Hugh Foley secured his first top-three finish as a professional at the Alps Tour’s New Giza Open, making it two top-10 finishes in his first three starts on the HotelPlanner Tour feeder circuit.
The former West, North, South and Irish Close Championship winner began the final round just one shot off the lead and birdied two of his opening six holes, but an untimely bogey on the par-5 ninth hole saw him fall four shots behind.
Two more birdies on the back nine saw him move to -13 overall and he’d end the day and week sharing third position with Spaniard Juan Salama Monsalve.
Another Spaniard in Javier Barcos and France’s Quentin Debove were paired together in the final group and shot matching five-under 67s and were forced to duel it out in a playoff for overall glory. Barcos had looked poised to complete a regulation victory when he birdied the 15th – his seventh birdie of the day – to move two clear, but a double bogey on 16 tied it all up again. But he’d make no mistake in the playoff and the rookie pro moves to number two on the Alps Tour Order of Merit.
Debove’s consolation is that his runner-up finish – his second in successive events – lifts him to the top of the rankings and into early pole position in the race for the five HotelPlanner Tour cards on offer.
A bogey-free five-under from Robert Moran saw him climb into a tie for 10th on -10, while Ronan Mullarney closed out with a 70 to finish 19th on -7.
A disappointing back nine saw John Murphy drop back to -6 overall and end the week tied for 23rd.
A two-and-a-half week break follows before the Alps Tour resumes with the Tunisian Open on March 20th.
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