There is a phrase that resonates in every corner of the clubhouse of the Rinkven International Golf Club in Antwerp, Belgium, host from this Thursday of the Soudal Open of the DP World Tour: “it seems a course designed to the measure of Adrián Otaegui“. Obviously, the Spanish golfer has nothing to do with this comment. It’s something that has come up. It’s not the first time something like this has happened. Almost every week, because that’s how we humans are, there is a player who, without asking for it, is not only labelled as the maxi-mega-ultra favourite, but it goes a bit further, saying more or less that if he doesn’t win it’s because something strange has happened to him. If only it were that simple…
We are going to lower those expectations a bit, but that does not mean we will stop telling the truth. We could say that all roads lead to Otaegui this week. Of course, because the course fits like a glove to his golf characteristics, second because he already won here in 2018, even though it was in a hybrid format that ended with match play and third because he comes from winning the Volvo China Open and did not make the cut in the PGA Championship by just a detail. That is, he likes the course, he is comfortable, it brings back good memories and he is in form. You can’t ask for much more.
And what does it mean that it is a course that perfectly adapts to the Pirate’s golf? Well, stay with us: narrow fairways, not very long course, very penalising areas off the fairway, rough and above all a lot of trees, and greens in a perfect state of review, ready for the best putters, among which is the man from San Sebastian.
At the top of the pyramid of favourites is Otaegui, it is inevitable, but he is not alone. In this equation we also have to include those players who have the best numbers this year from tee to green. That is, they combine many fairways hit and many greens in regulation. Here are some names that, with the theory on the table, should be up there this week: the Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, second best player of the DP World Tour from tee to green, Frederic Lacroix, a very fine French golfer who is fourth in this same statistic, the other Austrian Matthias Schwab, fifth in fairways hit and fourth in greens in regulation, Tom McKibbin, eighth in fairways and tenth in greens or Jordan Smith, who comes straight from signing a notable PGA Championship and is fifth in the European circuit from tee to green. If any of these six players has a more or less inspired week on the greens, they should be there to win.
Also in this pack of favourites we should include the Spaniards Santi Tarrio, who fits like a glove to this course, or Ángel Hidalgo, although the man from Malaga, more of streaks, will depend on having a really consistent week from the tee. Also keep an eye on Nacho Elvira and Alfredo García Heredia. This is the theory, you know that then comes the practice and makes all the small print blow up.
To the four Spaniards mentioned, we must add Rafa Cabrera Bello, Iván Cantero, Adri Arnaus, Manuel Elvira, Pablo Larrazábal, Sebastián García Rodríguez and Alejandro del Rey. A priori, it is an uncomfortable course for Cantero, Arnaus and Del Rey, as they cannot let go as they like with the driver, and Manu Elvira and Cabrera Bello are not going through the best moment of confidence right now. Meanwhile, Sebas is necessarily a mystery because he is playing less and Larrazábal depends on his inspiration, if he is with the angel up he can win on any course, as he has already demonstrated up to nine times.
