It was already mentioned in the preview of the tournament, Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André, the venue of the Plot Open de Bretagne, is not an easy course. Today, after the first day of the tournament, it has become clear again.
The proof is that after the first 18 holes, more than 100 players have been unable to beat the course. Let’s not fool ourselves, it’s not Pinehurst Nº2, venue of the recent US Open, but it’s also not a course that you can take on without barely breaking a sweat.
In fact, on the first day only four holes were played under the course par and only three players were able to complete the first round without bogeys. Precision and concentration are two fundamental requirements. Fairway, fairway and fairway. If you want to get a good result you need to be sharp from the tee, the moment the first shot is not precise the shadow of the bogey looms.
The sharpest today in France has been the South African Rupert Kaminski who is one of the two players tied at the top after the first day of the Plot Open de Bretagne.
The South African, 27 years old, has had a difficult last year and a half in Europe. 21 tournaments played between the DP World Tour and only three cuts surpassed, precisely all of them were held in South African territory. A painful baggage that Kaminski carries that has only been minimally relieved with a sixth place this course in the Bain Whisky Cape Town Open. The key to Rupert’s round has come from the tee. The player born in 1996 acknowledged that in one of the practice rounds he had tried many tee shots with the driver and had realised that this test required precision and that success came from keeping the driver in the golf bag. This course greatly rewards being in the right place to hit the second shots. That’s how Kaminski tried it and that’s how he executed it almost to perfection. Six birdies without mistake and first leadership of his career on the circuit.
War veteran John Parry continues in an exceptional form and finishes co-leading after the first 18 holes of the tournament. To his victory in India two months ago, Parry accumulates two top 10s in his last three tournaments. The Englishman storming Brittany just a few kilometres from Normandy.
One stroke behind both is the Swede Bjorn Akerson (-5) and two strokes behind are the also Swede Per Langfors and the Dane Jeppe Kristian Andersen. The Swedes and the Dane are looking to stretch the Nordic tyranny on the Challenge Tour. If Andersen wins it would be the fifth Danish victory of the season and if a Swede wins it would be the third. In total, between Sweden, Denmark and Norway they accumulate seven victories in the twelve tournaments played this course and they want to extend the tyranny also in Breton lands.
Among the Spaniards, the trio of the Armada stand out, who gather at -2 tied in 14th place. Lucas Vacarisas, Joel Moscatel and Alejandro Aguilera (-2) have handed in a card of 68 strokes with which they finish the first day four strokes behind the leaders.
Vacarisas arrived at his penultimate flag tied in fourth position, but two consecutive bogeys have taken him out of the top 10: “A pity the end, but the key is to be in the fairway and except for that final stretch I have achieved it” he acknowledged to Ten Golf as soon as he finished his first round of the tournament. For Lucas today the round slipped away on the putt or so the Catalan player felt: “I have left very good options because I have played well from the tee, but the reality is that I have been weak with the putt. I hope to be sharper tomorrow”, concluded Vacarisas.
Javi Sainz (-1) on the other hand walked brushing the fourth place next to Vacarisas in -4 and has finished with a painful streak of three bogeys that have made him fall back to one under par.
Of the rest of the Spaniards, Borja Virto and Víctor Pastor (PAR) stand out, who have finished at par and tied in 43rd position. Special mention deserves the round of the Cordovan who has managed to recover from a suffered first half of the course that ended in +3. A final burst with three hits and no more mistakes has allowed him to finish tied with the course.
Jorge Maicas, Quim Vidal and Emilio Cuartero Blanco (+2) are currently outside the provisional cut, but only one stroke away from it. Tomorrow they will seek to climb positions and add another weekend to the bag. Plenty of time. Alejandro Cañizares (+3) is only one stroke further back and will have many options to make the cut on Friday, as long as, as the course dictates, he finds the fairway from the tee.
