History
16TH BLACKSEARAMA VIVACOM PRO-AM
BLACKSEARAMA GOLF & VILLAS, LIGHTHOUSE GOLF RESORT, THRACIAN CLIFFS GOLF RESORT, BULGARIA | 02 – 05 JULY 2024
Having started the week unsure of his fitness levels to compete, Liam Murray closed out the event with a strong and superb playoff win to claim his third BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am title in four years.
“Two weeks ago, I didn't think I'd be here due to injury. I was doubting whether to cancel my flight or not,” said Murray. “But it hasn’t really affected me when swinging, so I hit the ball well.”
The PGA of Spain Member and CPG International Series regular began the day two behind, but a two-under 69 at Lighthouse Golf Resort saw him tie with PGA of GB&I Member, Jonathan Grogan, and PGA of Turkey Member, Hakan Yamaç, on five-under.
The trio went straight to the stunning 220m par-three 18th hole at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas for their shootout, with the first shot struck by Murray to around 1.5m from the pin, which more or less sealed the deal with this career six-iron. Two putts were enough for the Spanish PGA Member to take victory, almost at the same time as the Spanish national football team did the same thing in their Euro 2024 match against Germany.
“I didn’t really think that I had a chance coming down the last at Lighthouse – I got up and down from 35 yards for par and then was told that I was in the playoff.
“We went straight to BSR and then I hit probably the best shot I have ever hit – and I want to talk about it all night to anyone that wants to listen! I didn’t hole the first putt but just hitting that shot was enough.”
The Team Pro-Am event was hotly contested as always with third place going to Alihan Afsar (PGA of Turkey), Denis Havrenkov, Ihor Havrenkov, Tatiana Havrenkova on 186pts, and second place, on countback, going to Team Gant made up of Vladislav Mariinov, Ivo Tzekov, Stiliana Dincheva and Vladimir Mihaylovski.
First place then feel to Team Yamaç and his amateur teammates, Garo Kaprelyan, Ivaylo Nenkov and Svetoslav Stanislavov, with their winning 188pts.
Earlier in the week, teams also had the chance to play a team scramble event at the bucket list course of Thracian Cliffs Golf Resort, with PGA of GB&I Member, Steve Parry, and his teammate’s Adolf Baclea, Dinu Pescariu, and Nick Kovacs winning with 54pts.
For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page cp.golf/2024blacksearama, and for more information on BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas visit BlackSeaRama.com.
Find Out More @ cp.golf/2024blacksearama
15th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am
Xavier Poncelet carded a stunning 63 on his way to wining the BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas in Bulgaria, finishing six shots ahead of his nearest chasers.
His nine-under par round at BlackSeaRama was followed by a two-under par at Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort for his 11-under par total of 132.
“It was my first participation in the Pro-Am and my first time in Bulgaria. The three courses are really nice and the atmosphere of the whole week was perfect,” said Poncelet who battled after a family bereavement earlier in the week.
“It was a really good experience overall and in particular to spend time with my team this week that was made up of some great kids – if I have kids in the future then I would like them to be like these guys,” added the French PGA Member.
Three professionals tied for second place – Edouard Espana (PGA of France), Jordan Gibb (PGA of Spain) and Liam Murray (PGA of Spain) each finished on a five-under total of 138.
The Pro-Am is the second event of the new CPG International Series – an inclusive and innovative schedule of international tournaments in collaboration with its Member Country PGAs. Professional Winner, Poncelet, will receive an invitation to the Series Final, whilst all Professionals in the field will earn Order of Merit points that could eventually build to qualification for the Series Final.
Poncelet and his team of juniors – Tudor Bunea, Ivan Andrei and Ivan Ilinca – were victorious in the Team Pro-Am event played over three rounds with a total of 279 points.
Second place fell to Professional, Orhan Yilmaz (PGA of Turkey), and amateurs Cemil Sonmez, Kemal Taskinli and Ahmet Ozturk on 276 points, followed by Hugo Santos (PGA of Portugal), Alex Momchev, Georgi Zhelev and Plamen Bizhev on 275 points.
