The Challenge Tour stops this week in Northern Ireland, specifically on the Galgorm Castle course, a few kilometres north of Holywood, the town where Rory McIlroy and, more recently, Tom McKibbin, the player who gives the tournament its name, came from.
As always when one visits these parts, the most important thing is to look at the sky. Yes, the preparation of the course also counts and they assure that this year there is less rough, but the main ally of the course is mother nature. Apparently, this week it can be a factor, decisively influencing each player’s turn.
It’s not the first time, nor will it be the last. Just as it wouldn’t be the first time a player who comes out in the bad turn wins the tournament, but it is indisputable that, in general, they are going to have it more difficult. The most disadvantaged, if the forecasts hold, are those who play on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. On paper, they are going to get more wind and more water.
The wind, obviously, will be a factor, especially from the tee. There are some holes very well defended by forest, so losing the fairway almost automatically means a lost ball. There are also some starts with dog legs or well protected by bunkers where the biggest hitters can take advantage.
With this scenario, a priori, the Spaniards who are going to benefit the most are Víctor Pastor, Víctor García Broto, Joel Moscatel and Álvaro Hernández, while Álvaro Quirós, Lucas Vacarisas, Ángel Ayora, Alejandro Cañizares, Javier Sainz, Borja Virto and Quim Vidal are going to find worse conditions. In this sense, the Armada has not come out very well.
This is a high-flying Challenge Tour tournament. No wonder, the top seven in the Road to Mallorca and 17 of the top 20 are in Northern Ireland. A very good opportunity for Ayora, Vacarisas, Vidal, Virto or Pastor, to assault the top 20 of the ranking. They are all between position 30 and 55.
