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He has won this Sunday the victory in the Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields

Ballester lands in Madrid with his first NCAA victory in his pocket

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Josele Ballester ha ganado en Olympia Fields, donde ganó Jon Rahm el BMW Championship.
Josele Ballester ha ganado en Olympia Fields, donde ganó Jon Rahm el BMW Championship. © ASU

Just one month ago, on August 22, Josele Ballester spent some time at the Provisional Ball of Ten Golf. There, just four days after making history by being the first Spaniard to win the US Amateur, he confessed that his main goal for the season was to win an NCAA tournament, something he had not yet been able to achieve in his first three years at the Arizona State University. He came close to achieving it at the Sahalee Players Championship, on the first attempt of the course. He was on the verge. Today, on the legendary course of Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago, on the second attempt, the wait ended. Check. Victory at the Fighting Illini Invitational. Josele will arrive at the Spanish Open with excess baggage, his first victory in the NCAA. Bravo.

Ballester has won the tournament by a landslide. He started with a scorecard of 64 strokes, leading from the start tied with the Georgia Tech golfer, Benjamin Reuter. In the second round he signed another great result of 68 strokes and opened a gap in the classification. He went out to play the third and final round with a four-stroke lead over the second position. In the final round he knew how to swim and keep his clothes. His scorecard of 70 strokes was enough to win with a total result of -10, two less than Benjamin Reuter and three less than Christiaan Maas and Daniel Svard. He ends the week with an eagle, twelve birdies and four bogeys. His first scorecard was error-free and in the last one he displayed controlled golf, with a birdie and a bogey. Sensational.

Josele Ballester wanted to win an NCAA tournament at all costs, but he had especially set his sights on this Fighting Illini Invitational in Illinois. He has confessed that it is the week he likes the most throughout the year. In addition, he has conquered Olympia Field Country Club, a course with history for Spanish golf. Right here Jon Rahm won the BMW Championship in a historic playoff against Dustin Johnson, sinking an impossible putt. Surely in these days he will have time to talk about it with Rahm himself, who is waiting to become a father to travel to Madrid for the Spanish Open.

So, Ballester continues with his triumphant march in the last month. On August 18 he conquered the US Amateur and today he has finally opened his record in the NCAA. He is approaching the Number One in the world amateur and also puts in the spotlight the Number One of the PGA Tour University.