The second and final tournament of the mini India tour of the Hotel Planner Tour is here. It takes place in Haryana at the Delhi Challenge, a tournament co-sanctioned with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
Just like last season, the course hosting the event is the Classic Golf & Country Club. If last week the tournament was held at a place with much tradition and history like the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, this week’s course does not disappoint either. Classic Golf was designed by Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18 Majors.
Compared to last week in Kolkata and the general trend in the country, players can swing more freely from the tee on this course. The fairways, while not particularly wide, do offer more opportunities than those at Royal Calcutta Golf Club, allowing for a more relaxed first shot. There are also no particularly dense forests or impossible escapes. Additionally, although the rough is a bit higher than a year ago, it doesn’t seem too challenging. Winning in Haryana will require many birdies and flying under the radar. For example, the twenty under par that John Parry pulled out of the hat a year ago to win again on the circuit fourteen years later. The cut was at three under par. For now, good weather conditions are expected.
However, not everything is a bed of roses, as the saying goes. Players who have been able to train there this week highlight that in the first nine holes, precision is key with water along the fairway on two holes, and the par threes, being shorter, have undulating greens that are difficult to manage. Moreover, strategy is important on certain flags as a great long drive from the tee can leave second shots between 50 and 70 metres, forcing players to make half-swing shots, which complicates things. Less control and loss of back spin. It’s necessary to be smart and perhaps play a bit shorter from the tee to have a full second shot with which to better calculate distances.
Looking to emulate Parry, we find seven of our own: Albert Boneta, Sebas García, Adri Arnaus, Quim Vidal, Santi Tarrío, Víctor Pastor, and Lucas Vacarisas will be the Spaniards competing in this event starting this Thursday. A year ago, only a top 30 from Víctor Pastor could be achieved as the best result. Hopefully, things will go better this week.
Regarding the race for one of the coveted twenty cards that grant access to the DP World Tour, here is the current situation in the Road to Mallorca for the seven Spaniards competing this week:
- Lucas Vacarisas (18th): 121.60 points
- Albert Boneta (30th): 80.40
- Quim Vidal (32nd): 78.60
- Adri Arnaus (46th): 45.60
- Santi Tarrío: (48th): 42.20
- Víctor Pastor (72nd): 20.00
- Sebas García (79th): 14.40
- The twentieth position marking the cut for the DP World Tour cards is held by Sebastian Friedrichsen with 120 points.
