Iván Cantero (-6) is the provisional leader of the Genesis Championship, after the morning session of play on the first day and after signing an excellent 66 with only one bogey on the card. The same player who started last Thursday on the 10th hole at Sotogrande with a disheartening triple bogey, today hit a fabulous drive on the 1st hole of the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club (Incheon, South Korea) and then left the birdie almost given from 118 metres with a perfect 56-degree wedge. The difference between one week and the next, with 71 holes to go, was already four shots… An anecdotal fact, if you like, but numbers are numbers.
The important thing, the truly significant thing in any case, is that the Asturian played generally very good golf in Andalusian lands, although he missed the cut at the last moment (to that triple bogey in Sotogrande, for example, he responded with five birdies in six holes), and today he has once again displayed powerful play, with an immaculate and very strong six-under in the first ten holes, deep and precise drives from the tee and great handling with the wedges in hand.
Not much changed afterwards: Cantero missed the first fairway on the 15th hole and the first green in regulation on the 16th, where he also missed the fairway and took the first and only bogey of the day after finding the ball in the rough, very ugly, with a lot of mud. Let’s say that this result, besides placing the Asturian up there and, therefore, opening a thousand doors for him, even with 54 holes to go, represents above all a huge relief. Iván, all of a sudden, has shaken off the huge disappointment with which he left Sotogrande a few days ago. Right now, with three rounds to play, it’s true, the projection in the Race to Dubai would make him climb almost ninety places, save him from ‘relegation’ and place him absolutely within the first playoff in Abu Dhabi… In short, there’s a lot to do and a lot to row, but a great start helps enormously.
The start of Alejandro del Rey (-4) has also been very good. His round of 68 holes will definitely end up very high at the end of the day. The playing conditions in the morning session have been very good, with no wind and rather receptive greens (Cantero played the last five holes of his round with a bit of breeze, but nothing more), but this course defends itself very well with a few very tricky pin positions on some undulating greens that are not easy to deal with. The Madrid native, in addition to sprinkling the round with excellent shots, hallmark of the house, has also enjoyed himself with the short game, around the greens. Del Rey is looking this week, firstly, to get into Abu Dhabi, but if he were able to win here, he would fully enter the fight for the ten PGA Tour cards, let’s not forget.
Not all are great news. Sebas García (+1), Rafa Cabrera Bello (+2) and Santi Tarrio (+3), who like Cantero are playing for their full playing rights for 2025 this week, have not had a great start and tomorrow they will have to fight with determination to make the cut.
Beyond the Spaniards, we must highlight the great start of Byeong Hun An (-5), one of the big favourites for the win. The Korean has placed himself in second position, one shot behind Cantero, tied with Casey Jarvis (-5) and Richard Mansell (-5).
