© Getty Images Sport – Stuart Franklin / Staff
Spanish amateur José A. Sintes Navarro claimed victory with 200 strokes (68 66 66, -16) at the Red Sea Little Venice Open, surpassing professional golfers at the Sokhna GC (Course B&C, par 72) in Suez, Egypt. In the second event of the Alps Tour season, notable performances came from Enrico Di Nitto, finishing as runner-up with 201 strokes (67 67 67, -15), tied with fellow Spaniard Eduard Rousaud and Austrian Lukas Lipold, as well as Edoardo Raffaele Lipparelli, placing fifth with 202 strokes (66 66 70, -14), maintaining his position among the top 5 after finishing second last week in the Ein Bay Open.
Spanish golfer Borja Martin also finished with the same score.
Alps Tour, results
18-year-old José A. Sintes Navarro started from 21st place, then climbed to eighth in the second round, and ultimately surpassed everyone with a 66 (-6, six birdies) in the final round.
His performance was excellent, with the last 50 holes played without a bogey after making the only error at the fourth hole of the first round (double bogey), resulting in a total of 18 birdies. This marks the second consecutive victory for the Spaniards after Quim Vidal’s win last year.
Sintes Navarro showcased a change of pace in 2023, winning three significant amateur events: the Copa de Andalucía, the Campeonato de Madrid, and the Copa Nacional Puerta de Hierro. Due to his amateur status, he was only rewarded with the trophy, while Di Nitto, Rousaud, and Lipold received €4,100 each out of a total prize pool of €40,000.
Among other Italians, amateur Marco Florioli performed well, finishing tied for 18th place with 206 strokes (-10) alongside Francesco Santoni and Andrea Romano. Further back were Federico Livio, 25th with 207 strokes (-9), Cristiano Terragni, 31st with 208 strokes (-8), Manfredi Manica, 34th with 209 strokes (-7), Filippo Grossi and Flavio Michetti, tied for 35th with 210 strokes (-6), and Ludovico Addabbo, 45th with 214 strokes (-2).
In the Order of Merit, Frenchman Aymeric Laussot maintained the lead with 7,285 points, having won the Ein Bay Open and finishing 17th with 205 strokes (-11) on this occasion. Lipparelli remained third with 6,480 points, and Di Nitto sixth with 3,687 points.
The next event will also be in Egypt for the third and final tournament of the Winter Series, the New Giza Open (March 1-3) at the New Giza Golf Club in Cairo. 22 Italian players are registered for the event.
Source: Tennis World USA