The International Team Shield, a secondary tournament within the Championship for those PGAs with a membership of less than 100 Professionals, was successfully defended this year by the home team with a 10-over par total of (578).

PGA Professionals, Adam Kritikos (Captain) [pictured centre], Chryssanthos Diakou [left], Panayiotis Karantzias [right], competed alongside Croatia, Iceland, Poland and Slovenia, for the Team Shield, but were also able to secure a 10th place finish in the overall Championship itself.

“We are a small Association but it seems we have some pretty good players,” said Kritikos. “Defending our title is a real achievement for us and we all feel very happy to retain at home again.

“We are a developing golfing country so to be able to achieve something like this and create some awareness to inspire others is a great honour and hopefully we can get better and better over the years.”

For Full Final Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018-ITC

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The Annual Congress & ITC are partnered by Costa Navarino, and Aegean Airlines.

For updates, information and news visit the International Team Championship Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#ITC’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on the 2018 International Team Championship, visit the ITC Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC).

PGA Professionals Dennis Küpper (captain), Benjamin Frenzel and Dennis Lohrmann formed the PGA of Germany’s team, with Küpper also having captained the winning side in the 2016 edition of the Championship.

“It’s awesome to win – when you have good company and good guys like Benjamin and Dennis then you have a fun week and we played well,” said Küpper.  “I think the whole of Costa Navarino here is nice and gives us a good time and the Confederation of Professional Golf make it easy for us to enjoy it.”

“It is special to represent your country and play for a team,” added Lohrmann.  “99% of the time we are playing on our own, so to have teammates and to fight for, and with, them is great.”

This year’s Championship saw 22 teams made up of three PGA Professionals from across the Association’s Member Country PGAs, compete over 72 holes of strokeplay golf with the best two scores from three to count on each day.

The final round saw the PGA of Holland team, captained by Ralph Miller along with Mark Reynolds and Ruben Wechgelaer, tying for the lead with Germany early in the day at four-under par, and eventually taking the lead by one just after the nine-hole turn.

However, a birdie-birdie-par-eagle finish by the German Captain, Küpper, followed immediately with a birdie on the last hole by Lohrmann shot Team Germany to nine-under par, four shots clear of Holland.

With a three-under par total (565), the PGA in England team, despite having injury troubles among their Phillip Archer (Captain), Michael Ramsden and Adam Keogh lineup, were able to finish in third place for the Championship.

The International Team Shield, a secondary tournament within the Championship for those PGAs with a membership of less than 100 Professionals, was successfully defended this year by the home team of the PGA of Greece with a 10-over par total of (578).

PGA Professionals, Adam Kritikos (Captain) [pictured centre], Chryssanthos Diakou [left], Panayiotis Karantzias [right], competed alongside Croatia, Iceland, Poland and Slovenia, for the Team Shield, but were also able to secure a 10th place finish in the overall Championship itself.

“We are a small Association but it seems we have some pretty good players,” said Kritikos. “Defending our title is a real achievement for us and we all feel very happy to retain at home again.

“We are a developing golfing country so to be able to achieve something like this and create some awareness to inspire others is a great honour and hopefully we can get better and better over the years.”

For Full Final Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018-ITC

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The Annual Congress & ITC are partnered by Costa Navarino, and Aegean Airlines.

For updates, information and news visit the International Team Championship Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#ITC’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on the 2018 International Team Championship, visit the ITC Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC).

Having produced an opening round of Level Par (142), the Germans started their ITC challenge in T-5th with the PGA in Ireland. But a steady one-under par Round 02 allowed them to move to T-2nd before producing a strong two-under third round which took them to the very top of the leaderboard, one shot ahead of Team Holland and two shots ahead of Team Belgium, at four-under par (422).

“The week has been beautiful so far. The course is in such good condition and considering how much rain they had on the days prior to the tournament they have improved so much,” said Germany’s Captain, Dennis Küpper.

“The greens are not firm but they are fast, making it a lot of fun to play here, and the Confederation of Professional Golf are doing a good job so we are enjoying it.  I’ve had some good putts this week; the long game could be a bit better but there is room for improvement for tomorrow.”

Benjamin Frenzel added, “I didn’t play so well the first three rounds but I hope to be able to produce a good score for the team tomorrow and we will stay ahead of the rest of the field.”

