EXEMPLARY ENGDAHL TAKES 5TH BLACKSEARAMA PRO-AM TITLE3 min read

The 5th BlackSeaRama Pro-Am 2013 was wrapped up in sublime style by PGA Professional, Henrik Engdahl, with three level-par rounds [72+71+72 = 215] ensuring his steady and consistent play was well rewarded with the first prize of €3,300.

The Swede, a member of the PGA of Sweden as well as the PGA of Greece and Head Professional at The Crete Golf Club, was clear of the competition after 54-holes of tournament play bettering second-place Austrian, Georg Schultes, whose two-over par 217 total [73+71+73], lead Italian, Akim Hassan’s four-over 219 [78+68+73].

“I feel fantastic – It’s my first visit to BlackSeaRama and it was great to play well in windy conditions but also across two great courses,” said Engdahl.

“I didn’t play that good around Lighthouse, but because it’s a shorter course and more friendly I managed to get a 71 there…then on the final round at BlackSeaRama I tried to play very conservatively, I know people make mistakes here so I thought if I can just put the ball on the fairway and be around the green in regulation then I’d be ok, and that’s what I did.”

The Pro-Am team lead by Bulent Karatas from Turkey, made up of Igor Malaev, Iuliia Malaeva and Viacheslav Malaev, shot to victory with a total of 267 points [87+87+93], followed by Spanish professional Junama Fuentes’ team ‘Latino’, of Razvan Marcu, Constantin Marcu and Corstian Vasilescu with 262 points [97+86+79]. Team Aphrodite lead by PGA of GB&I Professional and Teaching Academy Director at Aphrodite Hills, Cyprus, Danny Heard, and amateurs Matthias Geissler, Vitaly Rimmer and Steve Lee followed in third place with 260 points [89+89+82].

“This is the first time we have come to this tournament and we are really happy to have won…and of course we would definitely like to come back and defend next year,” said Karatas of his team’s win.

Play got underway at the Gary Player-design BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas resort in blustery but warm conditions in the event that makes its return to Bulgaria for the a 5th year, of which 4 editions have been Confederation of Professional Golf-sanctioned.

The weather conditions, combined with a more links-type setup than previously seen at BlackSeaRama, lead to an all-round difficult challenge for both the professional and amateur competitors, after which Engdahl lead the field by just a single shot with his opening level-par 72. However, the Pro-Am team of Fuentes was an exception to the rule of the day carding an outstanding 97 stableford points between them.

Round 2 saw players make their way to the other side of the separating fence to the neighbouring Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort. Friendlier conditions at the Par-71, Ian Woosnam-design layout, gave the teams a little less pressure, but not quite enough for the players to really attack the course. The day finished with the same top players in the individual and team competitions maintaining their positions atop their respective leaderboards. ‘Round of the day’ must also be credited to Akim Hassan, whose three-under 68 was enough to boost his chances for Round 3.

The final round of play returned to BlackSeaRama where the early starters were greeted with minimal signs of wind and high temperatures that would reach a scorching 34°C.

But the course kept its edge with only 3 Pro-Am teams posting 90-plus team scores, leaving the door open for Bulent Karatas and his team to come through with their 267 total, alongside Henrik Engdahl’s cool, calm and collected, level-par total.

“I’m very happy that we still managed to organise the event even in such hard economic times,” said Marko Stoychev, Deputy Managing Director of BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas. “This is the first BlackSeaRama Pro-Am where we have not had a sponsor but we had 19 teams which is great.”

“The tournament is a clear sign that golf in Bulgaria is getting more and more popular and that it has a future.”

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For more information on the Confederation of Professional Golf visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter search the Hashtag ‘#BlackSeaRama’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on BlackSeaRama Golf Club visit www.BlackSeaRama.com.