A stacked Irish contingent tee it up on the Alps Tour this week as the satellite tour heads to Miglianico Golf & Country Club in Pescara for the Abruzzo Alps Open.
This event has a stellar winners list with Italian ace Guido Migliozzi winning this event back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 while England’s Matt Wallace also took home the trophy in 2016.
Most Order of Merit leaders are teeing it up this week after the Alps Tour took a two-week hiatus with the top-5 all competing and all current winners this season are in town to bid for their second titles.
Conor Purcell and Gary Hurley headline the Irish act as they look to continue their impressive starts to the season while Jonathan Yates, David Carey, James Sugrue, Simon Bryan, Paul McBride and Michael Young are also in the field.
Purcell tees off ranked 5th in the Order of Merit after an electric start to his Alps Tour campaign. A bout of food poisoning cost the Portmarnock man a place at Q-School but he has taken full advantage of his invites thus far with a runner-up and fifth-place finish as well as two top-15s in five starts.
West Waterford’s Hurley has also enjoyed a positive start to his season and is currently 16th in the Order of Merit heading into the week.
David Carey of Darwin Escapes narrowly missed out on promotion to the Challenge Tour last term finishing 12th in the final Order of Merit and he arrives in Italy looking to kickstart his season after a slow opening period.
Carey is 56th in the Order of Merit as it stands and needs a few big weeks to push himself into the promotion mix. Paul McBride is ranked just one spot below.
Jonathan Yates has enjoyed a solid start to his campaign. The Naas professional has enjoyed success in the Portmarnock Winter Series in between Alps Tour events and will be hoping he can bring some of his form into this week.
Yates has been steady if not spectacular with one top-10 and one top-25 finish in five starts.
Former Amateur champion James Sugrue arrives off the back of three missed cuts after posting a 25th place finish on his first start in Egypt.
The Mallow native has not had the opportunity to play regularly since turning professional during the height of the Covid pandemic and is yet to find his groove on the Alps.
Simon Bryan is looking to get over a disappointing start to his season while Michael Young makes his first start of the season.
This is the 8th edition of the Abruzzo Alps Open and Miglianico Golf & Country Club has been the host course of this event since its inception. The course has some picturesque views surrounded by vineyards and olive groves while some strategically placed bunkers and lakes help frame the layout.
15 different nationalities will tee it up on Wednesday with the players battling it out for a €40,000 prize fund.
- Full entries HERE
Leave a comment