Notable performance by Spanish golf in the first round of the second Stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School. A total of 302 players are competing across four different venues for a spot in next week’s grand Final, although only about a third of them will succeed. Up to 16 Spaniards are seeking their opportunity at Desert Springs (Almería), Las Pinaillas (Albacete), Isla Canela (Huelva), and Fontanals (Girona), and eight of them have already positioned themselves in the hot zone of the rankings, where the spots for the Final will be distributed on Sunday. Let’s go step by step, course by course, considering that each will distribute around 22, 23, or 24 spots.
Desert Springs (Almería): the leader at the Almería venue is Englishman Tom Shadbolt (-8). Young Catalan Albert Boneta (-6) is not far from the lead, sitting in sixth place, and has already secured an interesting cushion of about three strokes over the line that will mark the final cut.
Golf Las Pinaillas (Albacete): at the Manchego course, we have four leaders after the first round, who are Portuguese Figuereido (-5), Frenchman Boulet (-5), and Americans Huntzinger (-5) and Erickson (-5). Just one stroke behind is Asturian amateur Pablo Alperi (-4). A great start also for Donostian Joseba Torres (-3). Both are within the top 25 and, therefore, within the main objective. Manuel Ballesteros (+1) and Alejandro Cañizares (+2) have not managed to beat the course, but they still have room for a comeback.
Isla Canela Links (Huelva): Austrian Maximilian Steinleichner (-6) and Australian Todd Sinnott (-6) lead the event at the Huelva course, where play had to be suspended due to rain, although the round was eventually completed. Young Navarrese Javier Barcos (-4) is in fourth place after carding a 68. Javier Sainz (PAR), meanwhile, has signed for par and is currently in 39th place, two strokes from the target. Slightly further back are José Luis Adarraga (+2), Quim Vidal (+2), Víctor Pastor (+3), and Alejandro Aguilera (+3).
Fontanals Golf Club (Girona): the Catalan course has been the most fruitful for the interests of the Spanish Armada in this first round. The leader is the surprising Slovak Jakub Hrinda (-9), who carded a 62, but Luis Masaveu (-7) is very close to the lead, in second place. Additionally, Lucas Vacarisas (-4) has initially placed himself in a good eighth position, while Borja Virto (-2) and Mario Galiano (-2) are on the target line in 23rd place. Just one stroke behind these two is Álvaro Quirós (-1), in 37th place.
