Ángel Ayora looks up. Always. It’s not a recent thing. When he turned professional his only goal at the DP World Tour school was to get the card. Yes, he was only 18 years old. So what? Learning, gaining experience and growing step by step is great, but always with ambition and high expectations. He thinks that way. He doesn’t look at the ID. He only knows and trusts his possibilities.
That’s why, when he started the year at the Challenge Tour, without the card and forced to take advantage of every opportunity that came his way through invitations, the Malaga-born player stuck to his guns. He wanted to win a tournament in the Challenge, and if it could be three, better, to move up to the DP World Tour sooner and, of course, at least, the goal was to finish among the top 20 of the Road to Mallorca. He said this at the beginning of the year and it’s worth insisting on the idea: he didn’t have the Challenge card. Perhaps that’s why it’s not surprising, or perhaps less so, when at last year’s Spanish Open, after playing a practice round with Jon Rahm, he said his goal was to win that week. He’s not afraid.
So, just after lifting his first professional trophy, minutes after winning the Rosa Challenge Tour in Poland, Ayora keeps looking up. Next stop: DP World Tour. There are no other plans.
“This is my first year as a professional, so getting a win is very special. Giving me the opportunity to enter the DP World Tour makes me very happy. It’s my dream to play on the DP World Tour, that’s all I can say,” he explained to his Challenge Tour colleagues just after finishing the tournament.
Ayora’s idea was to rest next week, but the invitation to play the Omega European Masters has made him change his mind. And he’s delighted. “This is very good for me and my team. I’m very proud of all the work we’ve done to achieve it. I’m going straight to Switzerland to play on the DP World Tour, which will be a special week. Afterwards, I’ll take a week off before coming back to play the Italian Challenge in an attempt to finish the season well and move up”. Only goal in mind. He could also move up by winning in Switzerland. Yes, it’s almost impossible, but don’t doubt that he has it in his head…
The Andalusian golfer admits that, despite the six-stroke lead after hole 10, he felt the nerves in the final stretch. He would also have liked to finish better, but the job was done and with distinction. “I was telling myself on the 18th that I had to hit a good tee shot, a good second shot and see if I could finish it with the fewest strokes possible. I felt a bit of pressure in the last nine holes. Even so, I hit good shots, like all week”.
