– The first day of the Dormy Open on the HotelPlanner Tour has provided some certainties. The first is that the players will not have another day of golf like today or similar for the rest of the week at Uppsala GolfKlub. Perfect day. Impeccable weather. Sun. Warmth. A few clouds. Zero wind in the morning, a slight breeze, nothing serious, in the afternoon. Not a hint of rain… From Monday to Wednesday, everyone was wearing parkas and woolly hats. “Do you like the Swedish weather?” a local fan who spoke a little Spanish said with some irony. Today, yes, of course.
Another certainty is that the course invites low scores. At least on a day like today. If the temperature drops, it rains, and there’s more wind, it will be a different story. Even so, it’s not the most difficult course on the planet, it’s short, quite a bit of 3-wood is hit from the tee, and the conditions are very good. The greens, for example, have surprised by how good they are. The grass is poa, and in the afternoon it’s harder to make putts, but there’s not much to complain about.
Another certainty is that Rocco Repetto Taylor (-6) has an enormous capacity, already demonstrated many times, to recover from bad moments. His round was going smoothly. He had comfortably gone five under par, playing orderly, hitting the shots required at each moment. Then, suddenly, two bogeys appeared out of nowhere. Far from being intimidated, he stuck to his game. If you’re playing well, trust. No need to overthink. The only mission was to commit to the shot. That was the plan, and three consecutive birdies followed, taking advantage of hole 16, a par 5 reachable in two, 17, a short par 4 that can be driven, and 18, with a good second shot. How do you respond to two consecutive bogeys? With three in a row… Problem solved. It’s not easy to take down Repetto.
With his great start, he has placed himself in eighth position, two shots off the lead. The leaderboard is very tight. We have 15 players within two shots, more than thirty separated by just three. Golf at full speed. This is just the beginning, and everything can change. That’s the second division of the European Tour. Everything is decided within a tiny margin of strokes.
– There are four leaders in the Dormy Open. Two are Nordic, although of the wrong nationality, or at least not the expected one. One is Norwegian, Board Skogen, and the other is Danish, Anders Emil Ejlersen. The first Swede is Hugo Townsend (-5). He is outside the top 10. The other two leaders completing the quartet are the Frenchman Félix Mory (-8), a regular in the high zones of the HotelPlanner Tour this year and the only one playing in the afternoon, and Alfie Plant (-8), as brilliant as he is inconsistent, one week fighting to win, the next far from making the cut.
– Repetto is the best Spaniard, although the only one who started with good vibes. The rounds of Javier Barcos and Javier Sainz, both at -4, are valuable having been in the afternoon. A good start also for Borja Virto, Sebas García, Víctor Pastor, and Víctor García Broto, all three under par. From there to the first place, they are within the cut. From here, the problems begin. Nothing serious for Adri Arnaus (-2), José Sintes (-2), or Lucas Vacarisas (-2), a bit tighter for David Borda (-1), and more in need are Javier Calles (PAR), Álvaro Quirós (PAR), and Joseba Torres (+1). There’s room for everyone because low rounds can be made, although the weather map says to prepare for a lot of rain this Friday.
