It’s a tight leaderboard with 34 players – more than half the field – within just four shots of the lead after a beautiful day in eastern Switzerland, but Thomas Gögele, Jean-François Remesy and Mikael Lundberg hold a slender advantage.
Gögele has finished tied-6th and tied-7th here the last two years, and he was the first man into the clubhouse at -6. He could have been clear on his own had he not bogeyed the 18th from a very unfortunate lie in the face of a fairway bunker. The German exploded out the blocks with birdies at the first four holes and picked up another shot at the 7th. He bogeyed the 9th, but birdied 10 and made a pair of twos at 14 and 17 before his late stutter.
“I’m really happy,” said the reigning Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open champion. “I started with four birdies, and I played solidly. Obviously, you miss a few chances and you can always do better, but I was really, really happy. Unfortunately, I got really unlucky on the last, but that’s part of the game. I positioned the ball pretty well off the tee, especially on the first 10 holes, so I got the ball close to the flag quite a few times and took advantage of it.
“It’s really nice to play close to home, and I really like the area. I spent quite a bit of time just across the Austrian border near here when I was younger, so I feel comfortable here.”
Remesy won the title at Bad Ragaz in 2018 and he also got off to a cracking start with four birdies in his first six holes. His only blemish off the day came at the 9th, but he picked up three more shots on the way home, including at the final hole, to join the lead.
“It was a pleasurable round,” said the Frenchman. “When you start like this, the tournament is great. I’m happy to be here, and I have a good souvenir from here (the trophy in 2018). It’s the oldest tournament on the Legends Tour and it’s a great venue, so all the players love to come here. Of course, I won here in 2018, but that’s a long time ago now. But it’s a good feeling to be back here and to get some good vibes.
“My game is really good at the moment and I’ve been working more than the last few years. I’m really enjoying being on the golf course, so that makes a big difference. I love the game and I want to keep challenging myself.”
Lundberg made a tricky up-and-down for par from a greenside bunker at the last to make it a three-way tie. The Swede started the season well with a 3rd place finish at the Staysure Marbella Legends, but he’s been on a frustrating run since then, so he was understandably delighted with seven birdies today.
“It’s unbelievable,” exclaimed the three-time DP World Tour winner. “The year started well in the first event, but after that I’ve been really struggling, especially with my putting. I’ve been playing steady and nicely, but I’ve finished rounds really badly, as well.
“I thought I found something with the putting last week. I’ve worked so hard at the putting for the last few months, trying new things. It works fine on the putting green, but once I get on the course it’s a disaster. I’ve been a really good putter, but sometimes this year I’ve felt like I could be the worst putter out here. I’ve made a few little tweaks and it’s good when you get something that gets going. I hope it keeps going.”
Anders Hansen, Robert Coles and Lionel Alexandre are tied-4th on -5. Hansen and Coles played together, racking up nine and six birdies, respectively. Unusually, the Dane is using a driver, three-wood and wedge that he bought in a local pro shop earlier this week. Alexandre’s only dropped shot of the day came at the 1st, but he had two red numbers on the front nine and came home in 31 to shoot 65.
Defending champion Jarmo Sandelin is among four players in a tie for 7th on -4. The former Ryder Cup player started with a bogey but got things going with three red numbers in the next five holes and picked up further birdies at the 11th and 16th to shoot 66. He’s well in contention for a first successful title defence of his career, having won five times on the DP World Tour and twice on the Legends Tour.
Debutant Mark Brown, 2024 WINSTONgolf Senior Open winner Van Phillips and Bradley Dredge, who was the runner-up last year in Switzerland, are alongside Sandelin, with a large bunch of 14 players a shot further back on -3. Amongst them is last week’s Reignwood Legends Championship winner Keith Horne, who could go to the top of the Order of Merit with a win this week, and 2023 Swiss Seniors Open champion and last season’s Order of Merit number one, Adilson da Silva.
Peter Baker, the highest-ranked player in the field at number two on the 2025 points list, had a somewhat pedestrian start with a 71 that included three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. He’s tied-46th and has work to do over the next couple of days to make the most of number one Scott Hend not teeing it up this week, but he can take heart from the fact he’s finished inside the top five in each of the last three tournaments at Bad Ragaz.
Visit www.legendstour.com to see the full leaderboard and round two tee times, and for more information about the Swiss Seniors Open at Golf Club Bad Ragaz, Switzerland.