14th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am
PGA of Spain Professional, Liam Murray, has cemented his love of the Black Sea coast with a second win in a row at the 14th Boutique edition of the BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am in Bulgaria.
A stunning 64 (-7) at Lighthouse Golf Resort began the campaign on the right foot in Round 01 with seven birdies and no bogeys.
After Round 02 was wiped out at Thracian Cliffs Golf Resort due to severe weather conditions, it came to final round at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas to decide the winner.
With multiple back-and-forths throughout his round, Murray was able to finish with a one-under 71 for a -8 total and a slim one-shot victory over PGA of Italy Professional and previous BlackSeaRama Pro-Am winner, Federico Elli.
Elli’s steady pair of 68s gave him second place at -7, followed by PGA of Czech Republic Professional, Alan Babicky, and PGA of Turkey Professional, Ulas Karatas, each on -6.
Karatas was also successful in the team event alongside his amateur teammates, Razvan Marcu, Marian Roman and Julian Gogan, finishing with two rounds of 91 points each for a -38 total.
Second fell to Team Babicky on 178 points (-34) and third to the team led by Vladi Marinov (PGA of Bulgaria) on 174 points (-30).
13th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am
PGA of Spain Professional, Liam Murray, claimed the 13th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am title with a scintillating final round in testing conditions at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas.
Despite taking the first-round lead, Murray found himself behind and needing a strong finish on the final day to overcome a number of experienced players including Henrik Engdahl (PGA of Greece), Federico Elli (PGA of Italy) and British Professional, Liam Bond.
With strong winds and firm and fast greens, the conditions suited Murray’s natural low-ball flight, as he went on to card a final round 69 (-3) to finish on 211 (-4) for the tournament, two strokes ahead of second place, Guillaume Watremez (PGA of Belgium).
On his performance, Murray said: “I played fantastic today. I probably left a few shots out there on the greens but I hit an enormous drive on 17 to set up birdie, which then gave me enough breathing space to negotiate the difficult 18th hole, which so often trips players up.”
In the Pro-Am team event, team Watremez (with amateurs Martin Favert, Barbara Deronchene and Benoit Pierlot) took first-place honours through a scintillating final round points score of 94, taking their total for the three days to 266 points (-50).
The BlackSeaRama Pro-Am is a 54-hole Pro-Am event sanctioned by the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG], in which over 30 PGA Professionals and teams play rounds at Lighthouse Golf Resort, Thracian Cliffs and BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas.
12th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am
There was nothing to separate Hesbois and PGA of Spain Professional, Jordan Gibb, during the three days of regulation play, as both players similarly signed for scores of 68, 74 and 71 (213 total, two-under-par), and so it would require something extra-special to decide the winner.
Hesbois provided just that, striping his 3-iron on the first extra hole to five-feet on what is an incredibly demanding par-three final hole at the Gary Player-designed course. With Gibb’s putt just missing, Hesbois sank his birdie to win, and with it, claimed the winner’s cheque of €2,800.
Reflecting on this win, Hesbois commented: “The wind direction was challenging today, so relying on my driving throughout was key to shooting a solid score – hitting fairways and greens was the mantra for my game plan.
“I expected to finish second at the end of the day, and so to be called to a playoff was a bonus. That 18th is a super tough hole but I had 200 yards which is a perfect number for my 3-iron and I managed to hit a great shot.
“The organisation has been incredible all week, with reassuring safety measures due to COVID-19, coupled with fantastic courses and service. My team had a great time and we will be back next year for sure.”
In the team event, Team Kraljevic, led by PGA of Serbia Professional, Danilo Kraljevic, and his teammates Boris Damjanovic, Jasna Damjanovic and Slobodan Cvetkovic, claimed a wire-to-wire, two-point victory after their final round 81 points.
Added to previous scores of 85 and 84, gave a 250-point total [-34], which was enough to pip Team Elli and Team Campbell who finished in tied-second position.
