Lucas Fallotico has won the Spanish International Amateur Championship at Real Club de Golf El Prat.
The Italian player finished in a tie for fifth in the stroke play qualifying, earning him the number-five seed for the match play stages.
Successive victories of 2up and 1up earned the Italian a spot in the quarter-finals, and a match with Enrique Marin Santander, who knocked out defending champion, Jose Luis Ballester, in the previous round. Despite losing the first hole, Fallotico recovered well to claim a 4&3 victory and progress to the semi-finals.
Covid-19 preautions at RCG El Prat ©Spanish Golf Federation
Fallotico would face Swiss player, Robert Foley in the penultimate round. The Swiss player had not found himself behind in any of his first three matches in the tournament.
The semi-final was a close encounter, with the Italian and Swiss players all-square after 16 holes. Foley won the 17th hole, but Fallotico recovered immediately, winning the 18th and 19th holes to book a spot in Sunday’s final.
Fallotico would face French player, Paul Margolis in the 36-hole final. The Frenchman had impressed in the stroke play stage, finishing with the second lowest total score.
Margolis won the first hole in the final, but found himself four holes down by the 14th. Victory on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes took him within one of his Italian opponent, and the match eventually went all square after 22 holes. The French player gained ground on the first nine of the second round, and was able to take a two-hole advantage into the final four holes.
Margolis would slip up with successive bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes however, and couldn’t match Fallotico’s birdie on the 17th, meaning the Italian would head down the last hole of the match with a one hole advantage. Pars from both players on the final hole meant Fallotico became the first Italian player to claim the Copa SM El Rey title.
The full results from the stroke play and match play stages of the Copa SM El Rey can be accessed here.
Lucas Fallotico with the Copa SM El Rey trophy ©Spanish Golf Federation
After shooting an eight-over-par round of 80 in the first round of stroke play qualifying, Carla Bernat Escuder sat in a tie for 69th place at Real Club Sevilla Golf, 37 places behind the cut line in the Copa SM La Reina. A second round 70 (-2), 10 shots better than her first round, lifted her into 28th position, securing a spot for the match play stage by a single stroke.
Wins of 5&4, 1up and 3&2 against fellow Spanish players, Lucia Lopez Ortega, Andrea Revuelta Goicoechea and Maria Herraez Galvez, earned Bernat a place in the semi-finals.
Lucie Malchirand, a former Junior Vagliano Trophy player, would be Bernat’s opponent on the penultimate day. The French player earned the number-one seed for the match play stages after topping the stroke play qualifying.
Lucie Malchirand ©Spanish Golf Federation
Despite being one hole down on the 12th tee, Bernat recovered to win the match 2&1, and progress to Sunday’s final.
Fellow Spanish player, Julia Lopez Ramirez, was Bernat’s opponent in the final match. After making the turn two holes down, Ramirez won the 11th and 12th holes to take the match back to all square. Bernat quickly recovered however, claiming two holes of her own, and was able to wrap up the match, and the championship, on the 17th hole.
The full results from the stroke play and match play stages of the Copa SM La Reina can be accessed here.
Carla Bernat with the Copa SM La Reina trophy ©Spanish Golf Federation