JC Ritchie (-15) is the champion of the Open de Portugal held at Royal Óbidos. The South African thus claims his sixth victory on the HotelPlanner Tour, his second of the year following his triumph in Germany. Six wins in seventy tournaments played on the circuit. He wins one out of every eleven and a half tournaments he plays. Not bad at all.
Quim Vidal (-12) and Rocco Repetto Taylor (-11) flirted with victory but fell short in the decisive stretch of the tournament. Nevertheless, they finished in fourth and fifth positions respectively and solidified their positions for the DP World Tour card with only four tournaments left in the season. Additionally, although he didn’t fight for the win, Sebas García (-11) also finished in a great fifth position. Many positive news for the Armada.
For the sixth time, Spanish golf did not triumph on the course designed by Seve Ballesteros. This is the sixth edition of the tournament, and the Spanish victory remains elusive. However, for the first time, three of our players finished in the top five of the event, and two others, Luis Masaveu (-8) and Borja Virto (-7), made it into the top 20. In five years, there had been four top-ten finishes, and this year, three have been achieved in one go. The win wasn’t secured, but the haul is significant.
As mentioned, JC Ritchie took the victory. He did so by going all out for it, as it should be. With six holes to go, he was three strokes behind the leader, and with three flags ahead, he had a two-shot deficit. However, he did what champions are required to do. Three consecutive birdies in the final stretch allowed him to post a -15 in the clubhouse, putting a lot of pressure on the leading group three holes behind. Particularly noteworthy was his success on the 17th hole, where only eight players had made a birdie. The South African pumped his fist after securing the birdie on the 18th hole. He knew that result could grant him his second victory of the year and secure one of the DP World Tour cards, and so it was. The job is done.
Precisely David Law, the leader of the Order of Merit, was one of the leaders in the final round and was leading with eight holes to go alongside Quim Vidal and Luckas Nemecz. The Scot was seeking his third victory of the year and direct promotion, while the Spaniard was yearning for his second career win on the circuit after the one in Delhi last April. Neither was able to close the second round of the tournament under par. Quim was on an upward trajectory after five birdies in eleven holes but ran out of steam in the final stretch, with two bogeys on the 14th and 17th, ending any chance of victory. His fourth place allows him to climb one position and be tenth in the Order of Merit. He has it practically secured with 777.13 points.
Meanwhile, Rocco started this Sunday one stroke off the lead. An erratic start with two bogeys made him fall back in positions. He managed to finish the first round at par, and his chances began to flourish again. There, the round stalled with eight consecutive pars. On the 18th, already without a chance of victory, he went for the third place in the tournament but ended with a final bogey, closing a card of one over par and dropping to fifth place. Nonetheless, with this good result, he climbs five positions to 12th place in the Road to Mallorca and takes a step forward. He still has work ahead, but the goal is closer. Who would have told him just six months ago?
The positive news doesn’t end there. Sebas García has made it into the top 45 of the year thanks to that tied fifth place. The Madrid native, who has been enduring a true competitive marathon, closed his contest with a card of 69 strokes with three birdies and one bogey. From 50th place, he jumps to 35th and would now play in Alcanada for the Final of the year.
Borja Virto (-7) finished 17th and, with one event remaining, is among the top 68 who can play the two-event tour in China, marking the first cut. Luis Masaveu (-8), who sealed his contest just outside the top ten, is 80th and will have one more event ahead to avoid ending the year prematurely.
Among the rest of the Spaniards, Albert Boneta (-6) stands out, finishing 21st and just one spot away from making it to the Final in Alcudia, where Santi Tarrío (PAR) and Adri Arnaus (+1) are currently qualified.