BLACKSEARAMA GOLF & VILLAS, LIGHTHOUSE GOLF RESORT, THRACIAN CLIFFS GOLF RESORT, BULGARIA | 02 – 05 JULY 2024
Having started the week unsure of his fitness levels to compete, Liam Murray closed out the event with a strong and superb playoff win to claim his third BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am title in four years.
“Two weeks ago, I didn't think I'd be here due to injury. I was doubting whether to cancel my flight or not,” said Murray. “But it hasn’t really affected me when swinging, so I hit the ball well.”
The PGA of Spain Member and CPG International Series regular began the day two behind, but a two-under 69 at Lighthouse Golf Resort saw him tie with PGA of GB&I Member, Jonathan Grogan, and PGA of Turkey Member, Hakan Yamaç, on five-under.
The trio went straight to the stunning 220m par-three 18th hole at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas for their shootout, with the first shot struck by Murray to around 1.5m from the pin, which more or less sealed the deal with this career six-iron. Two putts were enough for the Spanish PGA Member to take victory, almost at the same time as the Spanish national football team did the same thing in their Euro 2024 match against Germany.
“I didn’t really think that I had a chance coming down the last at Lighthouse – I got up and down from 35 yards for par and then was told that I was in the playoff.
“We went straight to BSR and then I hit probably the best shot I have ever hit – and I want to talk about it all night to anyone that wants to listen! I didn’t hole the first putt but just hitting that shot was enough.”
The Team Pro-Am event was hotly contested as always with third place going to Alihan Afsar (PGA of Turkey), Denis Havrenkov, Ihor Havrenkov, Tatiana Havrenkova on 186pts, and second place, on countback, going to Team Gant made up of Vladislav Mariinov, Ivo Tzekov, Stiliana Dincheva and Vladimir Mihaylovski.
First place then feel to Team Yamaç and his amateur teammates, Garo Kaprelyan, Ivaylo Nenkov and Svetoslav Stanislavov, with their winning 188pts.
Earlier in the week, teams also had the chance to play a team scramble event at the bucket list course of Thracian Cliffs Golf Resort, with PGA of GB&I Member, Steve Parry, and his teammate’s Adolf Baclea, Dinu Pescariu, and Nick Kovacs winning with 54pts.
For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page cp.golf/2024blacksearama, and for more information on BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas visit BlackSeaRama.com.
Find Out More @ cp.golf/2024blacksearama
15th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am
Xavier Poncelet carded a stunning 63 on his way to wining the BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas in Bulgaria, finishing six shots ahead of his nearest chasers.
His nine-under par round at BlackSeaRama was followed by a two-under par at Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort for his 11-under par total of 132.
“It was my first participation in the Pro-Am and my first time in Bulgaria. The three courses are really nice and the atmosphere of the whole week was perfect,” said Poncelet who battled after a family bereavement earlier in the week.
“It was a really good experience overall and in particular to spend time with my team this week that was made up of some great kids – if I have kids in the future then I would like them to be like these guys,” added the French PGA Member.
Three professionals tied for second place – Edouard Espana (PGA of France), Jordan Gibb (PGA of Spain) and Liam Murray (PGA of Spain) each finished on a five-under total of 138.
The Pro-Am is the second event of the new CPG International Series – an inclusive and innovative schedule of international tournaments in collaboration with its Member Country PGAs. Professional Winner, Poncelet, will receive an invitation to the Series Final, whilst all Professionals in the field will earn Order of Merit points that could eventually build to qualification for the Series Final.
Poncelet and his team of juniors – Tudor Bunea, Ivan Andrei and Ivan Ilinca – were victorious in the Team Pro-Am event played over three rounds with a total of 279 points.
Second place fell to Professional, Orhan Yilmaz (PGA of Turkey), and amateurs Cemil Sonmez, Kemal Taskinli and Ahmet Ozturk on 276 points, followed by Hugo Santos (PGA of Portugal), Alex Momchev, Georgi Zhelev and Plamen Bizhev on 275 points.
