Frenchman Joël Stalter claimed his maiden European Tour victory in the Euram Bank Open in the Austrian Alps with fiancé Flora on the bag as he survived teeming rain to win. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JOËL Stalter overturned a four-stroke deficit to win his first European Tour title at the Euram Bank Open in the Austrian Alps.

The Frenchman finished two strokes ahead of Staffordshire’s Richard Mansell in the dual-ranked European Tour and Challenge Tour event.

Victory was even sweeter for Stalter, as he shared his success with his fiancée Flora, his caddie for the week.

Stalter, whose only other win came at the Swedish Challenge, in 2016, said: “Winning here… I can’t really put it into words.

“I have been in this situation a few times and was never able to really push through.

“My girlfriend was on the bag this week. She has done an incredible job. She kept me going. She’s definitely part of my success today.

“It was a horrible day in terms of the conditions. It was tough for everyone,” said the 28-year-old, who beat Wiltshire’s Ben Stow and Wales Oliver Farr in a play-off in Sweden, four years ago.

“The course played probably 1000 yards longer,” said Joel. “But my girlfriend had her smile on and just kept me going. We just had fun

“I was playing really well and I just really enjoyed it, even though it was a tough day.

“I didn’t know I was leading until the 13th hole. Then I took my chance and really pushed through.

“I feel like today is a tribute to the last two years of getting slapped in the face a lot. I just kept pushing and believing.”

Leader’s nerves over closing holes

STALTER admitted he “felt nervous” over the last two holes of the final round, as he and Flora were soaked by the rain falling against the spectacular backdrop of the Austrian Alps.

“I just tried to enjoy it as much as I could. It’s what we train for,” said Stalter, who lost his European Tour card in 2017 after graduating from the Challenge Tour following his maiden win.

“All the tough days… this is what makes up for it. I just tried to stay in my game and do my best. Obviously it worked out well.”

Stalter started the day chasing 54-hole leader and fellow Frenchman Robin Sciot-Siegrist.

But he moved ahead after a birdie on the 10th – his second of the day – after his compatriot played the front nine at Golf Club Adamstal in four-over par.

A bogey on the 14^th hole brought him level with Mansell, who was playing in the final group.

But Stalter responded immediately with a birdie on the 15th. And a nervous wait followed as he parred his final three holes, setting the clubhouse target at 14-under.

Mansell, making just his second European Tour start after debuting at last week’s Austrian Open, made a costly bogey on the 16th.

And that gave Stalter his first European Tour victory after battling the teeming rain. The win earned him a cheque for €76,823.

Luiten left to rue costly 10 on par five

SCIOT-SIEGRIST finished in third place alongside Sweden’s Christofer Blomstrand and Germany’s Alexander Knappe.

Another Frenchman – Julien Brun – shared sixth place with South Africa’s Garrick Higgo, and pre-tournament favourite Joost Luiten.

The Dutchman, with six European Tour wins to his name, was left to rue the five dropped shots when he took 10 on the par five seventh in Friday’s third round.

Last year Mansell was winning regularly on the PGA EuroPro Tour, earning him seven starts on the Challenge Tour, earning his card for 2020 by finishing 64th on the Race to Mallorca.

The former Novo Southeastern University NCAA champion said: “If you had asked me at the start of the week – would you take a second place finish on your own? Yes.

“But with four holes to play when you’ve got a one-footer to tie the lead, or if you could just birdie the last, it’s difficult to swallow.

“But I’ll be back again. I know I’ll have more chances, said the 25-year-old from Beau Desert Golf Club.

“This week has given me a lot of confidence going forward. I’m happy with where my game’s at so we’ll see what happens next.

“I am good enough. I think I’ve always known that. I’ve just been waiting for a result.

“Now I’ve got that I just have that confidence, so I can go ahead and play freely now. I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”

It was a good weekend for Hampshire’s Scott Gregory, despite finishing with a one-over par 71.

An opening round of 66, backed up by a pair of 68s, left. him in a share of 13th place and earned him €6,661.

