Day one of the Alps Tour Q-School 2024 First Stage kicked off on Thursday across three venues in the Italian countryside. A total of six Irish pitched up across Golf Club Le Fonti, Golf del Ducato Parma – La Rocca and Conero Golf Club for the first of two days in their hunt for a place in the final stage at Golf Nazionale and Terre dei Consoli GC next week.
GC Le Fonti welcomed Karl Goodwin and Andrew Browne for their opening salvo of the week. Goodwin was away from the 10th for his first round and struggled through his opening nine with four bogeys and just the one birdie, seeing him turn on three over. He battled back on his homeward leg with two grabbed back from the course on the third and sixth holes. These were handed straight back however, with a pair of bogeys on the bounce. Goodwin finished off on plus three and in a share for 32nd spot. Browne had a day to forget. A bruising +15 [86] sees him down the order and will look to put it right heading into Friday.
Golf del Ducato Parma – La Rocca provides the office for Paul Eivers and Liam Power this week with the two still in the mix on a high scoring day in Parma. Both were away from the first tee in the morning with Eivers coming out best of the Irish pair after a solid outward nine of two-under-par. His back nine was a rollercoaster with three more birdies, punctuated by three doubles and a single bogey at the last. His three-over [75] sees him tie 24th overnight.
Liam Power could have been forgiven for packing up and going home after his outward nine of a double and five single bogeys with just the one birdie to show for his efforts. A gutsy fightback on his back nine was to follow though, as we went on to claw five back on his way home. His six-over [78] puts him in a share of 38th spot after a battling back nine.
GOLF DEL DUCATO PARMA LEADERBOARD:
Conero GC is home to Brandon St. John and Tom Dowdall this week, and they have put up the strongest challenge of the Irish contingent so far. St. John’s one-under [70] day sees him sitting pretty in tied fifth position and in great shape heading into day two. He is just two shy of the lead, held by France’s Mathieu-Froncois-Mir on three-under-par overnight. Dowdall too is well placed heading into Friday after a neat and tidy round of 72 [+1]. He shares 12th spot and sits just four back and within striking distance on day two.