– Ángel Hidalgo promised himself to enjoy this Open Championship to the fullest. He didn’t have the chance last year because he arrived from the United States just in time and barely knew what was going on. He almost didn’t get to practice on the course, and before he knew it, he had missed the cut. This year, that wasn’t going to happen. Indeed, on Tuesday, he set up a match that takes your breath away. He sought it out and found it. He will play with Jon Rahm, Sergio García, and Joaquín Niemann. Quite something. Spanish through and through. Jon was calling on TenGolf for the young players to approach him, ask him questions, play with him, not be shy, and there is the man from Málaga stepping up.
They will head out to play this Tuesday from 13:24 in the morning, local time at Royal Portrush. The three Spaniards together and Niemann, the leader of the LIV individual ranking. If it’s about learning and retaining things in your head that can be used during the tournament, it’s certainly a good match. Sergio and Rahm played this course in 2019. A good way to get into the Open.
But that’s not all. It turns out that on Wednesday, he also has a perfect match lined up. He will play from 10:48 with Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, and Russell Henley. In this case, it’s worth clarifying that it wasn’t sought out, just pure chance. He signed up for that time and found himself with those playing partners. Jackpot. Preparing for the Open with a pack of world top 10 players, including the defending champion, can never be a bad idea.
– It’s a good way to make up for not having played today. It’s as if he had been jinxed. Last year he arrived late and barely managed to practice on the course as he would have liked. This year he was in Northern Ireland since the seagulls started singing at dawn, and it turns out he couldn’t play the course because the practice day was suspended around two in the afternoon due to thunderstorms. The play didn’t resume, and he was due to go out at five in the afternoon.
– The first shot of the Open Championship will be taken by Padraig Harrington. Spectacular decision. Very well deserved. It’s being played in Northern Ireland, and Harrington is a two-time winner of the Irish Open. An example. And don’t be surprised if we see him fighting to make the cut, if not higher.
– Shane Lowry says it’s going to be a tough Open. He found the course very challenging over the 18 holes he played today alongside Rory McIlroy. It’s true that the Open is always at the mercy of the weather, but on a flawless day, with barely a breeze, Lowry, the winner here in 2019, says he finds it more difficult.
– Speaking of the weather. Unstable. That’s the trend. The four seasons of the UK condensed into four days. That’s what’s going to happen. Rain is expected on Tuesday, dry on Wednesday, and from Thursday to Sunday, anything can happen. There will be rain and wind, although it doesn’t seem like it will reach that Dantean day experienced in 2019, when Finau and Rahm couldn’t figure out how to take a tee shot, and a referee came and said: “gentlemen, excuse me, but play hasn’t been stopped,” while all the fans covered themselves as best they could with umbrellas to protect from the sideways rain.
