Félix Mory put on a masterclass in the mountains. The French golfer got the better of Santiago Tarrio in a playoff to claim his 2nd title on the HotelPlanner Tour, and first since 2021. We get to know rising star Joshua Berry, and take in all that our host venue, Golf Sempach, has to offer.
heat [Music] [Applause] heat [Music] we’re a month into the Hotel Planetour’s European swing and the class of 2025 are settling well to life on the continent two stops in Spain delivered firsttime winners while a familiar face emerged with the silverware in Denmark this week we’re headed for the mountains and the 21st edition of the Swiss challenge it’s not the first time Golf Seac has been on hosting duties although its last turn was preandemic there are two 18hole layouts here but the Swiss challenge will be played on the Woodside course covering a total distance of just over 6 1/2,000 m it’s the longest championship course in Switzerland a beast indeed but with breathtaking views like these it’s impossible to ignore the beauty here too and taking in all the natural splendor that Switzerland has to offer is our featured player this week a real rising star in the game hi I’m Josh Bry and um I’m 20 years old and I’m from South Yorkshire my dad used to play he got down to a five handicap and um he’s definitely a big part of why I started playing golf he took me to the driving range and yeah I’ve just loved it ever since I hit that first ball to be honest it’s been quite the journey since those early days spent at the range with his father with two top 10s on the DP World Tour and a win on the Hotel Planet Tour this year and all this after he rose to prominence as an 18-year-old amateur bursting onto the scene at Q School a couple of years ago i went to Q school with no expectations really the first time in uh at the end of 2023 and um went to the first stage and I think I got through the first stage by about two shots so very narrowly got through and that’s golf it’s just such small margins which I love then went to second stage at Fontine which we played a couple of weeks ago and um Chem’s second there so that was a really good confidence boost going into the final stage which I got through which was very nice um they’re 18 years old to second youngest ever to get through is just a great achievement really to have my name up in the list of the likes of Rory Maroy is just amazing yeah I’m really proud of that the Q school category is tough um you obviously don’t get every every tournament on the uh on the calendar so it is tough but you’ve got to just improvise and it makes you hungry to get to where the big guys are i would say um this year I made a big decision about a month ago that I was going to just stick to the hotel planner tour after the recent success I had in India i think it’s um it was a very tough decision and it takes a lot of discipline but I think just being able to just focus on one tour and plan my schedule is going to be a lot more easier this year well that decision was made after Josh claimed his maiden professional title at the Colata Challenge in March so I was coming down the last I think one shot behind and um ended up getting into a playoff i ended up birding the second or third player fall to win and hold back a I think a 16T 30 foot and can’t can’t explain to you the feeling what a time to find a part for Josh Bry his first win on the Hotel Planet Tour i would say that week was it was a really tough mental week on the body and well on the body and mentally because it was so hot it was like 35° and every day it’s just like you’ve got to drink so much water and just do everything you can to just stay focused so and the course was great it was um it was one of the course that you’ve got to really hit your spots and the greens are small and you’re hitting quite a lot of clubs into the green so it’s it was a good course it’s probably when I look back in 20 years time I think I’ll be really proud of that the following week at the Delhi Challenge Josh narrowly missed out on back-to- back titles after losing in a playoff to Queen Vidal he then continued his Indian Odyssey with a top 10 finish on the DP World Tour at the Hero Indian Open yeah I went to DF for the Hero Indian Open i played there last year and um yeah it’s definitely one of the toughest tracks I’ve played that’s a real mental test you’ve got to you’ve got to just sort of accept everything there’s a lot of elements there and a lot of bounces you can get and yeah I loved it i love um I like it when it’s tough because you can you can sort of just if you show no emotion and just roll with the punches i feel like you’ll always come to the other end a little bit better [Music] i would say Hotel Planetour definitely prepares you for DP World Tour i think once you look back at the last sort of well the last 30 tournaments there’s so many Hotel Planet graduates winnings it just goes to show that the standards pretty similar obviously a lot deeper but yeah I think um some of the hotel players are still great as well yeah it’s crazy after a year and a little bit I feel like I’m a miles better player but in the grand scheme of things there’s so much more to go as well like I want to be as good as Scottish so it’s like there’s so much there’s so many more levels I want to get to that’s the that’s the great thing about golf you can never perfect the game which I love i’m always working hard um even when I’m playing well I’m always trying to get better and the last two weeks I missed the court which is not nice but yeah I’m um trying to stay positive and yeah the game is trending so I’m looking forward to this week and so to round one of the Swiss challenge where Josh will be teeing it up alongside the winner from two weeks ago Yonathan Goth Rasmmanson as well as one of the week’s home hopefuls Jeremy Fryberg House beginning at the ninth hole for a change it was a steady start to the week for Barry he opened up with four consecutive pars but there was perhaps a sign of things to come at the par 413th [Music] luck clearly not on his side two holes later Josh had the chance to atone and a chance to register his first birdie of the event you got that feeling it would be one of those days two over through 10 holes and even