Gasplmayr Captures Faldo Series Title in Austria

Austria’s Michaela Gasplmayr edged out Martijn Horters of the Netherlands on count back to claim the second Faldo Series Austria Championship. Three more Austrian players will join Gasplmayr and Horters at the Faldo Series Grand Final in the USA.

“I am very happy that I have won and beaten all the boys,” said the 20-year-old. “I am really looking forward to the USA now, learning from Sir Nick and competing against the other top players from Europe.”

Joining Gasplmayr (-1) at the seventeenth Faldo Series Grand Final at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, USA will be Martijn Horters of the Netherlands (Boys’ Under-18) and Philipp Hermann (Boys’ Under-16) who both won their age-groups in Waidhofen an der Thaya to qualify for the Faldo-hosted World Amateur Golf Ranking event.

The final two spots in the Grand Final went to Philipp Raggl and Katharina Baratta-Dragono, runner-ups to in the Boys’ under-18 and Girls’ divisions respectively.

Supported by The R&A, ISPS Handa and the European Tour, the 2013 Faldo Series Europe schedule features a record 20 tournaments in 15 countries including six in England plus others in Ireland, Abu Dhabi, Chile, the Czech Republic, Scotland, Austria, Wales, Brazil, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia, Greece and the USA.

Established in 1996, 40 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in 30 countries worldwide with more than 7,000 golfers participating each year.  Past winners include Major Champions Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng.

In September 2014, Faldo will begin taking students at a full-time residential academy for education and golf development in America.  The first ever Faldo Series Academy in Casa Grande, Arizona marks another significant step in the programme’s history.

Leading final scores: Boys’ Under-18: 215 – Martijn Horters (NED) 71-71-73; 220 – Christopher Fisher (AUT) 76-71-73.  Boys’ Under-16: 222 – Philipp Hermann (AUT) 76-74-72; 228 – Philipp Raggl (AUT) 77-76-75.  Girls’ Under-21: 215 – Michaela Gasplmayr (AUT) 74-69-72; 228 – Katharina Baratta-Dragono (AUT) 77-71-80.