Bernd Ritthammer wins the 2009 overall standings
German professional Jochen Lupprian has won the Fulda EPD Tour Championship, the last tournament of the 2009 season of the RENAULT EPD Tour. His fellow countryman Bernd Ritthammer, who lost the play-off, received the RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit in the overall standings. Along with Ritthammer, the Dane Steen Ottosen, Sebastian Buhl (Germany) and the two Dutchmen Floris de Vries and Richard Kind skilfully finished in the top 5 and gained their tickets for the Challenge Tour 2010 / Final results / Final Order of Merit
By Matthias Lettenbichler (story & pictures)
 Hünfeld/Germany – “At first I couldn’t really be happy, because I had after all just lost the play-off. That was a peculiar feeling, because my most important goal was to win overall, and I did manage that. Of course, I’m now very happy about it!”
Bernd Ritthammer had mixed feelings in the minutes after the last putt of the final round. On the one hand, at the 2nd extra hole, he had just allowed Jochen Lupprian from Burghausen to get ahead and win the tournament and had let what would have been his third season victory slip from his grasp with a bogey against Lupprian’s par. On the other hand, a few minutes earlier, the 22-year-old PGA golf professional had, at this 18th hole, bagged overall victory in the RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit and pushed his major rival, the Dane Steen Ottosen, into second place in the final ratings for the year. It was an exciting and – in the final phase – even dramatic final tournament of the 2009 RENAULT EPD Tour.
 After only two runs through the Fulda EPD Tour Championship, which offered 33,000 euro in prize money, it had become apparent that the top 5 on the ranking list were not going to be pushed from their places: the two Dutchmen Floris de Vries and Richard Kind, German Sebastian Buhl, the Dane Steen Ottosen and Bernd Ritthammer also played impressively in the 18th tournament of the season, formed part of the top group in Hünfeld and did not have to worry that Christopher Trunzer or Lee Corfield, their closest pursuers according to the rankings list, might catch up with them. At no point these two were able to get themselves into a genuinely promising position. So on the final day, at the Hofgut Praforst golf club, everything came down to two questions: who can win the tournament and take home 4,814 euros in prize money, and who can take overall victory for the 2009 season?
And soon only three players in the top flight were in the running as possible winners of the tournament and the tour: Jochen Lupprian, Steen Ottosen and Bernd Ritthammer fought a determined, high-class battle against each other. The lead changed hands constantly, sometimes Ritthammer was ahead of Ottosen – and therefore on course for overall victory – sometimes Ottosen was ahead of Ritthammer – with the prospect of finishing the 2009 season in first place. And although Jochen Lupprian no longer had any chance of winning the tour trophy, he was usually one or two strokes in front of the two other players and steered a course to the title in the last tournament of the year.
 Then the crazy finale: Lupprian arrived at the 18th tee box of the Championship parcours at 9 under par for the tournament, Ottosen at 8 under par, and Ritthammer recorded 7 under par. At this point Lupprian almost had the tournament title in the bag, Ottosen the overall trophy – and Ritthammer would have gone empty-handed – if all three managed the shot hole at par. But far from it! Both Lupprian and Ottosen only hit the bunkers in front of the green with their approaches and each played a double bogey at this par 4 hole!
Ritthammer on the other hand played the par with a 6-metre putt – and thus became the firm winner of the RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit 2009 as well as the playoff opponent of Jochen Lupprian in the fight for tournament first place. This was finally taken by Lupprian, who prevailed at the 2nd extra hole with a par, once again on the 18th green of the Hofgut Praforst golf club.
With that, Jochen Lupprian added 4814 euro to his 2009 earnings and celebrated a tournament victory again after four years and topped up his confidence. As the overall winner of the RENAULT EPD Tour 2009, Bernd Ritthammer receives the ticket for the European Challenge Tour 2010 and can tee off there with a lot of confidence. As can Steen Ottosen, Richard Kind, Sebastian Buhl and Floris de Vries, who in the end occupied the 2nd to 5th places in the final ranking list and thereby also managed to climb into the 2nd league of Professional Golf in Europe.
