Alexander Knappe is looking to build on the solid foundations he has put in place on the Road to Mallorca as he tees it up in the Euram Bank Open at Golf Club Adamstal this week.
The German has four top 20 finishes to his name in 2021, including a tie for sixth at the Challenge de Cádiz along with a share of eighth place at the Open de Bretagne last month.
Knappe, who won twice on the European Challenge Tour in 2016, is targeting a return to the winner’s circle for the first time in almost five years and believes this week’s venue offers him an opportunity to do so.
“I think I can win on this course,” he said. “I am just preparing well now to give myself the best shot, to maybe this time win a bigger tournament.
“I want to finish inside the top 20 on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and to do that, I want to get a win. It’s always nice to get that winning feeling, being the best and then we can take it from there, so that’s my goal, winning a tournament.”
The 32-year-old finished in a tie for third place at Golf Club Adamstal in 2020 when the Euram Bank Open was dual-ranked by the European Tour, however he is conscious of the varying obstacles he must overcome due to the courses features and also the ever-changing weather.
“It is always nice to come back to a place where I did well, and especially this place,” he said. “It’s one of my favourite places due to the scenery. Being in the mountains, it’s really calm being with nature, so I love it here, It’s great.
Knappe comments on the weather
“I looked for the forecast and it was saying it is going to be really rainy over the weekend, so maybe it’s going to play really soft, so we always have to adjust but that’s what is special about this place.
“Every day is like a new day here. In the morning it’s cold, the ball is not travelling that far and, in the afternoon, it’s flying further, because we’re high up so it’s really special.”
Joining Knappe in Ramsau this week is Road to Mallorca Number One Santiago Tarrio, who has twice tasted victory on the 2021 Road to Mallorca, along with highly ranked Scotsman Craig Howie, who occupies fifth place on the Rankings following his victory at the Range Servant Challenge by Hinton Golf earlier this year.
The action gets under way at 7:30am local time, with Knappe teeing it up alongside American pairing Chase Hanna and Paul Peterson at 8:10am.
Interview transcript by European Tour Communications