The PGA of Holland, Captained by Ralph Miller with Mark Reynolds and Ruben Wechgelaer made an aggressive move up the leaderboard in Round 03.

Having started their round in T-7th at four-over par, a seven-under par Round 3 (139) placed them at the top of the leaderboard right until the very last hole where Germany then managed to jump ahead, resulting in a three-under (423) total.

At two-under par (424), and only two-shots behind the leaders, the PGA of Belgium sit in third place and, like the rest, will be putting on a fight in the final round to take the title.

For Full Round 03 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018-ITC

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The Annual Congress & ITC are partnered by Costa Navarino, and Aegean Airlines.

For updates, information and news visit the International Team Championship Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#ITC’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on the 2018 International Team Championship, visit the ITC Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC).

As the field battled the windy Peloponnese conditions throughout the day, the PGA of Germany Team, Captained by Dennis Küpper, with Dennis Lohrmann and Benjamin Frenzel, made a strong move, holding the lead throughout most of the day.

Meanwhile the PGA of Spain, Captained by Carlos Balsameda, with Carlos Gonzalez and Francisco Lagarto, also made an aggressive climb up the leaderboard from T-7th to T-2nd.

But Belgium’s steady level-par second round (142) was good enough to take the top spot on the leaderboard and enter Round 03 three strokes ahead.

“The team was fantastic – Nicolas played very well,” said Captain Watremez. “He shot two-under yesterday and two-under today so his game at the moment is great. Didier’s game was also very good yesterday whilst today he put on a fight.  Overall the first two days were very good and I’m very happy.”

“Before we came here I thought we had a good team; Guillaume and Nicolas won pretty much everything there was to win in Belgium this year so I knew they were playing very well,” added De Vooght.

“Yesterday was a good round, whilst today’s first nine were not as pretty, but I hung on in the back nine whilst I watched Nicolas hole putts…it’s easy to play behind him, he’s actually a very good motivator.”

For Full Round 02 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018-ITC

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The Annual Congress & ITC are partnered by Costa Navarino, and Aegean Airlines.

For updates, information and news visit the International Team Championship Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#ITC’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on the 2018 International Team Championship, visit the ITC Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC).

Teams of one Professional and three amateurs will enjoy a 54-hole Pro-Am format event that will showcase one of the best championship golf courses in the Baltic States, with Professionals competing for a prize fund of €20,000*.

Situated just 20 minutes outside of downtown Vilnius, the Vilnius Grand Resort is set within its own expansive grounds, surrounded by lakes and pine and birch forests, with a reputation built on warm hospitality and effortless luxury.

Situated among 350 acres of the resort’s beautiful grounds, the 6,312 meter, Par 72 golf course sits in a landscape of rolling hills, natural lakes and sand based fairways for an exciting, challenging game for every level of golfer.

Designed by distinguished golf course architect Bob Hunt, its modern design combines the best elements of Scottish Links with American golf course architecture and in 2009 was awarded the Annual Development of the Year award by Golf Inc. magazine and is a member of Preferred Golf, a collection of the world’s finest golf resorts.

The Vilnius Pro-Am 2019 will see golfers from around the world visit this developing golf destination that will place it firmly on the golf travel map.

There is no Pro-Am package fee for each participating professional bringing a team of three amateurs, and amateur packages start at €1,450, and include:

• 5 nights accommodation with breakfast
• 4 lunches at Vilnius Grand Resort
• 3 rounds of golf at The V Golf Club, and 1 Official Practice round
• Airport transfers
• Range balls and buggies
• Welcome Reception at The V Steak House Restaurant, Gala Dinner & Prize-Giving Ceremony, and varied social events throughout the week
• Unlimited access to The V Spa with discounts for treatments
• Access to Vilnius Grand Resort activities during the Pro-Am week
• And much more…

Lithuania has already begun to build its own golfing heritage with around 1,100 federation players and 7 courses around the country.

The PGA of Lithuania has been an active member of the Confederation of Professional Golf since 2014, and has seven professional members, all of whom have completed the Confederation of Professional Golf Initial Professional Education (IPE) programme and posses higher education degrees from the Lithuanian Sports University. The Confederation of Professional Golf have conducted a variety of golf development visits to Lithuania, starting with a Baltic Golf Summit where close neighbours Latvia and Estonia were welcomed to Vilnius Grand Resort. More recently Confederation of Professional Golf Golf Development Team Members have delivered further professional education and golf development advice on behalf of The R&A.