Final result of the Fulda EPD Tour Championship >>>
Final 2009 RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit >>>
Show-down: The winner takes it all in Huenfeld
Will it be German professional Bernd Ritthammer or Steen Ottosen from Denmark? This turns out to be the question concerning the 2009 overall victory of the RENAULT EPD Tour. After two rounds of the season’s final tournament, the Fulda EPD Tour Championship in Huenfeld/Germany, Ottosen (-8) is one shot ahead of Ritthammer. That would be enough for him to also secure himself the overall win of the 2009 RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit
by Matthias Lettenbichler
 Huenfeld – The plot of the final event of the 2009 season could not have been more thrilling than what happened on the sportive stage of the Golfclub Hofgut Praforst in Huenfeld/Germany so far: After 36 holes of the last tournament of the season Steen Ottosen, N°2 of the RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit, is leading by one shot over Bernd Ritthammer, the up to date leader of the rankings. If Ottosen wins the tournament he is also the great triumphator of the whole year, if Ritthammer takes the tournament’s title he will also take home the season’s trophy.
As the two Dutchmen Richard Kind an Floris de Vries on ranks 4 and 5 as well in the tournament as in the Order of Merit are on a perfect way to clearly defend their Challenge-Tour-spots, it is all about the overall win in Huenfeld, and it seems clearly a question of Ritthammer or Ottosen: The winner takes it all.
The leaders tee off at 9:50 on Sunday, together with Jochen Lupprian, Germany, who shares 2nd place with Ritthammer. And Lupprian could make the final decision of this year very tough: If he wins and Ottosen is 2nd, Ritthammer 3rd - then Ottosen takes the overall trophy ba a 93 euro margin... . All to be decided at the great Show-down on Sunday in Huenfeld.
65! Bernd Ritthammer shocks his competitors
No doubt: This man is most willing to not only finish the 2009 season of the RENAULT EPD Tour in the overall pole position, he also want’s to do that in style by winning also the last event of the year. Bernd Ritthammer, N°1 of the RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit; shot a flawless round 65 on Friday on the 1st day of the 2009 Fulda EPD Tour Championship in Huenfeld/Germany, the last event of the season
by Matthias Lettenbichler
 Huenfeld – Obviously it is not by chance at all that Bernd Ritthammer, 22 year old professional from Gunzenhausen/Germany, is the N°1 of the up to date RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit. After winning already two events this season, he is also leading after the 1st round of the Fulda EPD Tour Championship, the final event of the 2009 season. With a flawless round 65 on the par 72 course of GC Hofgut Praforst in Huenfeld, he shocked all his competitors who might have seen a little chance to take pole position themselves on Sunday afternoon.
But other than last year when he finished 15th and the year 2007 when he missed the cut in Huenfeld, Ritthammer was most precise with all of this shots on Friday and let no doubt that he is reaching out for the overall crown.
2nd place is taken by another professional from Germany, former Asian Tour player Jochen Lupprian (picture on the right) from Burghausen, who came back to the clubhouse with 66 stokes on his scorecard having made six straight birdies. 3rd place is shared by Dutchman Richard Kind and Steen Ottosen from Denmark, No 4 and 2 in the rankings, and therefore no major changes in the RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit are in sight. And that is also because even Floris de Vries from the Netherlands is in contention this week and finds himself in 5th position at the tournament as well as in the Order of Merit.
 And finally also Sebastian Buhl, N°3 of the season so far, is not in danger to loose too many points: he is ranked 7th after the 1st round of the Championship in Huenfeld. Buhl by the way was shocking his competitors, too on the 1st day of the 22,000 euro tournament: He let his fellow countryman Max Kramer cut him a bald head – as he had promised after his maiden victory at the Valley Classic tournament in Munich in August. Let’s see if the new style will influence his game on Saturday, when the second round of the Fulda EPD Tour Chanpionship will be teed off at 9 a.m. by starter Bernd Kraft. pictures: Stefan Heigl & Leo Lenz/golffoto.de
Exciting final of the 2009 RENAULT EPD Tour
With the Fulda EPD Tour Championship at the Hofgut Praforst Golf Club, the last tournament of the 2009 season and the last chapter of the race to the Challenge Tour 2010 is starting on Friday
by Matthias Lettenbichler
Huenfeld/Germany – The stage is ready for the last act. The Hofgut Praforst Golf Club in Huenfeld near Fulda, Germany, is in excellent condition, all of the top players have reported for duty and at the top of the field one thing is clear – nothing is certain. The best conditions, therefore, for an exciting final to the RENAULT EPD Tour 2009, for a brilliant final encounter which starts at 8.30 am on Friday morning with round 1 of the Fulda EPD Tour Championship. There is no cut at this tournament which continues to Sunday evening, taking in three rounds and 54 holes, at the end of which it will finally be clear which five players have made the leap to the Challenge Tour this year. At the end of every season of the RENAULT EPD Tour, five second league tickets are given to those professionals who were able to win the biggest share of prize money during the course of the season.
