Asier Aguirre Izcue and Timon Baltl Share the Lead Ahead of Final Round at the 2025 Gösser Open

Maria Lankowitz, May 16^th 2025- Asier Aguirre Izcue of Spain and Austria’s own Timon Baltl, a past winner of the Gösser Open, will head into the final round of the 2025 Gösser Open tied at the top of the leaderboard at 13-under-par. Just two strokes behind, in solo third place at 11-under-par, is Spain’s Jorge Maicas, keeping the pressure on the leaders heading into the final round.
 
Round 2 of the 2025 Gösser Open continued today at its traditional host venue, Golf Club Erzherzog Johann in Maria Lankowitz, Austria. Players faced a mix of blue skies and scattered clouds, with steady wind gusts throughout the day. Temperatures were noticeably colder today, especially in the morning compared to previous days.  
The Gösser Open is one of the most prestigious events on the Alps Tour calendar and holds the distinction of being the Tour’s longest-running tournament. It was first played in 1993 at Steiermärkischer Golf Club Murhof before relocating to its current home, Golf Club Erzherzog Johann, in 2000. Since the founding of the Alps Tour in 2001, the Gösser Open has been a consistent and significant fixture on the schedule. It is also widely recognized as the most traditional professional golf tournament in Austria.

Round 2 Player Quotes 
 
Spain’s Asier Aguirre Izcue, 25, who was tied for the lead after yesterday’s opening round, carded a 6-under-par 66 in today’s second round to remain in a share of the lead with a two-day total of 13-under-par. He started strong making four birdies on his front nine (holes 1, 3, 7, and 8). After the turn, he made his only bogey of the day on the 10^th hole, but quickly recovered by making birdies on holes 11, 13, and 16 to close out his round. Aguirre Izcue claimed his first Alps Tour victory last week in Italy and has continued to show strong form at this week’s venue, Golf Club Erzherzog Johann, where he finished runner-up in the 2024 edition after losing in a playoff—despite holding a share of the lead after the second round. After his round, Aguirre Izcue explained: “I’m very happy with my second round again—I’m playing solid all around right now. I’m feeling very confident, and last week’s win definitely gave me a big boost. I’m making a lot of birdies, which really helps when you want to put together good performances. There is no reason for me to complain about a 7-under yesterday and 6-under today, I’m honestly, very happy. Tomorrow, I’ll try to keep doing the same and hopefully, I can get my second win. Of course, that would be incredible, but I’ll stay focused on my game and see what happens.”
 
Timon Baltl, 30 from Austria, who won the Gösser Open in 2019 as well as having earned his HotelPlanner Tour card in 2020 thanks to the results he achieved on the Alps Tour in the 2019 season, co-leads after two-rounds with a two-day total of 13 under-par. He followed his opening round of 6 under-par, 66 with a 7 under-par, 65 that included 8 birdies (holes 1,3,5,7,9,10,11 and 13) and a bogey on the 17^th hole. After his round, Baltl commented: “So far over the first two rounds, I’ve played really well from tee to green. I only made a few mistakes yesterday, and today I didn’t hit a single bad shot with my long game, so overall, I’m really pleased with my performance. Today was tricky, the wind was very gusty, and it was tough to get the right distances. Sometimes you had to adapt quickly because it kept changing and was hard to judge, but I managed it well. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow, I’m very excited to be tied for the lead. Getting a second win here would be amazing, but there are still 18 holes to play, and in golf, anything can happen. Every day is a new day.I’ll give it my best and hope to turn around the start of my season with a win here at home. But I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself—I’ll stay focused on my round. Hopefully, some spectators will come out and support us during tomorrow’s final round.”
 
Jorge Maicas, 27, from Spain, who was tied for 6^th place after yesterday’s opening round, fired a 5-under-par 67 in today’s second round to move into solo third place with a two-day total of 11-under-par. He opened his round with a birdie on the 10^th hole, then added two more on the 12^th and 14^th hole. On his back nine, he made an eagle on the 1^sthole, a bogey on the 5^th, and closed the round with a birdie on the 9^th hole. Maicas has earned several strong finishes in recent seasons but is still seeking his first Alps Tour victory. “I must say on top of playing well and being solid from tee to green, I’ve been extremely patient on the greens. So far this week, my driving and putting have been very dialed in and have helped me a lot. The course is in great shape—this is my fourth time playing here, and it’s in the best condition I’ve ever seen it. Today, we had some strong wind gusts, which made a few holes even trickier,” said Maicas after his 5-under-par round. “I want to stay patient and not get carried away by the result. My focus is to stay in the moment and concentrate on my game from the 1^st to the 18^th hole. No matter the outcome, I want to walk off the course feeling proud of my performance,” he added, reflecting on his pursuit of a first career Alps Tour title.
 
A total of 42 players (40 professionals and 2 amateurs) made the cut which was set at 139 (-5). The Final Round will begin at 9:10 a.m. local time from the 1^st and 10^th hole. The Final Pairing will tee off at 10:16 a.m. local time from the 1^st hole. 

The winner of the 33^rd edition of the Gösser Open will earn, €6,200 and 6,525 points. 

Tournament Promoter
 
The 7^th event of the 2025 season, is promoted by the Murhof Gruppe. The Murhof Gruppe runs more than 30 golf courses throughout Austria, including this week’s venue in Maria Lankowitz.
 
This week’s main sponsor is Gösser Beer. The main tournament partners are: Steiermark Tourismus and Region Graz. The Pro-Am Partners are: Gösser, Steiermärkische Sparkasse, and Antenne Steiermark. The Federations that support the event are: Österreichischer Golfverband (ÖGV) and Steirischer Golfverband (StGV), and the media partners are: Kleine Zeitung and GEPA Pictures.