What will be will be, but this is something that no one can take away from the two Elvira brothers, Manu and Nacho. One, Manu, the youngest, co-leader of the Magical Kenya Open after 54 holes with a cumulative -10 and, of course, an obligatory member of the star match on Sunday alongside the Dutchman Darius Van Driel (-10); the other, Nacho, the eldest, just three strokes off the lead with a cumulative -7 and a place in the penultimate match of the decisive round. Both, therefore, although one more than the other to start with, have clear chances of victory.
One, Manu, looking for his first victory on the DP World Tour (this is his tenth appearance on this circuit, let’s not forget); the other, Nacho, trying to catch the second, which so far has eluded him after 270 tournaments played in the first division of continental golf.
One, the younger Elvira, solid co-leader after signing a card of 67 strokes today, the second best record of the day at a Muthaiga Golf Club that today received a morning downpour, which delayed the start of the game and, of course, did not help those very tricky and irregular greens. Tricky, yes, although their roughest, coarsest aspect, like that of the rough, has a special charm. The other, the elder Elvira, who after the first nine holes today had almost said goodbye to any option (he was two up on the day), but who signed a valuable partial of 30 strokes for the second nine to get into the last matches on Sunday.
What will be will be, and the future may bring them to more significant crossroads, but it will never again be the first time that these two brothers experience the hours before a fourth day of a European circuit tournament in the exciting situation of seeing both of them fighting for victory. The only thing missing would be if they were in the same match… Let’s give time to time and room for manoeuvre to the sadistic goblins of golf, to get organised.
Manu didn’t do very well last year, on the Challenge Tour, this business of marching in the last matches of the weekend. He didn’t do very well because, although he achieved very good results, he didn’t manage to claim victory. The point, whatever it may be, is that it is very difficult to bring these ships to a good port. Winning is very difficult. Let’s not look for three feet on the cat. Rather, we should celebrate this player’s ability to look again at the top positions, either out of the corner of his eye, or firmly and decisively, as this week in African lands. His performance in this third round, moreover, should be considered a step forward. He has played as well, or even better, than in previous rounds (what a splendid and tempered collection of wedge shots). And he has not lost his aggressiveness from the tee, maintaining his roadmap, which leads him to hit with the driver, for example, on the tees of holes 3, 12 and 14, where not everyone does it.
Tonight, like every other night since they arrived in Nairobi, Nacho and Manu will share a hotel room and it is most likely that they will talk about golf just enough. Dreaming, in these hours before, each one in his bed and God in everyone’s, Nacho will do it with his brother’s driver (“if I had my brother’s drive I wouldn’t drop out of the top ten every week”, he sometimes says jokingly); and Manu, perhaps, with the refined game around the green of the elder. On Sunday, of course, together for the field, as they leave to play with only twenty minutes difference.
Unfortunately for them, they are not by any means the only candidates. There are plenty of them. Up to 25 players will go out within a margin of five strokes. If any of the most delayed manage to sign today’s 65 of Wu, they can put the leaders in serious trouble. In this fight will play Lucas Vacarisas (-6), who finished with a bogey on the 18th, par 5, but who in the previous holes had turned around a day that was very black (partial of three up in the first third of the round), with some play station shots. And also Adrián Otaegui (-5) or Iván Cantero (-5), who today have placed themselves in that second or third row of aspirants with respective cards of 69 strokes.
