A year and a half ago, he was at Royal Liverpool to compete in the Open Championship, the fourth Major of the year. Physically, he was quite affected, but he made an effort not to miss the big event. The prize fund, beyond the glory of the British, was 16.5 million dollars, and the winner, Brian Harman, took home three million. Today, 576 days after that, Alejandro Cañizares is in Multan, south of Islamabad and very close to the western border of India. It is the seventh most populous city in Pakistan with about two million inhabitants.
There in Multan is the Rumanza Golf and Country Club, a golf course designed by Nick Faldo‘s company that opened its doors in 2021 and this week will be the venue for the ADT Rumanza Open Pakistan. Cañizares is there to play the tournament belonging to the Asian Development Tour calendar, the second Asian division where he gained entry due to his performance in the Asian Tour School at the end of last year. The tournament has a prize fund of 85,000 dollars, and the winner will receive a cheque for 14,875.
That’s how quickly the life of a professional golfer can change. They know it and accept it. It’s their job, and at each moment, they do what they have to do. If they have to go to Pakistan, they go. Cañizares, certainly, sees it that way, as he confessed in his blog on Ten Golf a few weeks ago. There are other players who consider it not worth it. Everyone makes their decisions based on their way of thinking and their circumstances. Cañi, for now, is clear that he will play where he can. For that reason, he was also seen in January at a couple of events of the Winter Tour held on the Costa del Sol, a circuit that doesn’t even count for the world ranking, at least for now. In Guadalhorce, he finished tenth, and the following week in Villa Padierna, he withdrew after the second round.
Cañizares will be the only Spaniard in this Pakistan Open, an absolutely minor tournament, although it has its history. The first edition was held in 1967 and has been part of the Asian Tour calendar. Not long ago, in 2019, Tom Kim won it when the event belonged to the second division, as it does now. Kim is now a PGA Tour player and one of the most exciting young talents in world golf. Pep Anglés could also have played this week. The Catalan golfer played the first event of the Asian Development Tour in Malaysia and finished in the top 10. However, he already explained in Ten Golf that he would only play certain tournaments and not the full calendar. Among other things, because the investment is no joke.
In any case, the goal of Cañizares and Anglés is the same: to finish the year among the top ten in the ADT ranking to secure the Asian Tour card. A good card, indeed. If they have to go to Pakistan, they go. Or wherever necessary.
By the way, a curiosity. A greenfee for a non-member at the Rumanza Golf & Country Club in Multan costs 5.38 dollars during the week, while on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, it ‘shoots up’ to 14.34. Wherever and whenever necessary. The tournament is played from tomorrow, Wednesday, to Saturday. It’s four days with a cut. The last one to make the cut takes home just over 400 dollars.
