Wilco Nienaber (-13) stood on the last four holes of the UAE Challenge in Abu Dhabi with a three-stroke lead and did not win the tournament. He couldn’t even force a playoff in this second consecutive tournament of the Challenge Tour in the Emirates. A dance of four strokes in that final sprint, with three bogeys from the South African, and a birdie from Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (-14), handed the victory to the Dane on a silver platter. The second in a month for this 24-year-old golfer trained at Oklahoma State.
Winning tournaments is becoming a ball for Nienaber. It happened to him last week, coming out in the star match in the last round to finish 35th with a card of 75 strokes, and it has happened to him again this Sunday in an even more bloody way. He had the tournament grabbed by the lapels after making eagle-birdie on holes 11 and 13, but the pressure, the blessed and cursed pressure, took its toll again. Bogeys on holes 15, 16 and 18 and second place alone. There is no doubt that the fabulous 24-year-old South African hitter struggles to close tournaments, but now the important thing is that he faces it, works on it and does not become a buried obsession.
Neergaard-Peteresen, although it came about, thus adds his second victory this season after the one achieved in the Kolkata Challenge in India. He strengthens his leadership in the ranking of the Road to Mallorca and becomes the first player who will have the possibility of direct promotion to the DP World Tour in case of achieving a third victory. He puts it within reach and this has only just begun…
The choral performance of the Armada has been sensational. Three top 10s have been harvested at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and one of them, Joel Moscatel (-11), could well have been Neergaard-Petersen. The Catalan golfer, although he probably did not feel it because he was far ahead of the last matches, had the victory in his hand after a sensational round. He managed to get seven under for the day with three holes to go, with a sublime start to the round that included three birdies and an eagle in the first five.
It is true that he never got to be a leader, since at that time Nienaber had stretched and had not yet reached his particular Rubicon. Any chance of victory faded with a cruel triple bogey on hole 16. A hard stumble to digest, although Moscatel has reacted with extraordinary temperance and grit. He made birdie on 17 and managed to finish with a card of 67 strokes in fourth position. It is his best result ever on the Challenge Tour and will allow him to take a very important leap in the ranking to approach the top 20.
On the other hand, Ángel Ayora (-9), finishing with a bad taste in his mouth, with two bogeys on holes 17 and 18, managed to hand in a par card and finished in the top 10, the first of his career on the Challenge Tour. Another step forward for the very young 19-year-old golfer from Marbella. He keeps the top 20 of the Road to Mallorca within reach.
Similarly, Javier Sainz (-9) finished in the top 10, ninth position tied with Ayora, after signing 71 strokes. Four rounds under par for the Biscayan. This result will allow him to catch his breath in the ranking, as until now he was very far behind.
Finally, Borja Virto (-5) did not have the best possible ending, with a card of 73 strokes, and finished in 36th place. Be that as it may, another one who benefits from adding up.
The vibes with the Challenge Tour Armada could not be better before the first date in Europe, none other than the Challenge of Spain in Seville. It will be played in two weeks.
