1.98 points… That is the difference that has determined whether or not to play the Final of the Road to Mallorca, the difference between the 45th and 46th place in the Order of Merit, the difference between Víctor Pastor and the Belgian Matthis Bessard.
Bessard’s case has been particularly painful. The Belgian finished on Sunday at the 9th hole of the Hangzhou West Lake course. He teed off at the 72nd hole of the tournament and was mathematically in the Mallorca Final… however, a double bogey on his last hole, combined with Víctor’s sixth place, closed the doors on him. If he had finished that 72nd hole at par, he would now be packing his bags for Alcanada and Pastor would be out by less than a point.
Fortune favours some, and the coin has fallen on the side of the Spaniard who will play his first Mallorca Grand Final next week. In the previous four years, he hadn’t managed to break that barrier and will debut on his own merits in the decisive event, seeking one of the 20 cards for the DP World Tour. A regular on the circuit for the past four seasons, managing to keep his card, but eager for more and with the dream of climbing to the elite of the European circuit: “My goal has always been to be one of the top twenty of the year, but this is a first step and I’m very excited to have earned the right to play the Final,” he tells Ten Golf.
After 28 tournaments, the competition has been fierce, and that meagre difference of less than two points marks the final cut. It is the ultimate expression of the cliché that every shot counts, not just in these decisive final tournaments, but in any mid-season event that seems harmless. A birdie or a bogey in any round can make the difference, and indeed it has. To put it in perspective, finishing 19th or 20th in any regular tournament of the year has been the difference between playing or not in Alcudia.
“That’s how this sport is. It couldn’t be more evenly matched, sometimes it takes away from you, and this time I got to be the happy face,” Víctor tells Ten Golf. “The reality is that I didn’t even want to look at the scoreboard; if I finished the tournament well and it was enough to qualify, great, and if not, I would keep trying another year,” he admits, acknowledging that he didn’t do any calculations during the week. “Once the tournament started, I wanted to focus solely on playing well, and that’s it.”
Víctor finished sixth, and although he started Sunday with serious chances of victory that slipped away in a poor start to the day, he managed to recover brilliantly to secure his place: “I’m very happy with how I handled it. At several points, I assumed I wouldn’t make it, but I kept fighting and managed to hold on. I didn’t win, but I managed to endure and finish well,” Víctor points out.
The Cordoban is currently in Italy resting before heading to the Balearic Islands next Monday. He recounts the agonising wait he had in China until confirming that the comeback was complete. “As soon as I finished, on the way to the scoring area, I looked at my phone, and my brother was calling to tell me I had made it, that I was 45th. Honestly, I didn’t want to believe it because there could have been any slight error in the updated tour ranking. It was a slow agony, but when the press came to interview me, I breathed a sigh of relief.”
The year has been challenging. It started solidly, making cuts and with a great second place in Cádiz. He finished among the top twelve of the year in that event, and from there, it was a struggle, missing ten cuts in eleven events. The blockage was evident: “Honestly, it was very difficult for me to go to tournaments, I didn’t want to go, mentally it was something very hard to manage, and for example, in Sweden, I had a really tough time, I suffered a lot.”
However, there was something different about Víctor Pastor. “It’s clear that the results weren’t coming, but I was a bit calmer than in other years, I missed four cuts by one stroke, I was hitting the ball well, but things just weren’t coming together.”
This pattern is not new. In fact, Víctor acknowledges that the last three years have been similar: “I start the year well and then lose momentum, but honestly, inside I felt that this year was different, and I was calmer, hitting better, which was even harder because it made it more difficult for me.”
At this point, it was time to head to China. “I wasn’t really looking forward to going, to be honest, with the results I had, such a long trip felt daunting.” However, there was a factor that helped him click: “I travelled without expectations, not expecting great results and trying to enjoy my golf and my shots, I felt like I was going to war with two water pistols, but fortunately (and through hard work), the first objective has been achieved.”
He acknowledges that in these two weeks, he has taken special care with the order in his schedule and routines and believes it’s something he needs to continue exploring because it has helped him: “Not overdoing it with hitting balls or on the putting green and dedicating the right amount of time to studying the course well. Neither too much nor too little, I think I’ve found a good balance,” the 30-year-old player asserts.
Víctor arrives in Mallorca with a lot of work ahead but with his enthusiasm intact: “The reality is that I’ve earned my place here. I’m among the top 45 of the year, and as I proved a few days ago, I have the ability to compete with them, I’ve earned an extra shot.” From the fifth place in Mallorca, the maths give him options, but he will probably need to be in the top three, perhaps a fourth place might suffice.
The reality is that Pastor has not only earned an extra life but two… By securing his presence in Mallorca, he gains direct entry to the Final Stage of the School: “I’ve never managed to get past the semi-finals of the School, it’s a tournament that has historically been very challenging for me, knowing that if Mallorca doesn’t go well, I can also try my luck at Infinitum is something that brings me quite a bit of joy.”
Just nine days until the HotelPlanner Tour final begins, and the last to arrive is probably one of the most excited to make a splash in Alcudia. He knows he can, as he has demonstrated. The stakes are high.
