Fredrik From conquered the fourth tournament of the Gecko Tour held this week on the Westin La Quinta Golf and Country Club course in Marbella. The Swedish golfer prevailed under difficult conditions and constant rainfall with a final score of 133 shots in two rounds. His first win in the Geck Tour comes with an agonizing story behind it. From had been toying with the win for quite some time. Last season he had already played in the Gecko Tour with great scores. He also came close to first place and took home three top tens in the Mena Tour earlier this year. But the last straw was two days ago in Marbella during the third tournament of the Gecko. From knew that a bogey on the 17th hole had eliminated him from the battle for the win. There was no hope. The frustration that had accumulated from everything that had happened recently took over. He didn’t want to talk to anyone, and all he wanted was to alleviate the disappointment as best he could and thus try to take advantage of that inertia to win the next tournament. And that’s what happened.
“Relieved”. That’s the first word that came out of From’s mouth when he was asked how he felt after winning at La Quinta. And it was no wonder. The Swedish golfer, at 27 years old, saw that what happened in the last two tournaments was about to repeat itself today. His level of play and solid game deserved an even bigger win. In fact, he got to the 16th hole on the Marbella course with none other than a four-shot advantage. At that moment, the pressure started to get to him. Bogey on the 16th and a double bogey on the 17th. He played the last hole of the tournament with a mere one-shot advantage and a free fall.
The situation couldn’t have been more delicate. However, there’s always a chance for a comeback in sports, especially for a player as tenacious as From. He saved the par on the 18th hole and he won with a total of nine under par and a one-shot advantage over British golfer Mark Young. “I’m really happy, I can finally breathe easy. I’ve come close to winning many times these past weeks and because of one thing or another it ended up slipping away from me…It wasn’t easy to digest. But I finally got there. I played really well from tee to green. I think the longest putt I made all week was three and a half meters, so that gives me a lot of confidence for the future”, he explains.
From assures that he feels good about the Gecko. In fact, he already played last year and he didn’t think twice about coming back. He’s an authentic globetrotter golfer. A professional from head to toe. He’s not afraid to pack up shop and head out to wherever he needs to be. That’s why he’s announced that his upcoming objectives are to play in the Mena Tour, the Sunshine Tour in South Africa and the PGA Tour Qualifying School in China. “It’s a very well-organized tour and there is good prize money. I’m going to give it a try and if I don’t make it to the school I can always play in the qualifying Mondays”, he remarks. A true blue-collar golfer.
That being said, he’ll never forget that his success story started in the Gecko, in Marbella. “It’s a great tour and a wonderful place to live and work. The most important part is that people make you feel welcome and that’s amazing”, he says.
The next tournament of the Gecko Tour will take place on Monday and Tuesday next week at the Parador in Málaga, a course with a European Tour pedigree.
