The Malagueño Rocco Repetto (-13) has been crowned the winner of the Challenge de Cádiz, the eleventh event of the HotelPlanner Tour season, which concluded today at the Iberostar Real Novo Sancti Petri Golf Club, sealing his victory in the best possible way: with a spectacular 10-metre putt under pressure on the last hole to avoid a tie with the Cordobés Víctor Pastor (-12) who finished in second place.
Repetto, who turned professional eight months ago, is experiencing a meteoric rise. Since then, he has achieved victories in the PGA Spain Circuit, the Alps of Tunisia in March, and now this new milestone in only his second HotelPlanner Tour tournament. He entered the tournament with an invitation, an opportunity that the Malagueño has seized without giving up from the first hole of this final day, which was thrilling until the end.
Rocco did not start the final day in the best way, as he made a bogey on the 1st, recovered with an eagle on the 2nd, only to bogey again on the 3rd. A birdie on the 8th, bogey on the 10th, and from there, when it seemed he was losing momentum, opportunities began to arise, and despite the difficulty this course offers in its final holes, the Malagueño knew how to give his best and signed birdies on holes 11, 13, 16, and 17, sinking a putt of more than ten metres on the 18th to raise his fist for the first time in the HotelPlanner Tour at the age of 22.
“I am speechless. Incredible. I still can’t believe it. It has been a very tense and emotional round. I started with two bogeys at the beginning, an eagle on the 2nd but quite nervous and tense, and as the round went on, I managed to loosen up a bit. I thought a lot about what my coach told me these days, Dani Colomar, that in the end, someone is going to win, and the best I can do is give my best in every shot and see if it works out in the end. In the last holes, I forced the good shots, and they came out,” he commented.
And he added: “The season has taken a complete turn. Now I have to stop and think. I came to the Challenge de Cádiz to compete with these guys and see if I had the level, and it seems I do. Now it’s time to rethink the season, and I am thrilled with this new approach.” From today, he moves to Category 1 as the winner of the HotelPlanner Tour and can continue his professional season competing in this circuit, where he has climbed to the 13th position in the ranking. In other words, suddenly, he is fully fighting for the DP World Tour card.
The Cordobés Víctor Pastor fought until the last hole but had to settle for second place with a scorecard of 71 strokes for a total of 12 under par. Four Spaniards finished in the top 10 of the Challenge de Cádiz: Repetto, Pastor, Quim Vidal, and Carlos Pigem. The latter will take advantage of the opportunity this circuit offers to try to return to the DP World Tour.
