18 holes to conclude the season in the Alps Tour and the stakes are incredibly high. More excitement is impossible.
Javi Barcos (-12) remains the leader of the Grand Final of the Alps Tour taking place in Parma. The player from Navarre stays at the top and it seems that no one will take away the honour of finishing the year by winning the Order of Merit. The two who could do it, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa (-6) and Quentin Debove (-2), will head into the decisive round six and ten strokes behind, respectively.
Anything can happen, but the reality is that the solidity with which Javi has been performing in recent weeks suggests that the deal is sealed. That said, it’s golf, and many things can still happen. For now, Barcos is walking firmly not only towards the final leadership of the year but also towards his third victory of the year. Quite an achievement for a player who is playing his first full season as a professional.
However, the focus is not entirely on that battle. There are many things at stake, and the one who has turned the final upside down is called Javi Calles (-7). On the first day, it seemed he was out of the fight for one of the two cards still to be decided. Let’s remember he arrived seventh in Parma, but with an initial round of +3 and second to last on the leaderboard, it seemed he was saying goodbye to any chance. Nothing could be further from the truth. This Friday, he delivered a card of ten under par and has thrown himself back into the fight. In what a way. He was down and has fought back to stay afloat with his chances intact.
The player from Madrid has placed fifth on the leaderboard, tied with Asier Aguirre (-7) and ahead of Ronan Mullarney (-6), the two players who currently hold those access spots to the HotelPlanner Tour that are yet to be decided. This move is still insufficient for Calles to close the 1027-point gap he has with Mullarney.
The Irishman is eighth with three other players and would currently earn 1620 points, compared to Calles’ 2250, who is fifth tied with Asier. He would need just 400 more points. A solo third place would suffice, or for Mullarney himself to lose ground in the final round. Asier is also hanging by a thread, although the reality is that everything continues as it was before the tournament started.
Things have become very complicated for Álvaro Hernandez Cabezuela (PAR). The Canary Islander delivered a card of 74 strokes, bringing him back to par for the course. He heads into Saturday seven strokes behind the two Spaniards who currently seem to be his two main rivals. He will need a final round similar to Javier Calles’ this Friday… and perhaps even that won’t be enough for the two-time champion this year on the circuit.
18 holes for the season to end in the Alps Tour… who offers more?