at this early stage a third consecutive miscut was already on the cards despite the odd glimpse of the obvious talent that had taken Josh to third in the Road to Morca rankings it proved to be a highly frustrating day he would finally tap in for a three-over par round of 74 not the start he was hoping for but in a game where things can change quickly there were still positives to take into Friday’s second round the margins are obviously really small um obviously you’ve seen a few putts today that have just grazed the edge and lipped out and horseshoeed and that’s the difference if you hold a couple of them it’s just a different day but I feel like I’m hitting it where I’m aiming and uh everything feels good i don’t think there’s anything to worry about i think it’s a case of just waking up tomorrow in a good mood and just going again and just trying to play well tomorrow it proved to be a more successful day for another Englishman David Horsey no stranger to contending the four-time DP World Tour and twice Hotel Planet Tour winner cruised to an opening eight birdie bogey free round of 63 to set an impressive day one target early Friday morning and with the projected cut mark close to one under for Josh a positive and fast start was the priority and he delivered after opening up with two pars his first birdie of the week came at the par three third hole seizing on that first foray into the red on the very next hole Josh set up birdie number two [Music] and he completed a hat-tick of gains on the fifth as the flat stick did the business oh what a game what a game indeed back to level par for the week he was back in the game but still with work to do he would take a backwards step at the eighth dropping him to one over for the tournament but into the back nine and Josh returned to the birdie trail at the par 312 two holes later some further impressive iron play set up birdie number five for the day one under par with four to play hovering on the cut mark there was precious little room for maneuver and at the 16th Barry was faced with a testing pup to save par clutch at a vital time of the round a birdie on 17 ellayed any fears of missing out on the weekend and Josh would end the day with a morale boosting 66 fully eight shots better than the previous day yeah I’m really pleased with today um in tough conditions I’m really pleased with the score i thought um I thought I played really well today and kept patient so the last two weeks has been really frustrating um I feel like I’ve been playing well and just not getting the ball in the hole and then today I sort of rolled a couple in early and then it just yeah I built a little bit of momentum and then yeah that’s just the difference today makes really playing alongside Barry was Switzerland’s Fryberg House he may have missed the cut but produced the shot of the week possibly of the year at the ninth but in the hunt for his third win of the season and with its automatic promotion to the DP World Tour Renato Partorii was in the mix heading into the weekend sat just one shot off a four-way tie for the lead at 8 under par [Music] coming up we explore the brand new state-of-the-art facilities at G Senac and we’ll find out who ended at the summit at the Swiss Challenge we’ll see you after the break welcome back to the Hotel Planetour as we reflect on events in Lousern at the 21st edition of the Swiss Challenge where with the Alps as the dramatic backdrop there was a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard a shot clear of a quartet including Renato Paroreé with that third win of the season in his sights things were set to become a little clearer by the end of moving day the action described for us by Josh Antler second on the Road to Morca ranking thanks to his backto-back wins earlier this season renato Partorié was having another good week up to this point birdie at the opening hole thanks to this shot just off the bank on the first struggles for the Italian though after that he would eventually shoot a two over round of 73 to fall the wrong way down the leaderboard there was a two-hour delay at the start of the day due to overnight rain and wind picking up as the players went out there but the course was there for the taking and making a move was Tobias Johnson playing in the final group he got his day off to the best start this approach set up a birdie on the opening hole dane Sebastian Friedrien had already birdied the first and second in round three he was one back at this point and he took advantage at the par five fourth after this great approach danish golf with incredibly bright future at the moment greens were definitely a little soft on Saturday due to the rain and players were reaping rewards bards Goen almost holding out for eagle here at four inches away and the shot of the day award went to the Norwegian a lot of players were choosing to lay up on the fourth of par five and it was the right decision for Johnson continuing his good form after a top 20 in Kadis last week the Swede going well once again rounds of 67 and 68 felix Mory saw the Frenchman start the day two back of the leaders level path for the day up to here but this stunning iron approach into nine set up a birdie to close out his front line under par another day in going well was Yeper Christian Anderson this shot into the 14th led to a birdie and a third round of 68 which would see him in second place heading into the final day [Music] a small lull in the scoring midway through Saturday due to more bad weather but it picked up again later in the day and Johnson was taking full advantage this is second at the 14th led to his third birdie of the day with no bogeies which was some going out there in Lassern considering the conditions it was an up and down day for Ashley Chesters two birdies and three bogeies and he played the 17th hole but this sensational fivewood for the man from Shrosbury led to an eagle and he would start Sunday only four back [Music] but the man to catch was Johnson a birdie on 17 and this par on 18 led to a fabulous bogey free 67 and a two-shot lead with 18 to play seeking his first title on the Hotel Planet Tour so a look at the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s final day and Johnson had opened