Argentinians have a sixth sense for nicknames. Today we have to borrow one, that of Ginóbili, basketball genius who triumphed with his left hand in Argentina and the Spurs of San Antonio. He was known as Manudona, in reference to his first name, Manu, and the great football star, Mr. Diego Armando.
Today Elvira, also Manu by first name, has earned the nickname after signing the best round of his life on a golf course. “Honestly, I don’t remember ever having such a low round,” he admitted to Ten Golf. As a professional, certainly not. It has been 62 strokes, ten under par, and he has placed himself as leader of the Ras al Khaimah Championship tied with Rasmus Hojgaard. By the way, the youngest of the Elviras is right-handed for everything, except with the foot. There is his connection with Maradona, although the Cantabrian clarifies ipso facto: “let’s just say I only use my feet to walk, to not fall over,” he points out amused.
Manu has forged his monumental golf day in an anthology start from the 10th. The litany is worth it: birdie with a putt of just over four meters, birdie from just over three meters, birdie from ten meters, eagle from 107 meters, birdie from one meter. Six under par in five holes. From 10 to 14. Simply, impressive. In addition, all this has happened on the most complicated part of the course.
From there, Manu has slowed down the production. It was necessary to take a breath. He has chained six pars and has stepped on the accelerator again to finish majestically, with birdies on holes 3, 5, 6 and 7. Spectacular. He has matched the record of the Al Hamra Golf Club and has already 36 holes without making a bogey. It is the seventh tournament of his life on the DP World Tour and he can already say that he has led a tournament before the weekend.
The stellar moment of the day, of the many good ones there have been, has been, of course, the eagle of the 13th, from the left rough of the fairway. He had just over a hundred meters to the flag and has hit the 54 degree wedge. It has bounced short of the flag and has entered on the third bounce. If it hadn’t gone in, it would have stayed next to it. A great shot.
Elvira will play this Saturday in the star match of the third round along with Rasmus Hojgaard, his partner at the head, and Callum Shinkwin, who is one stroke behind. The Dane has completed another fabulous golf day with 64 strokes. It’s curious, how quickly Manu Elvira has come across the Hojgaards, the other brothers of the DP World Tour along with the Molinaris and the Elviras themselves. It’s a good time to avenge what happened a few months ago in Denmark, when Rasmus beat Nacho in the playoff. Be that as it may, this is another very different story.
By the way, Nacho and Manu are sharing a room this week and the older one is not having a very good time… “I’m still bothered by my throat and apparently Nacho has told me that I’m snoring a lot, that it sounds like a concert,” he confessed at the end. Rounds like this make up for any bad night.
The playing conditions have been very favourable again, although both tomorrow and Sunday a considerable increase in wind is expected, so in principle no such low rounds will be seen. It’s not a bad goal to think about -20 to win the tournament.
