Joel Girrbach will aim to add a Swiss name to the list of Rolex Trophy winners when the action gets under way in Geneva, from August 22-25.
The 25 year old is the highest-ranked Swiss player on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah and hopes a victory this week could see him climb into the top 15.
It will be his third professional appearance at the prestigious Golf Club de Genève, home to the Rolex Trophy, the European Challenge Tour’s oldest tournament, which features 36 of the top 40 ranked players, plus four invites, in an exclusive field.
Girrbach’s memories of playing at Golf Club de Genève are happy ones, after he won on the picturesque course as an amateur and carded another top five finish.
Now in the paid ranks, he hopes to triumph on the same course and add his name to the list of famous Rolex Trophy winners and create another memorable moment.
“I don’t want to finish 30thor 40th, I want to win,” he said. “It would be great to have my name on the trophy, especially when there are so many big names on it.
“I have to take it step-by-step as it’s going to be a hard week and you need a good score to win, but I feel good, and I will give everything to reach that goal.
“I have a lot of great memories from my amateur years at the course. I played a lot of amateur tournaments here, where I won one and came third in another. I love this place. I really like what they did with the course over the last three years and there is a special atmosphere here.”
Born in the north east region of Switzerland, Girrbach has already triumphed on home soil after he won the Swiss Challenge presented by ASG last season. Although he was unable to defend his title in June, Girrbach is still firmly in contention for a place in the top 15 on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah.
With the Challenge Tour entering the business end of the season, Girrbach is hoping for another victory in his homeland.
“I haven’t had a win like last year, but I’ve played more steady and solid golf,” he said. “I finished second in Czech at the Prague Golf Challenge, which helped me qualify for the Rolex Trophy, so it’s always nice not to need an invite and instead qualify with good results.
“Sometimes I struggle during the first week after a break but then each week my golf is getting better and better. This is my fifth week in a row on tour, so hopefully I’ll go another step in the right direction and I’m really looking forward to the tournament.
“It’s nice to have one in Switzerland and after it I’ll have a break. My family will be here, as well as my girlfriend, so it’s going to be a nice week.”