To find out more about the Vilnius Pro-Am, or for registration queries, contact Albert Zinevič at +370 656 08437 or albert.zinevic@vilniusresort.com.

For More Information and to Enter Visit http://eur.pe/2019Vilnius

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2019Vilnius), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#VilniusProAm’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Find out more about Vilnius Grand Resort at www.vilniusgrandresort.com.

*Based on 10 teams competing

With 22 teams from across the Association’s Membership, the prestigious 30-year old International Team Championship is a 72-hole team stroke play event with the two best scores from the team of three to count in each round.

The opening round saw team Sweden, captained by PGA Professional, Fredrik Larsson, alongside Henrik Johansson and Johan Gullstrand, take an early three-shot lead ahead of the PGA of Belgium.

“I couldn’t have asked for more than this start” said Larsson. “I had a decent round but my team did a really good job today so I’m looking forward for tomorrow.”

With the lowest score of the day amongst the entire field of players, Gullstrand’s own 65 (-6) contributed significantly towards the team’s total score – “I had a good day on the greens and a good day off the tee so it was fun to play today.”

“Tomorrow we’ll play as we have planned. We won’t make it too hard and will simply play shot by shot, hole by hole,” added Johansson who had an opening round of 71 (E).

In second at three-under par (139), the PGA of Belgium, captained by Guillame Watremez, along with Nicolas Vanhootegem and Didier De Vooght, laid the groundwork for a solid start to the 72-hole Championship, whilst the PGA in Wales and PGA of Denmark teams sit in third place at one-under par (141).

Among those playing in the Team Shield Category (for PGAs with less than 100 members), the PGA of Greece, captained by Adam Kritikos, with Panayiotis Karantzias and Chryssanthos Diakou, are currently leading with a total of one-over par (143).

For Full Round 01 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018-ITC

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The Annual Congress & ITC are partnered by Costa Navarino, and Aegean Airlines.

For updates, information and news visit the International Team Championship Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#ITC’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on the 2018 International Team Championship, visit the ITC Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018-ITC).

Grizot, who is also Vice President of the Fédération Française de Golf, will take up the role at the Association’s Annual General Meeting in November having just seen through his French Ryder Cup dream that was over 10 years in the making.

“I was delighted to receive the offer of becoming the Honorary President of the Confederation of Professional Golf,” said Grizot. “I hope my work with the Ryder Cup and Fédération Française de Golf, along with the experience and contacts I have gained throughout my career in business, will prove valuable to the Association as it advances its work for the benefit of golf internationally.

“I would like to congratulate George on his time as President, and I look forward to working with the Board, staff and Members of the Confederation of Professional Golf and playing my part in progressing the Association over the coming years.”

Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell, said, “Pascal’s passion, determination and commitment were at the very core of the success of the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris. The event exceeded the very high expectations and it will go down in history as the most successful Ryder Cup on many counts.

“We could not be more delighted that Pascal has accepted this role with our Association, and the respect that he has both within our sport and across wider industry will, I am sure, add so much to the Confederation of Professional Golf. I, along with our Board and staff, look forward to working even more closely with Pascal during this exciting chapter in the development of the Association.”

As President of the French Ryder Cup Committee, Grizot was at the forefront from the very start of the bidding process through to the successful conclusion when it was announced the Ryder Cup Matches would return to the continent for only the second time after the 1997 matches Valderrama in Spain.

This bid stemmed from his understanding of the perceptions of golf in France and the need to change them. Grizot adopted a bold strategy to build public enthusiasm for the sport by utilising the unique nature of the Ryder Cup to expose golf to a wide scale audience, and, having secured funding from the public and private sectors, as well as from the Federation’s own members, was able to beat stiff competition from five other countries.

As well as the hosting of the Matches themselves, the bid contained various developmental and legacy-focused activities – such as building 100 ‘petites structures’ or ‘urban courses’ closer to the population and the ‘Mon Carnet de Golf’ schools programme that introduces golf and the Ryder Cup to French schoolchildren – which have generated 17,000 new players and further educated and engaged the country.

Grizot’s background has always involved his two passions in life – business and golf. For 20 years he worked in setting up and buying major retail companies, followed by the founding and investment in various different industries across France both in and out of sport.

