69 70 74,
214 D Foos (Ger) 69 70 75, 

Laporta sets pace in Challenge  Tour opener with a 62 in Turkey Francesco Laporta started the European Challenge Tour season in style as he carded four eagles in a ten under par round of 62 to lead the Turkish Airlines Challenge at the end of Day One. The Italian will take a two-stroke lead into the second day at Samsun Golf Club ahead of Darius van Driel on eight under par and Niclas Johansson, Antoine Rozner, Connor Syme and Toby Tree on seven under par. It was a day of low scoring in Turkey after the morning starters were forced to deal with a blanket of sea mist. Laporta was the one who took full advantage of the benign afternoon conditions. With eagles at the second, fourth, 14th and 15th holes, Laporta sets the Challenge Tour record for most eagles in a single round and equals the worldwide record, joining Gordon Brand Jnr, Mikko Ilonen and Li Haotong, who are the only men to card four in a single round on the European Tour. The 28-year-old admitted to being nervous as he made his way down the stretch but was delighted to better his previous career record of nine under par. “I played one of my best rounds ever today,” Laporta said. “It was my lowest round and now I hope to turn it into a good week. “My lowest score was nine under and I was already ten under on the 17th tee box and I made a drop there and then got a good birdie on the last hole. I was a bit nervous but it’s normal. “I chipped in twice and I made a two on number two when I holed it from about 15 yards. The other one was on 14 when I hit a four iron to about three yards and holed the putt. “I was a bit nervous on the last two or three holes but I really enjoyed the round.” Laporta is seeing his hard work in the off-season pay off, with his opening round in Turkey adding to his tied 11th place finish at the Jordan Mixed Open and his victory at the Italian Championship two weeks ago. “I played the Jordan Mixed Open and played alright and then I played two weeks ago at the Italian Championship and I won it,” he said. “It’s the first tournament of the real season, so it’s a good start. “I worked hard in the off season. I worked hard in the gym, I practised hard so let’s see what the rest of the season brings. “It’s another day tomorrow so I’m going to focus on that and forget this round. I want to be focused on the second round and not think too much about the first round.” Behind the quartet on seven under par is a group of seven players on six under par, with seven more making up the top 20 one shot further back on five under. The second round will begin at 7.20am local time, with Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon, Bryce Easton and Jack McDonald in the first group. Scores after Round One: par 72 62 F Laporta (Ita)  64 D Van Driel (Netherlands) 65 N Johansson (Swe) , T Tree (Eng) , A Rozner (Fra) , C Syme (Sco)  66 P McBride (Ire) , R McGee (Ire) , W Besseling (Netherlands) , J Kolbing (Ger) , R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) , S Gros (Fra) , V Riu (Fra)  67 A Knappe (Ger) , G Boyd (Eng) , B Spooner (Eng) , D Coupland (Eng) , R Roussel (Fra) , M Lampert (Ger) , M Haastrup (Denmark) 68 M Jordan (Eng) , J Stalter (Fra) , J Brun (Fra) , A Meronk (Poland) , R Kakko (Finland) G Porteous (Eng) , S Henry (Sco) , C Pigem (Spn) , M Waite (Eng) , G Havret (Fra) , M Armitage (Eng), C Hill (Sco), C O'Rourke (Ire) M Kim (SKor) , O Lindell (Finland) , J Abbott (Eng) P Angles (Spn) , A John (Ger) , E Cuartero Blanco (Spn) 69 M Schneider (Ger) , S Tiley (Eng) , P Widegren (Swe) , J Sainz (Spn) , D Stewart (Sco) , M Simonsen (Den) , M Gaspar (Por) , N Von Dellingshausen (Ger) , D Foos (Ger) , D Berna Manzanares (Spn) , S Valimaki (Finland) , A Daydou (Fra) , R Enoch (Wales) , R Saxton (Netherlands) , L Nemecz (Austria) , A Schwartz (Fra) , M Decottignies-Lafon (Fra)  70 A Saracino (Ita) , J Wrisdale (Eng) , B Stow (Eng) , B Virto (Spn) , R Bland (Eng) , S Tarrio Ben (Spn) , R Mansell (Eng) , P Maddy (Eng) N Højgaard (Denmark) , S Heisele (Ger) , A Arizabaleta (Col) , J McDonald (Sco) , M Fenasse (Fra) , M Helligkilde (Denmark) , D Huizing (Netherlands) , C Berardo (Fra) , P Eriksson (Swe) , M Keyser (SAf)   71 M Eriksson (Swe) , B Poke (Den) , M Carlsson (Swe) , B Neil (Sco) , S Matus (Cze) E Lipparelli (Ita) , F Mruzek (Cze) , H Sturehed (Swe) , F Nilehn (Swe) , N Møller (Denmark) , C Mivis (Belgium) , R Cho (SKor) C Lloyd (Eng) , J Davidson (Wales) , M Ford (Eng) , C Hanson (Eng) , J Kunzenbacher (Ger) , A Altuntas (Turkey) , B Neumayer (Austria)  72 O Gillberg (Swe) , H Ellis (Eng) , J Vecchi Fossa (Ita) , B Eccles (Australia) , C Gloet (Denmark) , M Iten (Switz) , N McCarthy (Eng) D Boote (Wal) , E Ferguson (Sco) , C Braeunig (Ger) , R De Sousa (Switz) , R Karlberg (Swe) , C Sharvin (NIre) , O Lengden (Swe)   73 A Ahokas (Fin) , S Fernandez (Spn) , G Stal (Fra) , C Ross (Sco) , A Wejshag (Swe) , J Rutherford (Eng) , D Perrier (Fra) , M Mohr (Eng) , B Easton (SAf) , P Cohen (Switz) , C Howie (Sco) , T Linard (Fra) , J Lando Casanova (Fra) , C Robb (Sco) 74 L Cohen-Boyer (Fra) , J Lima (Portugal) , M Gradecki (Poland) , S Forsström (Swe) , J Carlota (Portugal) , G Hurley (Irl) , J Glennemo (Swe) , M Eggenberger (Switz) , J Sjöholm (Swe) 75 H Joannes (Belgium) , H Sayin (Turkey) , F Lacroix (Fra) , L Scalise (Ita) , R Santos (Portugal) , J Shim (SKor) , J Huldahl (Denmark) 76 N Kimsey (Eng) , M Ovesen (Den) , N Tinning (Den) , F Dreier (Den) , J Caldwell (Nir) , R Dawson (Irl) , J Choi (am) (SKor) , 77 U Coussaud (Fra)  78 J Hrinda (am) (Slovakia)  79 B Karatas (Turkey) , A Olsen (Norway) , F Kök (Turkey) , I Aslan (am) (Turkey) , E Uyar (am) (Turkey) , T Yamac (am) (Turkey) 80 B Celik (am) (Turkey) 81 O Stark (Swe) , J Shepherd (Eng) , O Kaplan (am) (Turkey)

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS Wentworth Drive | Virginia Water | Surrey | GU25 4LX | UNITED KINGDOM