14th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am
PGA of Spain Professional, Liam Murray, has cemented his love of the Black Sea coast with a second win in a row at the 14th Boutique edition of the BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am in Bulgaria.
A stunning 64 (-7) at Lighthouse Golf Resort began the campaign on the right foot in Round 01 with seven birdies and no bogeys.
After Round 02 was wiped out at Thracian Cliffs Golf Resort due to severe weather conditions, it came to final round at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas to decide the winner.
With multiple back-and-forths throughout his round, Murray was able to finish with a one-under 71 for a -8 total and a slim one-shot victory over PGA of Italy Professional and previous BlackSeaRama Pro-Am winner, Federico Elli.
Elli’s steady pair of 68s gave him second place at -7, followed by PGA of Czech Republic Professional, Alan Babicky, and PGA of Turkey Professional, Ulas Karatas, each on -6.
Karatas was also successful in the team event alongside his amateur teammates, Razvan Marcu, Marian Roman and Julian Gogan, finishing with two rounds of 91 points each for a -38 total.
Second fell to Team Babicky on 178 points (-34) and third to the team led by Vladi Marinov (PGA of Bulgaria) on 174 points (-30).
13th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am
PGA of Spain Professional, Liam Murray, claimed the 13th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am title with a scintillating final round in testing conditions at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas.
Despite taking the first-round lead, Murray found himself behind and needing a strong finish on the final day to overcome a number of experienced players including Henrik Engdahl (PGA of Greece), Federico Elli (PGA of Italy) and British Professional, Liam Bond.
With strong winds and firm and fast greens, the conditions suited Murray’s natural low-ball flight, as he went on to card a final round 69 (-3) to finish on 211 (-4) for the tournament, two strokes ahead of second place, Guillaume Watremez (PGA of Belgium).
On his performance, Murray said: “I played fantastic today. I probably left a few shots out there on the greens but I hit an enormous drive on 17 to set up birdie, which then gave me enough breathing space to negotiate the difficult 18th hole, which so often trips players up.”
In the Pro-Am team event, team Watremez (with amateurs Martin Favert, Barbara Deronchene and Benoit Pierlot) took first-place honours through a scintillating final round points score of 94, taking their total for the three days to 266 points (-50).
The BlackSeaRama Pro-Am is a 54-hole Pro-Am event sanctioned by the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG], in which over 30 PGA Professionals and teams play rounds at Lighthouse Golf Resort, Thracian Cliffs and BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas.
12th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am
There was nothing to separate Hesbois and PGA of Spain Professional, Jordan Gibb, during the three days of regulation play, as both players similarly signed for scores of 68, 74 and 71 (213 total, two-under-par), and so it would require something extra-special to decide the winner.
Hesbois provided just that, striping his 3-iron on the first extra hole to five-feet on what is an incredibly demanding par-three final hole at the Gary Player-designed course. With Gibb’s putt just missing, Hesbois sank his birdie to win, and with it, claimed the winner’s cheque of €2,800.
Reflecting on this win, Hesbois commented: “The wind direction was challenging today, so relying on my driving throughout was key to shooting a solid score – hitting fairways and greens was the mantra for my game plan.
“I expected to finish second at the end of the day, and so to be called to a playoff was a bonus. That 18th is a super tough hole but I had 200 yards which is a perfect number for my 3-iron and I managed to hit a great shot.
“The organisation has been incredible all week, with reassuring safety measures due to COVID-19, coupled with fantastic courses and service. My team had a great time and we will be back next year for sure.”
In the team event, Team Kraljevic, led by PGA of Serbia Professional, Danilo Kraljevic, and his teammates Boris Damjanovic, Jasna Damjanovic and Slobodan Cvetkovic, claimed a wire-to-wire, two-point victory after their final round 81 points.
Added to previous scores of 85 and 84, gave a 250-point total [-34], which was enough to pip Team Elli and Team Campbell who finished in tied-second position.