His strong golfing background comes from a successful playing career as an amateur with many individual titles to his name, as well as being the captain of France’s men’s teams for a number of years, presiding over the country’s maiden Eisenhower Trophy win in 2010 and their 2011 European Amateur Team Championship victory.

As Honorary President of the Confederation of Professional Golf, Grizot will follow in the footsteps of many influential figures including the aforementioned O’Grady and his fellow former European Tour Executive Directors, Ken Schofield CBE and John Jacobs, as well as fellow Frenchmen, Jean-Etienne Lafitte and Pierre Bechmann, and other influential golf figures such as Donato Di Ponziano, Sir Michael Bonallack OBE, Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, Manuel Agrellos, Heinz Fehring and Christer Lindberg.

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For more information on the Confederation of Professional Golf visit the cpg.golf, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

After a hugely successful hosting of the week in 2017, the Association’s flagship event will again showcase the prime sustainable destination in the Mediterranean that currently includes sanctioning of their Messinia Pro-Am and regularly hosting the Aegean Airlines Pro-Am.

Costa Navarino is experiencing an exciting time in its history having recently announced that two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup legend, José María Olazábal, will design the two new 18-hole courses at Navarino Hills that will overlook The Bay Course and the historic Bay of Navarino, set high above the coastline.

Costa Navarino, voted “European Golf Resort of the Year” for 2017 by IAGTO, is already home to one of the world’s premier golf destinations with two multi-award-winning 18-hole courses, The Dunes Course and The Bay Course, designed by Bernhard Langer and Robert Trent Jones II, respectively.

“We are extremely proud of the flourishing relationship that exists between the Confederation of Professional Golf and Costa Navarino,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell. “And hosting our Annual Congress and ITC for a second time is testament to this.

“Not only has our partnership been able to introduce PGA Professionals, amateur golfers and PGA representatives to the destination over a number of years, we have also formed strong friendships that make for a very prosperous partnership. We are looking forward to again showcasing this superb destination and its facilities to leaders of our National PGAs and the PGA Professionals that have qualified to represent their countries in the ITC.”

“We are excited to host once again the Confederation of Professional Golf’s flagship event at Costa Navarino, during a significant moment for us. We recently announced the development of two new golf courses that will complement and adequately expand the golf offering at the destination” said Stephanos Theodorides, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of TEMES S.A. – Developers of Costa Navarino.

“We look forward to welcoming the delegates and introducing them to what is fast becoming a leading golf destination, aided by the ideal climate and rich nature of the Messinian region”.

The Annual Congress sees representatives from the Association’s 38 Member Country PGAs come together for workshops, meetings, discussions and more to share success stories, ideas, feedback, case studies and various ways to advance their organisations and the sport as a whole in their respective territories.

The ITC runs at the same time as the Congress with three-person teams from across the Association’s membership competing over 72 holes for the Championship title and a secondary Shield title for emerging Member PGA Countries.

The Westin Resort Costa Navarino acts as the base for both events, concluding with the Gala Awards Dinner supported by Rolex, bringing Congress delegates and ITC competitors together in celebration of the annual award winners and the ITC Champions.

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The Annual Congress & ITC are partnered by Costa Navarino, the Ryder Cup European Development Trust, BMW and Aegean Airlines.

For updates, information and news visit the Annual Congress Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018AnnualCongress), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#AnnualCongress’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on the 2017 International Team Championship, visit the ITC Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018ITC).

The fifth edition of The Invitational Pro-Am, organised by Eligo Club, saw 44 PGA Professionals and tour Professionals, with 36 Tour wins combined between them, compete across the renowned Algarve-based Quinta Do Lago courses.

After a steady start, Cianchetti got himself to 11-under par through 45 holes, and whilst the European Tour’s Bradley Dredge and the PGA of Spain’s Manuel Quiros each dropped a stroke to finish at tied-fifth place, it was Colm Moriarty (PGA of GB&I) and Quinta Do Lago’s own Tomás Gouveia (PGA of Portugal) who both made late charges with a 67 (-5) and 68 (-4) respectively, to tie in second place with PGA of GB&I Professional, Liam Bond, on ten-under (206).

However, as the chasing pack chopped and changed, Cianchetti was able to hold his nerve to claim the title with a tap-in putt on the last hole.

“I played really solid this week, particularly the first two days which I concluded at 10 under par,” said the Italian at the end of his round. “Today I managed to shoot one-under par playing really well from tee to green. I didn’t make that many putts but at the end I won so I’m really happy.

