The Challenge Tour kicks off its 36th season this Thursday. Long gone is that year 1989 when this satellite circuit of the DP World Tour was born with the aim of forging the stars of the future. The starting flag will be given by the SDC Open in South Africa, specifically at the Zebula Golf Estate and Spa in Limpopo, the first of four consecutive stops in this country.
There we already have eight Spaniards ready for a curious challenge. We like to start strong. We don’t hide. Any of them can do this Sunday what has never been seen before by a Spanish player. In the previous 35 seasons, one after another, none of ours ever won the first tournament of the Challenge calendar. There is the gauntlet thrown to these particular magnificent eight: Borja Virto, Alejandro Cañizares, Víctor Pastor, Ángel Ayora, Quim Vidal, Lucas Vacarisas, Joel Moscatel and Javier Sainz.
The first tournament of the Challenge Tour has been won by Englishmen, a lot, South Africans, a few, Argentines, several, a couple of Indians and even Danes or Colombians, but never a Spaniard. Who knows if this week is not the right time to change the course of history to our field.
Of course, it won’t be easy. To achieve it, first you have to defeat the African armada. Very tough. Without going any further, last year the four visits resulted in three South African victories and one Zimbabwean. The next thing will be to adapt as best as possible to the altitude and South African grass. The Zebula Golf Estate is 1,250 meters above sea level, so the ball flies a lot. According to the calculations of Juan Ochoa, coach and caddie of Ángel Ayora, it is approximately eight percent more distance. With a medium iron the difference can be compared to playing in Malaga, for example, of iron and a half. His 6 iron is doing about 204 meters of flight. You have to adapt. The other difficulty of the week is the grass. It’s very hard. Little to do with what we are used to in Europe. The ball responds differently.
Beyond that, the reality is that it is a wide field, not so much for the streets, but for the rough that protects them. There is hardly any, so not being on the street, except for a very bad shot (direct to the savannah) or with very bad luck (there are some scattered trees), does not punish excessively. In addition, the heat will be a slight factor, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
