Prusice/Poland – Who will be the first double winner of the 2021 season and at the same time the new No. 1 of the Pro Golf Tour Order of Merit? That was the question after 53 holes of the Gradi Polish Open by Emeralld 2021, when professional Marco Iten from Switzerland and German amateur Nick Bachem teed off on the 18th hole of the picturesque Gradi Golf Club in Prusice, Poland. With a birdie on 17, his third birdie on this hole in the tournament, Nick Bachem had just moved to 15 under par and regained sole leadership; Iten was 14 under par, but he had birdied hole 18, a par 3, in each of the first two rounds.

"The flag was extremely difficult today on the 18th; Marco played perfectly in the middle of the green, but still needed two putts," reported Nick Bachem a little later, when he, like his playing partner, had made par at the end and thus secured victory in the 6th tournament of the Pro Golf Tour 2021 perfect for himself. For the German top amateur, reigning European Team Champion with Germany, this is already the second success of this Pro Golf Tour season: in April he had won the Red Sea Ain Sokhna Classic in Egypt. With now 10,985.57 points, he also takes over first place in the rankings.

"It's time for me to turn pro and take home the prize money as well as the points," said Nick Bachem with a laugh as he accepted the winner's trophy of the 30,000 euro tournament. 5,000 points for the Pro Golf Tour Order of Merit were credited to him, the top prize money of 5,000 euros went to Marco Iten.

"The final round didn't really go well for me," said Bachem, "I didn't have my lengths well under control and I'm actually surprised that I'm still in front now."

After rounds 1 and 2 he had led the competition by two strokes, but in the final round he had an exciting battle with Iten and Lang, especially on the way back to the clubhouse. In the end, he narrowly relegated both to second place and received the winner's trophy.

Turning pro in just a few more days

Bachem's move to the professional ranks is now actually imminent: next week he will once again and likewise for the last time compete as an amateur for Golf Team Germany when the German team competes as defending champion at the European Team Championships in Spain. "Immediately after that I will turn professional, and of course I will then continue to play on the Pro Golf Tour and try to win a third time," says Bachem.

That would be equivalent to a direct promotion to the European Challenge Tour in 2022.

The European Amateur Team Championship is also the reason why he will miss next week's Karolinka Golf Park Matchplay, when his Pro Golf Tour colleagues will compete from 5 to 8 July at the Karolina Golf Park in Kamień Ślaşki in Poland.