Belgium hosts the Alps Tour's decisive week
The 2026 Hulencourt Alps Tour Grand Final concluded on 17 October at the Le Vallon course of Golf Club d'Hulencourt, near Genappe in Belgium's Walloon Brabant province. The 54-hole event decided both the season-ending tournament and the annual Order of Merit. French professional Alexandre Vandermoten, 26, won both.
Vandermoten posted rounds of 69, 66 and 69, a 204-stroke total (12 under par) on the par-72 course. It was his fifth victory of the 2026 season. His final-round 69 (−3) contained four birdies and one bogey; the arithmetic is 72 minus four plus one. The victory was worth €10,000 in prize money and 9,500 Order of Merit points, which should not be confused with strokes or Stableford points.
The distinction between nationality and venue matters: the championship took place in Belgium, but Vandermoten represented France. Hulencourt promoted and sponsored the Grand Final, with logistical support from the Royal Belgian Golf Federation.
A two-stroke winning margin
Archie Smith of England led after 36 holes at ten under par, one stroke ahead of Vandermoten. Smith closed with a 74 (+2), while the Frenchman held firm in windy conditions to shoot 69 (−3).
Italy's Alessandro Nodari delivered the lowest closing round, 66 (−6), and took second place. His cards of 66, 74 and 66 totalled 206 (−10), two strokes behind the champion. Smith and Spain's Mario Galiano Aguilar shared third on 208 (−8).
Vandermoten made a bogey at the 12th but did not allow it to derail his round. In the tour's official post-round comments, he credited the week's putting and the assistance of caddie Gordon Fochtner with helping him handle pressure on the closing holes. There was no playoff: the winner was decided by the combined number of strokes over three rounds.
A second prize: progression to the HotelPlanner Tour
The season's top five Order of Merit finishers secured Category 12 status on the 2027 HotelPlanner Tour, the next rung of the European professional golf pathway.
The five are Alexandre Vandermoten (France), Andrea Romano (Italy), Maxime Legros (France), Mario Galiano Aguilar (Spain) and Alessandro Nodari (Italy). Nodari's runner-up result was decisive. He arrived at Hulencourt ranked ninth and climbed to fifth, earning a promotion place. Italian golf coverage put his final advantage over sixth-placed Pablo Alperi at just 81 ranking points.
Vandermoten had already earned promotion through his victories earlier in the season, but the Belgian final allowed him to finish the year at the top of the Order of Merit as well. Tournament strokes, season-ranking points and prize money are separate figures; the result should not be described as a points-based individual championship.
What the Belgian venue contributed
Le Vallon is the 18-hole championship course at Golf Club d'Hulencourt near Genappe, south of Brussels. Over 15–17 October it staged the final opportunity for leading Alps Tour players to influence their promotion standings.
For Belgian golf, the significance lies in hosting a decisive European professional championship, even though the winner and other podium finishers competed under foreign nationalities. The tour's season-long development pathway ended on Belgian soil, with its five leading players moving on to the HotelPlanner Tour in 2027.
Sources: Alps Tour official final report (17 October 2026); French Golf Federation (17 October); Golf Moderno (17 October).
