Y tanto que Martin Couvra (-17) was in a hurry. A lot. So much so that he signed off this Sunday with the round of his life (at least, the first of them) to conquer the Turkish Airlines Open. At just 22 years old and in his fifteenth tournament on the DP World Tour, this young Frenchman from Cannes has opened his record in style, with clean birdies, coming from behind and leaving no response for veteran and reliable players like Haotong Li (-15) or Jorge Campillo (-15). It’s not that they played badly, far from it, you can’t fault them much after delivering cards of 67 strokes each. Simply, as often happens in sport, there was one who was better.
Couvra’s performance was a festival. He shot 64 strokes, starting with tremendous force, signing four birdies in the first six holes. By then, he was already leading the tournament. His particular trigger was the putter. In that stretch, he holed one from nearly eight metres, another from four and a half, and one more from nearly three. He made a bogey on the 8th, responded with a birdie on the 9th, and signed another bogey on the always challenging 10th.
Just at that moment, he delivered the final blow. There were four birdies in the next five holes. From the 11th to the 15th. Here the exhibition was with the irons. None of those four birdies were from beyond two metres. Those shots had to be made at that precise moment when the tournament was being played. He did it. And then he showed the necessary composure to make those two-metre putts. Not forgetting the par putt he made on the 16th, where he raised his fist knowing it was worth half the title. Basically, he made it very difficult for the rest.
Couvra is the new l’enfant terrible of world golf. Physically, blond and very young, but not in character, he takes the baton from Victor Dubuisson. Will Martin be able to meet the expectations that his compatriot could not (and did not want to)? Time will tell. Today’s victory is one that builds character. He won with all the rules, showing enormous determination, responding to a discreet third day in the best possible way. He didn’t even need to rely on his renowned short game. Around the green, he is a ticking time bomb. He chips to hole, although sometimes his bravery costs him some trouble.
All the winners of the Turkish Open have played in the Ryder Cup. In view of Couvra’s demonstration today at the Regnum Carya in Antalya, it would be rare for him to miss out on this spectacular tradition. For now, he has earned more than just the attention of Luke Donald. There’s already a congratulatory message on his phone. This victory is not the only thing that counts; it’s worth remembering that he already had four top 10 finishes this season and has moved into the top 10 of the Race to Dubai. Another candidate to fight for the American cards.
Jorge Campillo finished in second place tied with Haotong Li. A very good Sunday and a great week for the Extremaduran. The best of the year. It’s the tenth time he has finished second in the DP World Tour. It sounds easy. It’s many, many weeks fighting to win. He has three victories, but it’s undeniable that there could be a few more. The player from Norba started the round with a great birdie, stalled a bit with two painful bogeys on holes 6 and 7, but responded to the big ones with three consecutive birdies on holes 8, 9, and 10. He also scored on the last two par 5s and really only needed a bit more accuracy with the putter to fight to the finish line against Couvra. He was the closest to at least forcing a playoff. He missed good chances on 11, 13, 14, and 16. That was the difference between finishing second or lifting the trophy.
The second position allows him to give an important boost to the season and get into the top positions of the Race to Dubai. It’s not that he was worried, but he did feel he needed to take off in some way. He has already done it. He is now in 31st place. Campillo and Haotong Li are the only ones who have shot under 70 strokes all four days.
A magnificent Sunday for Nacho Elvira (-11). The Cantabrian has entered the top 10 with a splendid final round of 65 strokes. He made six birdies and no bogeys. The fifth-best round of the day. Further back finished Rafa Cabrera Bello (-7), Manu Elvira (-3), Santi Tarrio (-1), and Ángel Ayora (PAR).
