Only two players have finished unbeaten in the Bonallack Trophy held this week at the Al Hamra Golf Club course in Ras al Khaimah. One is Spanish and the other one, too. Josele Ballester and Pablo Ereño. Pablo Ereño and Josele Ballester.
The current US Amateur champion delivered an outstanding performance, securing all five points he played, while Ereño was not far behind, contributing 4.5 points out of a possible five for the Continental Europe team. The Spanish connection was the backbone of Europe. Together, they won all four matches they played as a pair, while Josele won his singles match and Ereño secured a draw.
The Bonallack Trophy is a Ryder Cup-style competition that pits the best amateurs from Europe against those from Asia and the Pacific region every two years. It was played over three days in the United Arab Emirates, to which Ras al Khaimah belongs. Wednesday featured a double session of foursomes and fourballs, Thursday repeated the format, and Friday was for singles.
Ballester and Ereño defeated Hiroshi Tai and Anh Minh Nguyen 2 and 1 in the foursomes on Wednesday. If the results on the official website are correct, which we warn you are not the most reliable in the world, the Spaniards’ start was overwhelming. They won seven consecutive holes between the 2nd and 8th and, with the match almost decided, they eventually won 1 up on the 17th. In the afternoon, in the fourballs, they won again 4 and 3 against Hiroshi Tai and Thanawin Lee. Here, the standout performance was by Ereño. Again, if the scorecards on the official website are correct, the Spaniards made eight birdies, seven of which were by the player from Madrid. Spectacular.
On the second day, another double win. They won the foursome 2 and 1 against Joshua Bai and Zack Swanwick, a pair that had won both matches on Wednesday. Again, the Spaniards started very strong and were four up by the 12th hole. In the fourballs, they won against Phichaksn Maichon and Thanawin Lee by 2 up. It’s better not to comment on the scorecard here, as according to the official website, all four players scored ‘4’ on every hole except the 17th and 18th, where the Spaniards are marked with ‘3’. Obviously, that’s incorrect. Four out of four.
The exceptional performance by the Spaniards was not enough for Europe to claim victory in the desert. Between Ballester and Ereño, they accumulated 9.5 points out of the total 15.5 that Europe gathered throughout the week, insufficient to beat Asia Pacific’s 16.5 points. We can’t ask much more from our players.
Europe still leads the overall Bonallack Trophy by 7 to 5, although the last three editions have gone to Asia Pacific. It seems there’s a change in trend. Interestingly, Europe won the three editions when Spanish Gonzaga Escauriaza, president of the Spanish Federation until recently, was captain. He is the only one to have been captain three times.
