The Danish armada takes the fort of Al Ain Equestrian, Golf & Shooting Club. Four Danes are among the top five on the leaderboard after the first 18 holes of the Abu Dhabi Challenge. Nikola Kristensen (-7), Sebastian Friedrichsen (-7) Jonathan Goth-Rasmussen (-6) and Hamish Brown (-6) are the Danes installed in the top 5.
This start reinforces a season start with clear Scandinavian dominance. Of the six tournaments that have been played so far, two have been won by Swedish players and the last one in Calcutta was won by the Dane Rasmus Neergard-Pettersen. A Challenge with a very Nordic flavour.
Against the Nordic rebellion comes a Spanish Armada that wants to raise the temperature on the tour and leave its mark in Abu Dhabi. There is a hunger for victories and good results. The best placed at the start of the tournament is, once again, the very young Ángel Ayora (-5). It is rare for the Andalusian 19-year-old not to flirt with the top 10 in the Challenge tournament.
Ayora arrived at the tournament after his unforgettable debut on the PGA Tour. He made the cut in Puerto Rico and a learning experience to remember. Transitions between circuits are not easy and Ángel seems to have the experience of a veteran.
In today’s round the Andalusian has been very fine from the tee, impeccable one could say. A five under par in which he has only had one stumble. He closed the round with the feeling that he has played the first shots very well, but that he has not done anything extraordinary with the irons or the putt. Which gives more merit to his round. The birdie capacity that Ángel has is stratospheric. Fifteen greens in regulation and five birdies in the bag.
It is a fact that Ayora has not felt very good with the irons and, in fact, after eating he has gone to the driving range with his coach, Juan Ochoa, with the intention of regaining sensations. The key for the rest of the tournament will be that he can regain the feeling with the irons and maintain the level from the tee.
Ángel’s round was not the only good news this morning. Javi Sainz and Quim Vidal (-4) have placed themselves among the top 25 in the tournament after the first round. Javi has had an immaculate round, eagle included, until the last flag of the day, where his only stumble has arrived. The Catalan’s round has had more ups and downs, combining seven successes with three mistakes.
Víctor Pastor (-3) and Joel Moscatel (-2) also are within the provisional cut and tomorrow they will fight to continue climbing positions. Borja Virto (-1) and Lucas Vacarisas (PAR) are on the verge of the weekend. It will be necessary to come back, but not too much.
Things have gone worse for our two great veterans. Alejandro Cañizares (+2) and Álvaro Quirós (+3) will have to row and fly low tomorrow to make the cut in Abu Dhabi. The tournament also features the presence of Nicolas Colsaerts, European vice captain in the last Ryder. The Belgian, resident in the Emirates, has handed in a card of 69 strokes and gets into the top 40 of the tournament.
Alongside the Danes in the tournament lead we find two Englishmen, John Parry and Bradley Baldwen. Baldwen has never won on the Challenge and is looking to get into the DP World Tour for the first time in his career. Today he has handed in a card with eight successes and a single mistake to take the lead in the tournament. For his part, Parry already knows what it is like to win this year and confirms his great form with a round of seven under par. A second victory would give him half a ticket to the DP World Tour and we are only in April.
The highest praise goes to the course workers and the Challenge organisation. It is impressive how well the course has recovered after the storm last Monday and Tuesday. The biggest downpour in 75 years has passed through the course as if it was barely noticeable. When things are done well, they are recognised.