“I knew my playing partner, Bradley Dredge, had won a couple of times on Tour so it was great to play with him and learn from him. I’m now going to play the qualifying school for Alps Tour and maybe get some invites next year on the Challenge and European Tours where I’ll try to do my best.”

In the Team Pro-Am event, pairs of 1 Professional and 1 Amateur battled it out over the 54 holes to claim the overall and daily team prizes, and it was Emanuele Canonica (PGA of Italy) and Vittorio Mangifesta who came out on top with an incredible 33-under par total (183).

Second place fell to Dan Ball (PGA of GB&I) and his partner, Jason Woodford, with a 25-under total (191), closely followed by Adam Sagar (PGA of GB&I) and Martin Ewins at 24-under (192).

Daily Team Winners:

• John Henry & Daphne Fagan with -10 (Day 1, Quinta Do Lago North)
• Colm Moriarty (PGA of GB&I) & Dale Brennan with -10 (Day 2, Quinta Do Lago Laranjal)
• Conor O’Neil & Greg Charlesworth with -11 (Day 3, Quinta Do Lago South)

For Full Round 02 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018Invitational

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For more information about The Invitational Pro-Am 2018, visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search ‘#TheInvitationalProAm‘ on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

More information on The Invitational Pro-Am 2018 is available at www.TheInvitational.eu.

Cianchetti negotiated the front nine of his second round on the Laranjal Course in a steady level par but turned on the magic on the back nine, finishing on six-under, and a ten-under par total (134).

“Today was a great day and I played really solid from tee to green,” said Cianchetti. “I hit every fairway except the last hole where I went in the water, but I was still able to make par. It has been a fantastic two days, and I am enjoying playing with my partner – I am looking forward to try and win this tournament in the final round.”

With a strong field competing in the event, the Italian has a variety of challengers just a few shots behind. Three players are in tied-second place on eight-under (136) – European Tour Professional, Bradley Dredge, PGA of GB&I Professional, Liam Bond, and PGA of Spain Professional, Manuel Quiros.

In the Team Pro-Am event, PGA of Italy Professional, Emanuele Canonica, and amateur partner, Vittorio Mangifesta, built on their strong opening 18 holes with a second round ten-under-par 62 and a 123 total (-21).

Three shots behind on 126 (-18) are Peter Gustafsson (PGA of Spain) and Lubo Minchev, whilst John Henry (EuroPro Tour) and Daphne Fagan are a further shot back on 127 (-17).

Seven teams sit within six shots of Canonica & Mangifesta as the third and final round takes place on the South Course at Quinta Do Lago.

For Full Round 02 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018Invitational

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For more information about The Invitational Pro-Am 2018, visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search ‘#TheInvitationalProAm‘ on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

More information on The Invitational Pro-Am 2018 is available at www.TheInvitational.eu.

Having gone out with a steady level par front nine, Gouveia birdied five of his last eight holes to take the lead at five-under (67) before heading into Round 02 that will be played on his home course, Quinta do Lago’s Laranjal Course.

“It was a very solid round. I started off well with a birdie on the second, then gave one away on the third, but played really well on the back nine where I had 5 birdies,” said Gouveia after his round.

“The course was playing tough, the pin positions were also tough which made it a bit tricky, but it was good and the course was in great condition. I didn’t know my playing partner before today, but she’s a really nice person, plays really well and she really enjoyed today.”

Only one shot behind are James McGhee (PGA of GB&I), Manuel Quiros (PGA of Spain), Luca Cianchetti (PGA of Italy) and England’s Jordan Gibb, each at four-under par (68).

In the team category, the team led by PGA of Italy’s Emanuele Canonica along with Vittorio Mangifesta got off to a strong start with an astonishing 11-under par opening round, one shot ahead of Professional John Henry and Daphne Fagan, and the PGA of Spain’s Peter Gustafsson along with Lubo Minchev.

Round 2 of The Invitational Pro-Am will move to Quinta do Lago Laranjal where more great scores are expected, before heading to Quinta do Lago South for Round 3.

For Full Round 01 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018Invitational

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For more information about The Invitational Pro-Am 2018, visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search ‘#TheInvitationalProAm‘ on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

More information on The Invitational Pro-Am 2018 is available at www.TheInvitational.eu.