•After the Austrian Alps, the European Tour moves to Close House, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the North East of England, next week for the Betfred British Masters.

It is the first tournament of the new six-event UK Swing which forms a substantial part of the reshaped 2020 Race to Dubai.

The post Why Stalter loves the Flora and fauna of Austrian Alps… in fact Euram can Bank on it appeared first on Golf North.

Min Woo Lee, who claimed his first European Tour victory in just his 19th start in the ISPS Handa Vic Open, joined sister Minjee Lee, who has won the women’s title at 13th Beach Golf Links twice in the last six years. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

MIN Woo Lee made history as he stormed to his first European Tour victory at the ISPS Handa Vic Open, on the same golf course where his sister won her first professional title six years ago.

Lee joined his older sister Minjee on the roll of honour at 13th Beach Golf Links with a final round of 68 to become the first brother and sister to claim the same title.

The 2016 US Junior Amateur Champion finished two strokes ahead of New Zealander Ryan Fox on 19-under par thanks to his final round of four-under.

Min Woo Lee said: “My sister and I winning the same tournament, it’s pretty special. I’ve got bragging rights now so it’s even better.”

Sister Minjee who finished two shots off a play-off in the women’s event, added: “I was super, super proud of him.

“It was really cool to just even be here with him, and even watch him the last two holes.

“Just to see him play, I haven’t really seen him play that much, so to be able to have a win here is really cool.”

And Min Woo Lee was equally happy. “I’m pretty proud of the way I played,” he said clutching the trophy.

“I thought coming in I had a really good chance because I was hitting it really good.

“But I think I impressed myself with the game this whole week. Hopefully I’ll have more of these over my whole career.

“I felt really comfortable just because if I did exactly the same as I did yesterday, I felt pretty hard to stop.

“I started off really hot out the gate and was pretty comfortable those last few holes. I got a bit nervy, but I’m pretty proud of the way I finished.

“I hit one shot at a time. It’s a cliché, but it’s just that,” added Lee “You can’t really worry about anything else.

“I hit it so well, I’d give myself nine-out-of-10 for ball-striking this week,” said the new champion, who admitted his sister’s two Vic Open victories had driven him on all week in a show of sibling rivalry.

“Coming into today I knew I could just stay calm and just hit every shot the same as the last three days.

“I was pretty calm until, you know, the last hole. I wasn’t nervous, just on my toes a little bit.

“I thought it’s a par five, straight downwind, the ball’s not going to curve much off the tee – stripe one down and I thought I had it in the bag from there.”

Minjee won the women’s ISPS Handa Vic Open – which has been played concurrently at Barwons Head for the last eight years – as an amateur in 2014.

She claimed the USGA Girls title in 2012, and they were the first brother and sister to claim the USGA junior championships.

It was two years ago this week that Lee gave the world notice of his talent by reaching the quarter-finals of the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth as an amateur.

He only just missed out on keeping his tour card at the end of 2019 having made back-to-back top fives early in the season after his debut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Lee picked up a cheque for €162,915 as the winner and moved to 41st on the Race to Duba.

•For full results in the Vic Open click here.

Order of Merit winner Ryan Fox believes his final round 64 was the best so far of his career

Fox run for 2nd title – ‘best golf yet’

RYAN Fox made his charge for a second European Tour victory on the back nine in the ISPS Handa Vic Open.

The Kiwi birdied the 16^th hole and carded his second eagle of the day on the 18^th for an eight-under par 64, setting the clubhouse target at 17-under.

Min Woo Lee – making just his 19th European Tour appearance since turning pro at the start of 2019 – started the day three strokes clear of playing partners Marcus Fraser and Travis Smyth.

Twenty-one-year-old Lee, who won seven amateur titles in Australia between 2013 and 2018, showed no sign of nerves as he birded three of his first four holes, including a chip-in on the first.

The Australian maintained his composure as winds gusted up to 30mph on the Bellarine Peninsula, with 10 consecutive pars before his fourth birdie of the day on the 15th hole.

Lee dropped to 18-under with a bogey on the 17th, but finished with aplomb as he birdied the 18th^h for a tournament-record score of 19-under par – and a special victory on home soil.

