Italian Flavio Michetti was crowned champion of the Alps de las Castillas after completing a brilliant performance at Golf Lerma and finishing the tournament with a total of 24 strokes under par, two ahead of the Frenchman Theo Brizard (-22).
The day on Saturday began at 07:15 with the resumption of the second round, suspended on Friday at 17:16 due to a thunderstorm that forced play to be halted. Once all players had completed the second round, the cut was set and, immediately, the third and final day of the championship began.
Michetti, who was already sharing the lead at the end of the second round, confirmed his excellent form to claim the title with a total of 24 under par. The French Theo Brizard staged a great comeback to finish second at 22 under par.
At the end of the day, the champion was particularly pleased with a victory that, he explained, rewards the level of play he had been showing throughout the season. “Finally! I know I’m playing really well. Since the start of the year I’ve been playing at a great level; I’ve just focused on myself, kept working, pushing every day and staying strong mentally. The win has finally come”, he said.
Michetti acknowledged that the pressure was very present during the final round, although he highlighted the great performance of his putter as one of the keys to the victory. “Today I felt pressure. I didn’t play as well as yesterday or the day before, but the putt worked really well. I holed three putts of around ten metres. Last week, in La Gomera, I also played very well, but the putt wasn’t there. Here I played better and, at last, the putt responded”.
The Italian explained that the fight for the title remained very tight throughout the day, especially alongside his playing partner, Álvaro Hernández. “I kept an eye on the lead on every hole and also on Álvaro, who was playing very well. I made a bogey on the 15th after I flew the green and my lead was down to a single shot. Then I made a birdie on the last hole. I hit a great 2-iron to the green and there I felt much more relaxed”.
For Michetti, this victory also represents an important boost of confidence for the rest of the season. “My results weren’t reflecting how I had been playing this year, so this win gives me a lot of confidence for the final stretch of the season. Now I’m focused on the next tournament in Italy, keep working and enjoying it”.
Third place was shared by the Spaniards Daniel Berna Manzanares y Mario Galiano Aguilar, both at 21 under par, recording the best national result of the week and staying in contention for the title until the final holes.
Also delivering a great performance were Mason Essam, Alexandre Bauduin y Álvaro Hernández Cabezuela, tied fifth at 20 under par. Hernández, who had shared the lead after the second round, again finished among the best in a tournament in which he was always in the fight for victory.
In seventh position, at 18 under par, finished Javier Calles Román, Paul Franquet, Pedro Oriol and Augustin Barbe, while Marco Florioli and Felipe Gómez Díaz shared twelfth place with 17 under par.
The Spanish contingent was again a protagonist throughout the week, with 14 players finishing among the top 32 of a tournament that produced very low scores thanks to the good conditions of the Burgos course.
The Alps de las Castillas thus closes another edition at Golf Lerma, marked by a high level of play and by a highly demanding final day, in which the players had to complete the postponed second round before facing the final 18 holes of the championship.
