Second round of the Staysure Marbella Legends. Chema clearly outplayed the course (round of 70, two under par for the day) and I’m not lying when I say it could have been even better. It’s not about expecting every putt to drop; it’s simply that today Olazábal played generally very good golf.
To start with, I’d like to highlight that he was solid off the tee. If I’m not mistaken, he only blatantly missed two tee shots. And he hit some very good drives. The one on hole 6 was one of those misses and went to the left, so the ball fell down a sort of slope between the fairway of the 6th and the 5th, and there it stayed, well below the level of the fairway and among trees… Chema hit a fantastic 4-iron from there, gripping the club very short, because on one hand he had to clear the slope to the fairway, true, but on the other, he couldn’t lift the ball too much to avoid hitting the lower branches. Additionally, he had to hit it with a fade to avoid a trunk that was in line with the green… The shot was fabulous and he was still unlucky not to get the ball on the green, but he saved par without major issues.
I repeat; Chema’s effort to commit to those technical changes we discussed during practice days is truly admirable. Beyond the result, which was good today, I believe Chema wants to see that progression in his long game, also considering all the time he’s been away from competition, and I think he’s quite satisfied so far. I insist, today he hit many very good drives, and with the irons, I saw him performing at a commendable level, at least. It was a real shame that due to two or three details (on the 18th, for example, he was putting for birdie and ended up with one of those lip-outs that sting) we missed the chance to have a spectacular round.
As for the short game around the green, as is usually the case with Olazábal, there’s nothing to fault. Hole 5, a par 5, was interesting. He hit a good drive off the tee and then took the driver again on the fairway and left it at the edge of the green; from there, he hit one of his little chips and almost holed it for eagle. Birdie given.
Tomorrow, Sunday, we tee off from ten in the morning to play the final round. I don’t think Chema feels any pressure about the result, but it would be fantastic to finish well, for him to feel competitive after so many months without playing a tournament, and for his left shoulder to hold up. Occasionally, I see Chema touching and massaging the affected area, so the discomfort is there. Tomorrow I’ll share the final balance of this great experience.