 At the 18th and last tournament of the season starting on Friday, Bernd Ritthammer, of Gunzenhausen, Germany, tees off as the leader of the RENAULT EPD Tour Order of Merit, in flight together with Steen Ottosen (Denmark) and Sebastian Buhl of Bogen, Bavaria, Germany, who currently occupy 2nd and 3rd places in the rankings.
Having gained an unassailable lead over the following pack, the leading trio have already qualified for the Challenge Tour 2010. Bernd Ritthammer has so far earned 22,534 Euros, Steen Ottosen 21,467 Euros and Sebastian Buhl, 19,649. For these three, this tournament is all about being the overall winner of 2009.
The two Dutchmen Richard Kind (19,020 Euros) and Floris de Vries (18,043 Euros), in places 4 and 5, can’t rest on their laurels, however, and will both have to give their all at this year’s last tournament if they intend to secure their places in the top 5 and qualify for the Challenge Tour 2010.
 Nipping at their heels is German Christopher Trunzer in 6th place, this year’s winner of the Augsburg Classic and at 16,996 Euros just 1,000 Euros behind de Fries. If he wins in Huenfeld or takes second place in front of de Fries, Trunzer could be guaranteed a place in the top 5. Lee Corfield of England, and Marcel Haremza in places 7 and 8 also theoretically stand a chance, although they would have to emerge as winners at the 18th green of the Hofgut Praforst GC on Sunday evening to be able to squeeze out any of the competitors who are currently in front of them.
“We can certainly look forward to exciting final tournament in Huenfeld with the character of a real championship, since only the best players are permitted to join the event and compete for the attractive prize money and to realise their last chance of making it into the top 5”, explains Rainer Goldrian, Director of the RENAULT EPD Tour. In contrast to recent years, there is no wildcard at this year’s tour final, with qualification being determined via the rankings alone. The top 60 are ready to start and are putting their skills to the test on a course which has now served as the location for the season final for the last four years in a row. “This sense of continuity and our superb long term collaboration with tournament sponsors JOB AG guarantee the tournament a real show down at the weekend”, enthuses Rainer Goldrian.
And another thing that will guarantee excitement, starting from the first tee: on the first day of the final tournament, the players will start according to their rankings and in rounds 2 and 3 according to their scores. This means a direct comparison of the competing players is possible right from the start. Bernd Ritthammer wants to defend his lead at all costs, and celebrate finishing at number one spot in the rankings on Sunday evening. He can succeed – but only as long as he keeps his Flight competitors Ottosen and Buhl at bay.
“Of course I want to defend top place” he says “I’m going to attack every shot and give it my all out there again!” To achieve his goal, however, the 22 year old is going to have to improve his performance at Huenfeld markedly in comparison with previous years: last year Ritthammer came in 15th and Buhl 4th, and in 2007, Ritthammer failed to make the cut and Buhl was third. Buhl, third in the rankings, therefore has a good record on the Huenfeld course, while Ritthammer hasn’t come to grips with it so well. And don’t let us forget Denmark’s Steen Ottosen who is starting at Huenfeld for the first time. With these factors in mind, the battle for 1st place in the overall rankings could once again be very exciting.
This year, the total prize money for the Fulda EPD Tour Championship has been increased by ten percent to 33,000 Euros, with the additional 3,000 Euros going to the players finishing at places 41 and below. The winner receives 4,841 Euros, second place, 2,784 Euros, while third place gets 1,624 Euros. Any amount of material, therefore, for guessing games before the first tee. But we won’t know for certain who qualifies for the 2010 Challenge Tour in the 2nd league of the international Professional Golf in Europe until the last putt has been played. Photos: Stefan Heigl / Leonhard Lenz / Matthias Lettenbichler/golffoto.de
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