Álvaro Hernández Cabezuela (-9) has signed one of the best rounds of his career this Thursday. The Spaniard delivered a card of 63 strokes in the first round of the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge supported by Finnish Golf Union.
Even though it’s Thursday, there are many reasons to celebrate the start of the Tenerife native. To be exact, it’s the best round of his life on the HotelPlanner Tour, and at the time of writing these words, he is the sole leader of the tournament after delivering the best card of the morning. The reality is that, in a way, this circuit has been challenging for Álvaro. The Canary Islander has played 33 times in the second division of the European circuit and has barely made it past six cuts. A mere 18% presence on weekends. His best historical result is a T30 from two seasons ago. A record that is certainly improvable for a player of Álvaro’s quality.
However, this year seems different. He comes from stringing together two victories on the Alps Tour, he is among the top five in the Order of Merit who earn a card for the HotelPlanner Tour and with the feeling that the 28-year-old player can turn the situation around. He had never played below 65 strokes on the circuit, he has surpassed his best first round in a HotelPlanner Tour tournament by five strokes, and in his fourth participation in this event, it is the first time he breaks the 70-stroke barrier and the eighth in his career total. He has not made the cut in any of the three previous attempts in Finnish lands, against all that Álvaro has fought at the start and has overcome with flying colours.
Friday’s round could have been even lower, but the eagle putt on the 9th hole, where he closed the day, slipped by a few centimetres on the low side. An immaculate day with seven birdies, an eagle, and no stumbles along the way. One of those days when this sport seems even simple.
Álvaro will face an interesting challenge on Friday. It was a Saturday in August 2023 when Álvaro delivered the aforementioned round of 65 strokes. He was placed third and would fight for his first title in these competitions. His Sunday was a nightmare of 80 strokes that he will take time to forget, ending beyond the 50th place. A real drama. What he seeks in the second round is to maintain the sensations and not let himself go to prevent past ghosts from appearing in Finland.
Adri Arnaus (-5), by the way, has also started on the right foot and delivered a good card of 67 strokes to provisionally place himself among the top ten. The Catalan’s year is picking up pace. Of the other Spaniards, Javi Sainz (-3) and Javi Calles (-2) have managed to conquer the Cooke Course, while Joseba Torres (PAR), Jorge Maicas (+1), and Asier Aguirre will need to climb positions if they want to be in Finland for the weekend.
