The first of the two rounds of the Final qualifying for the Open (both are played today) has already been contested at the four venues where it is being played and good news is coming from the Spanish Armada. It should be remembered that at each of the four venues (Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire) four places are distributed for the last Major of the season.
There is no time to dwell too much on details in this provisional chronicle of the first round, since the second one is already being played. Some players have barely had time to go to the bathroom, so to speak, between round and round and the scores come and go, so all the information must be treated with caution and without taking anything for granted… But first of all, it should be noted that Eugenio López Chacarra (-4) has signed a 68 at Royal Cinque Ports and has moved up, among the top four, and therefore with serious options to achieve the objective. The Madrid player is already playing the second round. At that same venue, the amateur Jaime Montojo (-1) was making a splash and handing in a card of 70 strokes to stay just two from the fourth place, the big goal.
In addition, Ángel Hidalgo (-2) also finished in the hot zone at Dundonald Links, just two strokes from the coveted fourth place, finishing with a birdie on the 18th, to sign a card of 70 strokes. He too is already playing the second round. For his part, Sergio García (-1) handed in a 71 at West Lancashire and was provisionally just one stroke from the target, reacting in the final stretch of his first round with two birdies in his last three holes.
These are not the only options for the Spanish Armada, although they are the most realistic. For example, Borja Virto (+1) and Josele Ballester (+2) finished in Lancashire three and four strokes from the fourth position. And Luis Masaveu (PAR) three from the target. They have it complicated, they have almost no margin for big mistakes, but a comeback is still possible. Joel Moscaltel (+1) is going to have it a bit more difficult after finishing the first round with a bogey on the 18th of Burnham & Berrow and staying five strokes from the fourth place. Marcel Fonseca (+6 at Dundonald) and Quim Vidal (+8 at West Lancashire) have it little less than impossible and, in fact, Vidal has not even gone out to play the second round.
