The first victory for Spanish golf in the HotelPlanner Tour could be just around the corner. Certainly, Quim Vidal (-17) has single-handedly given himself an excellent opportunity to make it a reality this Sunday. He started today as a co-leader on the moving day of the Dehli Challenge and has pulled ahead with an excellent round of 66. Now, with only 18 holes remaining, he has a three-shot cushion over Joshua Berry (-14) and four over Maximilian Steinlechner (-13), Davis Bryant (-13), and Lukas Nemecz (-13).
Quim has once again displayed solid and tremendously consistent golf, although probably the key to the day has been patience. He didn’t make any bogeys, but the first birdie took a while to appear. Far from getting impatient, he remained calm and stuck to the plan. He signed the first red circle on the 8th and added another on the 11th, a par 3. However, it was from the 14th onwards that he unleashed what is known at the Classic Golf & Country Club in India as the Vidal fury. He made birdies on the 14th, 15th, 17th, and 18th. That is, four in the last five holes of the course. The same as he achieved on Thursday. His score in these final five holes is ten under par. Yesterday he managed to string together two rounds under 70 for the first time in 2025. Now there are three…
He is the leader and has a good advantage, although many things can still happen in India. No one needs to explain this to him, as it’s not the first time he’s been in a position to win on the HotelPlanner Tour. However, he has never had such a favourable situation. In any case, knowing that you do well in the last five holes is reassuring. It’s not about leaving everything to the end, but it’s obvious that if the day goes awry, you’ve already proven that you have room at the end to recover. He seeks his first victory in this circuit, as well as Spain’s first under the new name inaugurated this year.
His closest pursuers are Joshua Berry, who is on a roll after his victory last week at the Kolkata Challenge, Mas Steinlechner, one of the revelations of the circuit this year, Bart Bryant, one of the young Americans seeking fortune in Europe, and Nemecz, a veteran seasoned in many battles who won three times on the Alps but has yet to open his record in the Challenge. Last week he finished second behind Berry.
In addition to Vidal’s great opportunity, Adri Arnaus (-9) has recorded a magnificent moving day with a score of 66. The golfer from Moià also finished his round in an extraordinary manner, with five birdies in the last six holes. It is true that in that stretch are the three easiest holes on the course, but that doesn’t mean it’s a paradise for everyone. It just so happened that Vidal and Arnaus did things very well.
Further back are Santi Tarrio (-7), who lacked the finishing touch for a great round of golf, Víctor Pastor (-7), who shot 70 today, and Albert Boneta (-6), who alternated too many hits and misses for a total of 71.
