Lucas Vacarisas (-9) continues to add up in the Plot Open de Bretagne. He is now sixth and tomorrow he will have a chance to fight for the second Challenge of his career, precisely in France, the same country where he achieved the first one. The Catalan has not given himself any rounds with very low scores, but little by little, like an ant and, with great regularity, he has been improving the rounds that have been putting him at the top. 68 on the first day, 67 on the second and today he has delivered one of 66 strokes. Hopefully tomorrow he will sign a round of 65 that would give him many options to fight for something big.
The Catalan’s season is being complicated. In fact, until last week Vacarisas had played ten tournaments this year on the Challenge Tour and had only passed two cuts. It contrasts with his performance on the DP World Tour where he adds two cuts passed in as many tournaments.
It is the first full season on the Challenge Tour for Vacarisas and he is finding the adaptation difficult, to this was also added a wrist injury, precisely in what was being his best week of the year. He managed to finish as he could and ended up 36th in the Joburg Open of the DP World Tour. From there he never managed to recover the touch completely, especially on the greens.
As Lucas acknowledges, the key to the season is being given in that final stretch of the hole: “I have not been playing badly, but it is true that I am having many problems with the putt. In fact, in New Delhi I switched to a broom putter, it didn’t work for me, I got another broom putter, nothing, then I went back to a normal one and now I am with an Armlock with which I am getting more and more comfortable”, he acknowledged to Ten Golf the Catalan golfer. A real roller coaster with the putter with which he finally seems to have found some peace.
“I am feeling more comfortable on the green and that is also making me play more calmly in the rest of the facets of the game. The fact of not being putting well has been something that was also weighing heavily on me. Managing that mentally has also helped me and I have to accept that this is the reality at this moment”, Vacarisas maintains maturely.
This week every day, Lucas has been summarising his day in the same way: “Very fine in almost all facets of the game, but without being able to convert the numerous options that I am leaving myself below four metres”. Tomorrow he will have to continue reconciling with that club if he wants to aspire to the final victory or at least a great position that will help him to add a good booty for a Road to Mallorca in which he is currently in 95th position. He needs to add up soon.
Last week in the Czech Republic the dynamics began to turn around. Lucas added for the first time in the year four consecutive rounds under par. If we add the three rounds of this week, there are already seven rounds in a row winning the field. He is 18 holes away from matching the best streak of his career on the circuit.
Vacarisas today started the first nine holes with two birdies and two bogeys that did not manage to launch his march. From hole 10 the round changed. A birdie as soon as the second round started freed the Spaniard and three holes later the perfect sequence arrived. Three consecutive birdies between holes 14 and 16 have boosted him in the table giving him a great opportunity to add a big booty in Brittany.
The one who will try to catch up tomorrow is the English John Parry (-16). The veteran player will seek tomorrow to make a definitive blow to achieve his second victory of the season and, practically, secure one of the twenty cards that give access to the DP World Tour. He went out today two strokes off the lead, but a magnificent round of six under par have shot him up the table. The great round of the Englishman is joined by the fact that the leader until today, Bjorn Akesson, has suffered a painful 76 that relegates him out of the top 10. The Englishman will go out tomorrow with a three-stroke lead over the Swede Per Langfors (-13) and with a five-stroke lead over the Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan (-11) and the also English Jamie Rutherford (-11).
Among the Spaniards, Emilio Cuartero Blanco (-2) has not been able to continue the great round of the second day and with a card of 73 strokes has given up many positions. Tomorrow the Ilerdense will try to recover many positions. Javi Sainz (-3) is the second Spaniard in the table. He is on the verge of the top 20 after delivering a card at par. Borja Virto (-1) will also seek to climb positions in the final round towards the final classification. He is currently thirtieth. Further back, but with the same Sunday intention are Víctor Pastor (-1) and Joel Moscatel (PAR).