Fox, who won the ISPS Handa World Super 6 in Perth last year – and claimed the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit in 2019 – said: “That was probably the best round I’ve played in a tournament.

“I would not have thought 64 was out there at the start of the day. I think the only saving grace with this wind direction is you either play a hole straight down or straight into.

“I made a couple of eagles, which was nice. I hit a lot of shots inside of 15‑feet and made a couple of those, which is not really what you expect to do.

“I never really felt like I was under any pressure out there which, in conditions like this, that’s always nice.

Frenchman Robin Sciot-Siegrist matched Lee’s final round of 68 to finish in a share of third place with Australians Fraser and Smyth on 14 under, while Jake McLeod took sixth place on 12-under.

Challenge Tour graduate Sciot-Siegrist said: “I think I learned from yesterday. I thought I got angry quite quick.

“The conditions were tough and I think today I tried to keep it cooler and things went my way. It was a great day, I’m happy to finish on that.

“Two top 10 in four tournaments, I’m really happy. I’m happy to put points really quickly on the board, because I need them.”

Manchester’s Florida-based pro Sam Horsfield, who was in the first group of the day with Geoff Ogilvy, and women’s competitor Peiyun Chen, moved to seventh on 11-under, alongside fellow European Tour member Sami Valimaki, from Finland.

•Minjee Lee, who won her second women’s ISPS Handa Vic Open title in 2018, finished two strokes behind Hee Young Park, who overcame Hye-Jin Choi and So Yeun Ryu in a four-hole play-off to win her first LPGA title in more than six years.

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Californian John Catlin flew to Spain fresh from his Asian Tour win in Thailand in his bid to win a full European Tour card. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

AMERICAN John Catlin carded a flawless six-under par 65 to charge into an early lead at European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage, at Spain’s Lumine Golf Club.

Catlin came into the event less than a week after securing his fourth Asian Tour victory, in Thailand, and continued in the same form.

He recorded six birdies and 12 pars on the Lakes Course as he looks to secure an immediate return to the European Tour, having earned starts in 2019 via the Asian Order of Merit.

Catlin said: “It’s only one of six rounds and it’s definitely a nice way to start but there’s still a long way to go.

“I remember liking this track at last year’s event and the Hills was the course I definitely struggled on, so to come out and take full advantage of that was a good way to start.

“Winning my fourth title on the Asian Tour and to win in Thailand where I’ve been living for the past three years was a great feeling.

“I know if I can take care of what I can take care of then I’ve got every chance of contending and I’ve given myself the best chance possible.

“It’s been absolutely fantastic to compete in Europe. It’s made me a better golfer for sure.

“You can see the difference coming from the Asian Tour to the European Tour, which is the next step up and the margin of error is just that much smaller.”

The 29-year-old Californian admitted he relished the opportunity to compete in Europe for the first time this season.

His best finish was a tie for 12th at the Made in Denmark but knows there is still a long way to go before he seals his 2020 playing rights in the six-round contest in Tarragona.

Catlin will begin the second round with a one-shot advantage over a group of six players on five-under.

It includes 2018 Final Stage joint-champion Alejandro Cañizares, Dane Benjamin Poke, Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Finland’s Sami Valimaki, Sussex’s Toby Tree and Italian Lorenzo Scalise.

Poke, who finished 29th on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca last week, said: “It’s always nice to get off to a good start.

“It’s my first time at Final Stage and I’ve heard from some of the other guys, especially some of the Danes, how long a week it is.

“As always, tournaments are not won on day one but I’m certainly very happy to get off to a good start,” said the 28-year-old. “Hopefully I can continue in the same mindset.

“Coming from the Nordic Golf League last year and playing in Category 13 on the Challenge Tour, I felt like I had a good season by making it to the Grand Final.

“And from hereon in, everything I do this week is just a bonus. It’s quite a nice place to be, I think, and obviously you’re still trying to do as well as you can.

“The nerves are still going to be there because it means something to you,” added Poke.

“My goal is to take every day at a time and every shot at a time – it’s a cliché but that’s the thing.”

Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, who played the Challenge Tour after turning pro in 2004, but lost his European Tour card in 2013, said: “I haven’t been playing anymore, I’ve just been teaching golf.

“I went to First Stage just for fun and I made it to Second Stage – and now I’m here, so I’m back playing.

“I love playing golf. I played poorly at the end of my career so it was tough for me to play golf, and I didn’t even want to think about playing golf even with my friends.

“I wasn’t enjoying it very much but I haven’t played for a year or so, and I’m enjoying it much more, so that’s why I’m here, to have fun.”

Meanwhile France’s Robin Sciot-Siegrist, who narrowly missed out on his European Tour card after finishing 16th at the Challenge Tour Grand Final last week, is a shot back on four-under.

Sciot-Siegrist, who missed out on a European Tour card by just one spot on the Road to Mallorca rankings, said: “I’m really happy with what I did at the Challenge Tour Grand Final.

“I believe that for me, missing the top 15 was not a matter of how I played last week, it was other moments during the year. Last week was my best result of the year.

“Obviously I finished 16th, it was hard to swallow, two years ago I finished 17th – so it’s getting there. I’m improving every year.

“I’m playing this course that I know pretty well, so I just have to continue the way I have been, because it works.”

Sciot-Siegrist was joined on that mark by Germany’s Hurly Long and Italian Aron Zemmer, who won the European Tour Qualifying School Second Stage event at Club de Golf Bonmont, last weekend.

Nine years ago Frenchman Gregory Havret finished runner-up to Graeme McDowell at the US Open at Pebble Beach.

But after finishing 28th on the Road to Mallorca, 42-year-old Havret said after his first round: “It’s been a busy year since the Challenge Tour season began in Turkey.

The post Catlin arrives from Thailand with fourth win but really wants to graduate at Lumine appeared first on Golf North.

Italy’s Francesco Laporta followed up his win at the Hainan Open with a wire-to-wire victory at the Challenge Tour Grand Final, in Mallorca. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

FRANCESCO Laporta secured a wire-to-wire victory at the Challenge Tour Grand Final at Mallorca’s Club de Golf Alcanada.

And in doing so finished the season as the 2019 Road to Mallorca No. 1, overtaking Scotland’s Calum Hill, who could not add to his two previous Challenge Tour wins in 2019.

The Italian battled testing conditions, which delayed the start of the final round and caused a suspension in the morning, to post a closing level-par 71.

His six-under total was good enough to win the Grand Final by two strokes from Germany’s Sebastian Heisele and Frenchman Robin Sciot-Siegrist, who shared second place on four-under.

But Heisele made a putt for birdie at the last which would have handed Sciot-Siegrist solo second if he had missed – and the points to move the latter into the top 15 players,

Sciot Siegrist missed out on a European Tour card for 2020 by €1,419 in the end.

But it was Laporta’s second win in his last three starts after his victory at China’s Hainan Open last month.

Laporta joins the Challenge Tour Roll of Honour as Road to Mallorca No. 1, finishing more than 50,000 points ahead of Hill, who could only finish in a share of 27th, some 13 shots behind the champion.

Hampshire’s Richard Bland secured a return to the European Tour at the first time of asking by finishing third in the Road to Mallorca rankings, with Heisele’s tie for second place moving him up to fourth.

The 46-year-old Stoneham member – who earned promotion to the European Tour after his Challenge Tour Grand Final win in Bordeaux 18 years ago – will be looking to finally break his duck after more than 500 appearances without a maiden win at the top tier.

Adrian Meronk will become the first-ever Polish player to have full European Tour playing privileges in 2020 after finishing fifth on the rankings, while Lancashire’s Jack Senior and Robin Roussel finished sixth and seventh, respectively.

Early season wins at the Challenge de España and Prague Golf Challenge earned Antoine Rozner eighth place.

Graduation was secured by Royal Liverpool’s Matthew Jordan in his rookie season by finishing ninth, while Portugal’s Ricardo Santos, Northern Ireland’s Cormac Sharvin and Wales’ Oliver Farr finished in the next three spots.

