Xavier Poncelet carded a stunning 63 on his way to wining the BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas in Bulgaria, finishing six shots ahead of his nearest chasers.

His nine-under par round at BlackSeaRama was followed by a two-under par at Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort for his 11-under par total of 132.

“It was my first participation in the Pro-Am and my first time in Bulgaria. The three courses are really nice and the atmosphere of the whole week was perfect,” said Poncelet who battled after a family bereavement earlier in the week.

“It was a really good experience overall and in particular to spend time with my team this week that was made up of some great kids – if I have kids in the future then I would like them to be like these guys,” added the French PGA Member.

Three professionals tied for second place – Edouard Espana (PGA of France), Jordan Gibb (PGA of Spain) and Liam Murray (PGA of Spain) each finished on a five-under total of 138.

The Pro-Am is the second event of the new CPG International Series – an inclusive and innovative schedule of international tournaments in collaboration with its Member Country PGAs. Professional Winner, Poncelet, will receive an invitation to the Series Final, whilst all Professionals in the field will earn Order of Merit points that could eventually build to qualification for the Series Final.

Poncelet and his team of juniors – Tudor Bunea, Ivan Andrei and Ivan Ilinca – were victorious in the Team Pro-Am event played over three rounds with a total of 279 points.

Second place fell to Professional, Orhan Yilmaz (PGA of Turkey), and amateurs Cemil Sonmez, Kemal Taskinli and Ahmet Ozturk on 276 points, followed by Hugo Santos (PGA of Portugal), Alex Momchev, Georgi Zhelev and Plamen Bizhev on 275 points.

For more information on the 15th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am visit https://cp.golf/2023blacksearama

The CPG LI is designed to be a service for Member Countries to enhance their education programmes and offerings, as well as the creation, facilitation and sharing of resources and modules from volunteer coaching material through to higher education learning and specialisations and advanced further professional development opportunities that are now commonplace amongst PGAs.

Through significant collaborations with Member Countries such as the PGA of Canada and the PGA of Holland, the CPG LI will offer self-paced basic and advanced e-learning modules in areas such as golf operations, leadership, and coaching.

This educational content, tailored to meet the needs and requirements of Member Country PGAs both in terms of the content itself as well as language, will provide an invaluable resource for professional growth among PGA Professionals across CPG Membership exemplifying the CPG’s philosophy of Members working together to support and enhance each other.

Following substantial research and development, the provision of the LMS acts as not only the vehicle to provide education content, but also the administrative and delivery tools to manage education efforts – whether they be online, blended, or in person – across organisations’ memberships. The platform is already being used by the PGA of Croatia, PGA of Holland, PGA of Poland, and PGA of Ukraine, as well as the EDUGOLF Project, to facilitate the creation, delivery and administration of education.

Ian Randell, Chief Executive of the CPG, highlighted the significance of this new platform, stating, “The CPG LI epitomises our commitment to our Members by offering a centralised, comprehensive, and accessible platform for professional learning. We are excited about the collaborations with the PGA of Canada and the PGA of Holland, showcasing how our collective can work together across borders to support each other’s development.”

CPG Knowledge & Development Advisory Panel Chairman and CPG Board Director, Jonathan Mannie, added: “This new initiative marks a crucial stride in the CPG’s pursuit to provide clear and tangible value to its Member Country PGAs and their individual PGA Members. It also embodies the spirit of collaboration that characterises the organisation, as Member Countries work together to minimise duplication of effort through sharing of resources to increase efficiencies and opportunities.”

Member Country PGAs that utilise the resource can have a localised and branded interface of the platform set-up, use the system in their own education programmes and access chosen courses from other providers. They can either onboard their whole membership or allow individual PGA Members or Trainees to access the platform and the catalogue of available courses, with individual PGA Members only being able to access the Learning Institute through their National PGAs.

For more information on the CPG Learning Institute, contact Wojciech Waśniewski at ww@cpg.golf

Norway’s own Carl Didrik Meen Fosaas claimed his first professional title with a win at The International Pro-Am, presented by the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] and Sports Travel Group [STG]/Golf Traveller at Lily Country Club in Oslo, Norway.

A slower one over par start at Kongsvinger Golf Club was followed up by a stunning 66 at Miklagard Golf Club for a five under total and his first title since recently turning professional.

“I just graduated college [in the US] and this is pretty much my debut as a professional so it was really fun to compete in an event like this,” said Fosaas. “I didn’t feel too good before the round but we found a way and our team did great so the whole week was a real blast.”

PGA of Israel Professional, Asaf Cohen finished four shots behind at one under par, with PGA of Norway Professional, Christian Løvstad, at two over par in third place.

The International Pro-Am is also the first event of the new CPG International Series – an inclusive and innovative schedule of international tournaments in collaboration with its Member Country PGAs, with Professionals in the Pro-Am among the first to earn Order of Merit points that could eventually build to the Series Final.

Fosaas’ success continued in the Team Pro-Am event with amateurs Arild Karlsen, Jan-Kåre Østgaard, and Yat Fai Cheng taking home the team trophies at -28 for the event.

General Manager of Mikalgard Golf Club and PGA of Sweden Member, Mats Candinger and amateurs Paal Kjelsrud, Frode Mathiassen and Oliver Bugten, finished in second place on -22 alongside PGA of Poland Professional, Martyn Proctor, and amateur teammates Michal Szramowski, Malgorzata Szramowska and Lukasz Wejchert.

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For more information on The International Pro-Am visit https://cp.golf/2023international

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