It just wasn’t to be. The first and long-awaited victory in the Challenge Tour did not come this Sunday, at the Vierumaki Finnish Challenge, neither for Ángel Ayora (-18) nor for Quim Vidal (-17). The champion of the test has finally been the Swedish Christofer Blomstrand (-20) who, at 32 years old, does inaugurate his locker in the circuit.
As they faced the last day, two and four strokes from the head, it is likely that the great goal of Ayora and Vidal was none other than victory. It is also likely that perhaps now, the triumph that the Swede has taken hurts. It’s healthy and positive.
However, as soon as they rest it with a little calm, both players will realize that they have taken in Finland a booty that is worth its weight in gold. The Andalusian has finally been fourth tied and the Catalan has finished in sixth position tied with Jack Senior. A good handful of points for the Road to Mallorca.
As was ventured in the corridors of the tournament, the champion would come out of someone who flew very low this Sunday. It didn’t seem enough to take advantage of a possible mistake by the leader Levy (-19), which in fact has occurred, although he has made up in the last stretch with a hole in one in the penultimate flag of the day has returned him to the second place next to Mikael Lindberg. Blomstrand has delivered a great card of 65 strokes that has allowed him to proclaim himself champion of the tournament.
Ángel’s round was very similar to yesterday’s. He did not get the start of the day he needed, and yet the leader until that moment, at times collapsed.
There was a lot of hungry wolf and Ángel stagnated, especially after the bogey of hole 9. A par five in which he had a cumulative of -5 in the previous three days. From there, the head moved away by four strokes and once the pressure was released Ayora let go. Three spectacular birdies put him in the fight. He was just one stroke away. He couldn’t scratch more strokes to the field and the card of 70 strokes was insufficient on a day when you needed to fly lower.
With this fourth tied place, Ayora climbs at least ten positions in the Road and is left in 24th place at the gates of one of the twenty cards that give access to the DP World. There are more than two thirds of the season left and week after week he continues to show that he can be there. He adds in Finland the first top five of his career in the Challenge and the third top ten of the season. Let’s remember that it’s his rookie year and that he has managed to keep playing this season on the circuit thanks to his good performance on the field. The experience of being in these contests hardens a lot and surely, sooner rather than later, the Andalusian of only 19 years old ends up lifting a trophy.
Just like his compatriot, Quim did not start the round as he hoped. In fact, it was very stopped. As he passed through the green of the eight he was two over par. He lost many positions, but like Ayora he knew how to keep calm and reverse the situation. He recovered from the initial two bogeys with a great eagle with which he closed the first round. Everything was as at the beginning, but with nine fewer holes of margin. The victory at that moment was still within reach, but the margin of error was already null.
Vidal knew how to temper spirits and go for a good result that allows him to climb in the Road to Mallorca as many positions as possible. Three birdies in the second round allowed him to finish in the aforementioned sixth position.
One conclusion is clear, Quim arrived beyond position 50 and with this result he gets into the top 40 of the year and with a place in the Alcanada Final. There is a little less than half of the season left and the Spaniard is already inside the grand final. With weeks like this, Quim’s victory won’t take too long to arrive.
Victor Pastor (-9) and David Borda (-6) were not able to say goodbye with the round they dreamed of and finally they were 42nd and 56th respectively.
The Nordic tyranny in the Challenge this season is already outrageous. With today’s, the fourth Swedish victory of the year is added, plus the four Danish ones and the Norwegian one that Halvorsen obtained precisely in Denmark. Nine out of nineteen, not bad at all.
