Nacho Elvira (-18) is on the brink of the best Sunday of his sporting career. It will depend, of course, on what happens in the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Meanwhile, all credit to the Cantabrian who has created a unique opportunity. Of course, Elvira has already won two tournaments on the DP World Tour. He has indeed claimed victory in Wales and Belgium, but neither of those two weeks has the magnitude of this one.
Elvira has managed to maintain the high birdie pace needed in the emirate to have any chance of victory. He shot 65, with eight birdies and a solitary bogey, and is in fourth position, just two shots behind the leader Aaron Rai (-20). More birdies will be needed tomorrow, many more, there’s no other way. The winning score won’t differ much from -24 or -25. So imagine. Nacho needs to think about another 65 to have a chance. Tremendous.
Nacho’s great merit this Saturday has been his patience. For that, you need to have a lot of confidence in your abilities. He’s playing well, he knows it, and he’s certain that with calmness, the birdies will come. That’s why, when he bogeyed the 3rd, right at the start of the round, no alarms went off. He continued with his game, hitting great iron shots and putting like no other week this year. He made eight birdies in 14 holes. Spectacular. The bonus came on the 17th, sinking a putt of about 12 metres. He celebrated it almost like a goal at the Bernabéu. It was well deserved.
Elvira is on the brink of the best Sunday of his career because he can not only achieve a unique victory in his record, but he also has the chance to secure the Open Championship 2026 (the top 25 in the Race to Dubai qualify), as well as even the PGA Tour card. A victory tomorrow would guarantee it. Consider the magnitude of the feat he could achieve in a few hours.
There is also a chance, although more distant, in terms of strokes and players in between, for Alex del Rey (-15). He is five shots off the lead. He has a chance, but for that, he would need to pull off a Paul Waring, that is, sign for 61 or 62 strokes, as the Englishman did last year. If anyone can do it, it’s the Madrilenian. However, he needs to be cautious because he is also playing for a spot in the Dubai Final. Anything that gets him into the top 10, unless there are many ties, should suffice. A promising Sunday ahead.
Additionally, Ángel Ayora (-11) has climbed up with a card of 66 strokes. Little to reproach. The only thing is that the tournament is such that with a six-under coming from far back, you don’t move much. Even so, anything that adds up will give him a better chance in the Dubai Final to secure a PGA Tour card. For now, Abu Dhabi isn’t solving much for him, but he can still do things this Sunday.
Jorge Campillo (-8) has also shot 66 and has consolidated his presence in the Dubai Final, while Eugenio Chacarra (-8) has fared worse with a card of 71 strokes, akin to shooting three or four under par on any other course. The Madrilenian will need a blockbuster Sunday to improve his situation in the fight to be on the PGA Tour next year.
Lastly, Rafa Cabrera Bello (-7) and Manu Elvira (-3) are already out of the running for a spot in the Dubai Final. They needed to be close to the top 5, and it’s now impossible. Even so, a good round from Rafa with 68 strokes.
