Andrea Romano (-19) has been crowned champion of the Fred. Olsen Alps de La Gomera after delivering a sensational final round of 63 strokes (-8) at Tecina Golf, allowing him to finish the tournament with a total of -19 and achieve his second professional victory of the season in just a month.
The Italian has shown a great level of play at key moments, resisting the push from the Spaniards Javier Barcos and Álvaro Quirós (-17), who tied for second place just two strokes behind, with rounds of 63 and 65 strokes, respectively. Both Romano and Barcos signed the best scorecards of the day, offering a high-level competitive tournament finish.
Romano has thus prevented the eighth victory of the season for Spanish golf. Despite this, there are only good words for the Italian, a well-liked player on the circuit who, by the way, enjoys producing music and DJing in his free time, a hobby that helps him unwind and think about things beyond golf. By all accounts, quite an artist with the mixing desk.
Romano was enthusiastic as soon as he was crowned champion on the island of La Gomera: “I started very well, I knew I had to play very well to win because there are good players and the course allows a lot. I did the long putts very well, the short ones are more complicated due to reading the breaks. I knew I was playing well, but not so well for 8 under par in 9 holes. I only missed one shot, so very happy. I came with a lot of confidence after playing very well in the Italian Open and said, if I play well here, I can do very well in the Alps Tour. I need one more victory and I will try,” Romano assured.
Javier Barcos was close to victory, two strokes behind, with 17 under par in shared second position with Álvaro Quirós. A great week for the Navarrese, achieving a very valuable result for the season ranking after his victory in the New Giza Open. “Very happy, I started like a shot in the first round, hitting very good shots and putts. After the second round, it was a bit more difficult, and in the last three holes, the putts that could have made the difference didn’t drop. In the next tournament at Pinaillas, I am going to win. Very happy with how the season is going and let’s see if we can finish it as well as it started because, in the end, it’s not how you start but how you finish
Álvaro Quirós achieved a great second place tied with a great week of golf with rounds of 65, 66, and 65 strokes for 17 under par total. “Actually, I didn’t lose the tournament, but someone else won it. I did my job very well. It was a good round again, missing little, shots with a lot of sense, it’s hard to say I’m happy being behind someone else, but yes, a super positive week for me. I’ve been hitting the ball very well for a long time, now it’s just about combining it with an acceptable level of putting. The most immediate on my schedule is Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, and the Netherlands in the HotelPlanner Tour. Hopefully, I can repeat in another Alps,” Quirós explained.
Paul Margolis (-15) finishes fourth alone with -15, after a solid round of 66 strokes, just missing the podium at Tecina Golf. In the shared fifth position is a group formed by Álvaro Hernández Cabezuela (-14), a great local reference, along with Jerry Ji, Theo Brizard, and Gianmaria Rean Trinchero, the 2023 title defender.
Meanwhile, Alfonso Buendía, co-leader after the second round, finished the tournament in ninth place tied (-12), after an irregular round of 70 strokes (-1) with four birdies and five bogeys, far from the sensations he showed in previous days.
Special mention to Pedro Gallegos, who has been crowned best amateur of the tournament, finishing 18th tied in his debut with the professionals in the Alps and in La Gomera, with rounds of 69, 69, and 66 strokes. The young player from RACE, who in August will head to the United States to begin his studies, highlighted the help of his brother Javier Gallegos, a great connoisseur of the course: “I am quite happy, I played very well thanks to the strategy my brother and coach, who knows the course very well, told me to be conservative. I hit it quite well and that’s why I made -5. My idea was to gain experience and prove to myself that I could compete with the pros. I was surprised by how well-prepared they are, their routines, and staying present on the course, seeing that all strategies are valid on the course, there isn’t just one.”
In the Order of Merit of the Alps Tour after the La Gomera tournament, the Italian Jacopo Vecchi Fossa maintains the first place, Álvaro Hernández recovers the second position, while Javier Barcos is third thanks to being second this week. Calles is fourth and the winner in La Gomera, Andrea Romano, climbs 8 places and enters the top 5, within the promotion spots to the HotelPlanner Tour.
The next stop on the Alps Tour calendar will be the Alps de Las Castillas from 9-11 July at the Club de Golf Las Pinaillas (Albacete), designed by Severiano Ballesteros.
Check the final results of the Fred. Olsen Alps de La Gomera