Holland’s Rolex Trophy winner Darius van Driel and Scot Connor Syme, who won the season-opener at the Turkish Airlines Challenge, cemented spots 13 and 14.

Spaniard Sebastian Garcia-Rodriguez earned the final European Tour card by finishing in 15th position.

It was a nail-biting end to the day for the Spaniard, who posted rounds of 76 and 77 over the weekend.

Garcia-Rodriguez was forced to watch as Sciot-Siegrist missed a birdie putt on the final hole, before seeing Heisele get down safely for par in the final group of the day.

Had the German missed, Sciot-Siegrist would have finished solo second behind Laporta and leapfrogged Garcia-Rodriguez into the final graduation spot.

The Frenchman was only 1,369 points behind Garcia Rodriguez and he was followed by Ben Stow and Wil Besseling, who finished 17th and 18th respectively.

The first European Tour events the Class of 2019 will be eligible to play in will be the Hong Kong Open and the Alfred Dunhill Championship, which both take place from November 28-December 1.

•The third and final stage of the European Tour Qualifying School will take place at Lumine, in Spain, later this week, when another 25 cards will be up for grabs.

To see the results from stage two – play at Alenda Golf and Club de Golf Bonmont was distrupted over the weekend – click here.

The players who finished in the top 15 in the Road to Mallorca rankings who earned a European Tour card for 2020. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

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Royal Cinque Ports’ Steven Tiley shared the first round lead in the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in France after an excellent seven-under par 64. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

KENT’S Steven Tiley and Robin Sciot-Siegrist hold a one-shot lead at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge at the end of round one having carded bogey-free rounds of 64, to top the leaderboard on seven-under par.

Both players made seven birdies during their opening round at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil to share the lead ahead of French pair and European Tour winners Grégory Bourdy and Grégory Havret.

Tiley finished runner-up to wire-to-wire champion Richard McEvoy last year and continued his impressive form on the Le Vaudreuil layout, recording five birdies in his first eight holes.

The Royal Cinque Ports player maintained his consistency on the back nine with two further gains, including one of the 18th to join Sciot-Siegrist in the lead.

“I’m very pleased with today,” said Tiley, who is in his 11th season on the Challenge Tour and has earned his card at the European Tour Qualifying School twice, since turning pro in 2007.

“It’s been quite a struggle so far this year, so it was nice to come here and start like that,” said Tiley, who qualified for the 2004 Open at Royal Troon, as an amateur.

“If you can limit your mistakes in this game that always helps, so that helped in making a good start,” added the former Georgia State University graduate who played for England in 2004 and 2005.

Robin Sciot-Siegrist is looking to add to his sole Euorpean Challenge Tour win in 2017 at the Galgorm Resort & Spa Northern Ireland Open. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Sciot-Siegrist, winner of the 2017 Galgorm Resort & Spa Northern Ireland Open, got off to a quick start with back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes, before following suit with further gains on the sixth and seventh, making the turn at four-under.

The trend of consecutive birdies continued on the back nine, as the 25-year-old extended his advantage on the 12th and 13th and gained his final shot of the day with a delicate up-and-down birdie on the last to lead in the clubhouse at seven under par.

“It was a good round of golf and I played really well throughout the round,” said Sciot-Siegrist. “I made lots of birdies and played really well.

“I thought I was good off the tee and my putting was pretty good as well. I hit a lot of fairways and greens, which helped my chances with the putter, and overall, everything was great.

“It was one of those days where it was great to be on the golf course. The up-and-down felt really good because seven under is quite a low score.

“I was really happy to make the putt on 18 to keep momentum going into tomorrow and hopefully go as low as possible over the next few days.”

Bourdy, who is playing his first full European Challenge Tour season since 2004, signed for a round of 65 to sit one stroke off the leaders, while compatriot Havret lies a further shot back following his five-under round of 66.

The second round of Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge gets under way at 7:40am local time with Tiley teeing off at 9:10am and Sciot-Siegrist at 1:30pm.

•Follow lives scoring today and over the weekend here.

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