up a two-shot lead over Yeper Christian Anderson the 24year-old was leading a Hotel Planetour event for the first time and clearly enjoying himself it’s a lot of fun it was pretty nervous at the end here um but tomorrow will be a lot of fun it’s not often you playing a final group in the in the professional event so I’m looking forward to it golf SMAC is regularly listed amongst the best golf courses in the world with incredible views and two worldclass championship layouts it’s not hard to see why however the recent renovation and the addition of a new state-of-the-art practice facility has taken the Swiss club to even greater heights sa has two 18hole courses the uh Woodside course the championship course we’re uh playing the Swiss challenge this week and then the second course a bit shorter part 70 but but still a part 70 course the Lakeside course having great courses having great hospitality we need to go beyond that and uh we need to become also on the on the golfing side the benchmark and uh so one point was to uh host the Swiss challenge here which we’re doing now for uh almost 15 years uh so that gave us a lot of credibility on that side and then there was also the training aspect to it so we said we need a a top-notch training facility at G Sen which compares not to other venues in Switzerland but uh really compares to European top venues if I would be a kid again I would be I would be here 24/7 and if I would have this at home so but yeah it’s it’s pretty cool option to practice your game indoors um obviously in countries like Switzerland and uh Finland where I come from the season is not that long so this is the first one I’ve seen so it’s it’s cool a really good place to practice when the weather isn’t that great which is you know the case in quite a few months in Switzerland so absolutely great great place to come awesome i mean I’ve also seen a lot of indoor facilities and it’s definitely the first one I see with a real sand in the bunker and I think that really makes a difference the difference between the Hotel Planet Tour and the DP World Tour on a playing level is is is very very very close and tight and uh so for us to showcase on on such a top level the facility and to showcase to everybody that hotel planner players are making use of this is very important while those brilliant facilities couldn’t quite replicate the testing weather conditions that the players were greeted by on Sunday and to discover who would cope best it’s back to Josh again felix Morris started the day in a big tie for third alongside five others trying to chase down Johnson and he got off to the perfect start after this Chris Bay Iron shot into the opening hole a winner already on the Hotel Planet but that came back in 2021 for Mory was brutal conditions for the players on Sunday winds getting up to 40 kilometers per hour with some rain thrown in for good measure too birdies were like gold dust but Scogan found one there on the fourth as the sun came out and tie for third at this point johnson was faultless for a day and a half no bogey since Friday and this shot on the fourth set up another birdie for the 24 year old imperious up to this point for the Swede our feature player this week was Josh Bry he had a tough final day much like the whole field this was for P on the last and a 76 but a super season already with that win in Kolkata back in March the leader for so long was starting to have problems out there on Sunday a double bogey on six was followed by bogeies at 10 and 13 he managed to get one back here on 14 but the damage was done and he would finish in a tie for third johnson 75 golfers teed it off in the morning and only nine hit subpar rounds spain Santiago Tario was dealing superbly with the tough conditions and this birdie on 15 took him into the outright lead he knows how to get it done on the hotel panur twice a winner in that incredible 2021 season he had mory had just come off a bogey on 16 and then produced this stunning approach on the penultimate hold afterwards he called it one of the best shots he’s ever hit a 205 yd two-ine into a howling win to 6 feet for Eagle the leader over 30 minutes previously Tario needed some magic on the final hole to force a playoff and he did a birdie on the last himself and Mory carded the low rounds of the day 69s for the pair and they would be heading back down 18 to decide the winner yes Tario and Murray two members of that exclusive nine-man club that shot underpar on Sunday but which of them had the game to get it over the line so it be a playoff between two players who started the day three shots back mory won the coin flip the T pick both players got experience of finding the winner circle on the hotel planet two wins for Tario one for Mory but it was the Frenchman who dealt with things best here in Switzerland his win at the Dormy Open back in 2021 that came via a playoff and he looked comfortable in the conditions once again incredible approach into the first playoff hole out of that lefthand rough huge crowds following the conclusion of this event tario never really got into it in the playoff and Felix Murray finished it in style [Music] a brutal day for the players but it’s the Frenchman who comes out on top at the Swiss challenge for his second career hotel planetur title [Applause] [Music] yeah I’m very happy i mean the it was such a tough day today you know the course played really hard um really windy gusty so I’m just happy the way I handled myself out there and yeah I mean this is a bonus you know the win you don’t control everything in those conditions but uh I did a good job the whole tournament and uh yeah I’m very very very happy about it well there’s no change at the top of the rankings with two-time winners Van and Paroreé ahead of our featured player Josh Bry felix Murray rises 43 places to sixth with his win after his runners up finish the consolation for Tario was a place inside the top 20 alongside three other Spaniards including Victor Pastor who occupies 20th spot and with that our stay in Switzerland is at an end and there’s little time for Felix to rest on his laurels the players head next to the Cascada Golf Resort in the Czech Republic where the pursuit of promotion to the DP World Tour continues