Ball-striking superiority, slick putting and a touch of Italian flair got Alessandro Tadini over the line in the 14^thAegean Airlines Pro-Am, as the PGA of Italy professional claimed victory at Costa Navarino and with it the €7,000 winners’ cheque.

On a day that failed to follow the script, with unexpected downpours and a three-way battle that failed to materialise, Tadini kept to the storyline in the final round as overnight leader by shooting a faultless 69 (two-under-par) and expand his winning margin to six shots for the tournament (200 total):

“I played very solid for three days – my long game was fantastic and after practicing hard at my putting I began to hole some this week. It’s never easy leading a tournament, but I drew on my experience from previous wins and competitions to calm these nerves and seal victory”

Compatriot Federico Elli and round one leader Steve Parry also battled admirably in the difficult conditions to share runners-up spot on six-under-par for the week (206 total). This also capped off a fine summer for Elli, who has now finished 1^st, 2^nd, 2^nd in his last three events on the Pro-Am schedule.

In what was the final round of the team event on day 2, Team Burrows (pictured below with amateurs Dorin Mateiu, Anca Mateiu and Ionut Georgescu) took the title with a second-round score of 91 points (-19), totalling 187 points (-43) over the two days and pipping Team Heraty by three points.

The event has also attracted an array of well-known celebrities in the past from across the sports, events, entertainment industries, with singers Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden attending last year. This years Pro-Am played host to French footballing legends Christian Karembeu, Antoine Kombouare and Laurent Blanc, who showed transferable sporting talent by finishing runners-up in the team event as part of Team Heraty!

Aegean Airlines Team Champions Team Burrows, with Katia Avramidou President of the Organising Committee Aegean Pro-Am & Legal Counsel, Aegean Airlines S.A. and Ioannis Paraschis, CEO Athens International Airport

The Aegean Pro-Am has been a mainstay on the Pro-Am schedule since its inauguration and this year’s edition proved to be the most successful yet, with 62 Professionals competing for an overall prize fund of €70,000, during a week full of entertainment, celebration and golf, in Messinia in the southwest Peloponnese, amidst one of the most unspoiled and breathtaking seaside landscapes in the Mediterranean.