This week the European circuit resumes its regular schedule with the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan. It is the third of the four tests that make up the Asian Swing of the DP World Tour and it is necessary to remember that this tour will distribute three places for the PGA Championship. It’s very simple: the top three in the particular ranking of the Asian Swing will be able to play the second major of the year in Valhalla, from May 16 to 19.
Right now, only one Spaniard, Jon Rahm, has his place in the PGA guaranteed and it should be noted that the last time that only one Spaniard played this Major was in 1996, 28 years ago… It’s curious, because that edition was also played in Valhalla (the only Spaniard present at the event was Miguel Ángel Jiménez). It would be a damn coincidence that, again in Valhalla, Spanish golf was so overlooked in a Major.
The Spanish Armada still has time and a certain margin of manoeuvre to prevent this from happening. By several means. For example, David Puig, current Number 104 in the world, is waiting to see if the PGA of America sends him an invitation or not. Another possibility would be that Jorge Campillo achieves a great result next week at the Byron Nelson (The Zurich Classic that starts on Thursday does not count for the world ranking) and can also approach the top 100 in the world or directly enter it (he is currently 121). A top 3 would guarantee it.
And there is, of course, a third way, which is the one that concerns us and has to do with the European circuit and its Asian Swing. There are two tournaments left in this tour, this week’s in Japan and next week’s in China, and right now the best Spaniard in the Asian Swing ranking is Alex del Rey, who is 17th… Obviously, there are multiple mathematical combinations, but it is better not to be deceived: whoever wants to get into one of the top three places and earn their place in the PGA Championship is going to have to do very well.
A good example: not even a victory in Japan, for example, would guarantee Del Rey a passport to Valhalla 100% if he then missed the cut in China or barely scored points, always depending, of course, on what other players could score. By the way, of the two players who currently lead the Asian Swing, Keita Nakajima and Jesper Svensson, the Japanese is already qualified for the PGA by world ranking, so that place would be wasted.
It is very complicated, although there is also a way to see the glass half full: any of the nine Spaniards present this week at the Gotemba course of the Taiheiyo Club (Gotemba, Japan), who will also be present next week in China, have mathematical options to get into the PGA with two excellent performances. They are, in addition to the aforementioned Alejandro del Rey, Santi Tarrio, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Manu Elvira, Adrián Otaegui, Adri Arnaus, Pablo Larrazábal, Ángel Hidalgo and Iván Cantero (Nacho Elvira joins the group in China). However, they would have to be truly two excellent performances…
