This Sunday we are set to witness a battle at the Italian Open that could well be one for the ages, with Monte Argentario in Tuscany as the backdrop. The future is always uncertain, but certainly Martin Couvra (-11), Eugenio Chacarra (-10), and Ángel Ayora (-9) are poised to make a significant impact, likely to be seen more than once or twice in the final rounds of tournaments fighting for victories. Their age, career paths, and level of golf suggest as much. After all, the paths of elite professional sports are unpredictable.
Couvra is 22 years old and is the new D’Artagnan of French golf, ready to elbow his way into the spotlight, challenging a legend (for his record, but especially for his unique personality) like Victor Dubuisson. He has already won once on the DP World Tour, having done so in Turkey a few weeks ago, and now seeks his second victory. He is the sole leader of the tournament with one round to go. If he wins, he would move to third in the Race to Dubai and would virtually secure his PGA Tour card. Major achievements.
Chacarra needs no introduction in Spain. He is 25 years old, and his emergence on the DP World Tour, coming from LIV, without status on the circuit and taking advantage of invitations, has been spectacular. He has moved into second place with a great round of 66 on Saturday. He doesn’t even need to play his best golf to score low. Birdies seem to fall out of his pockets. Today he got into trouble. He went back and forth. But he finished in stellar fashion, with four birdies in the last nine holes. He has made it into the final group of the day. He is also seeking his second victory on the European Tour after India and to take a giant step towards securing his PGA Tour card.
Meanwhile, Ángel Ayora is the youngest of them all. He is 20 years old and is competing with them. Therefore, he must also be the most promising. He still has a lot of room for growth, despite his immense talent, hunger for glory, and desire to establish himself among the best sometimes preventing him from seeing it. Today he played exceptional golf. Only an incident on the 12th hole, a serious one, took him out of the stellar group. When he arrived, he was leading by two strokes. He made a triple bogey by stringing together two consecutive errors, one of the maxims that all the greats in golf history have never tired of repeating. We can all make a mistake, but what’s forbidden in the manual is to string two together.
First, he missed the drive to the right rough on the 12th hole. Even this can’t be considered a mistake. At least not a major one. Then, he was unlucky. The ball ended up in a terrible spot, he tried to get it back to the fairway and barely moved it 20 metres. Again, from the rough, his third shot hooked completely and ended up swallowed by a bush. Penalty. In total, he ended up making an 8 on a par 5. Cruel and painful. Lessons learned. And Ayora learns more. He is a sponge.
In any case, his attitude cannot be faulted. He made two more bogeys, one very avoidable with an ugly three-putt on the 14th, and another on the 17th missing on the wrong side. However, he also made two very valuable birdies to stay in the fight. The first came on the 15th with a spectacular chip from off the green, and the second was on the 18th. A good way to finish. His third shot was exceptional on this par 5. Almost a gimme. Lots of grit.
Ayora is tied for third place with Andreas Halvorsen (-9), while Chacarra shares second place with Adrien Saddier (-10). At -8 are Alex Fitzpatrick, Calum Hill, and Clement Sordet, who shot the best round of the day (62 strokes). Truly, many things can happen this Sunday. The course allows for it. If you hit it straight and have a good putting day, birdies can fall one after another, but if you start missing fairways, problems appear immediately. Remember that besides the victory, in these last 18 holes, there are two spots for the Open Championship up for grabs.
When we say anything can happen, it means we shouldn’t even rule out Iván Cantero (-5) or Rafa Cabrera Bello (-4). They are far behind, it’s true, but there’s room to go low. Sordet proved it today, coming from nowhere with an eight-under-par round. Cantero played very well, worked his round, but two bad shots cost him dearly. Meanwhile, the Canary Islander is giving everyone a lesson this week on why you should never give up.
Further back are Albert Boneta (-3), Manuel Elvira (-2), Ángel Hidalgo (-1), Jorge Campillo (PAR), and Alfredo García Heredia (+4). The Top 10 should not be a pipe dream for any of those under par.
