Pablo Larrazábal (-4) has today completed his fifth consecutive round under par at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Korea. The first four rounds helped him win the Korea Championship presented by Genesis 18 months ago with a total of -12; and the fourth and last, which he played today with a final score of 68, is just perfect to start the Genesis Championship and defend his title.
“Yes, I like to start like this: under the radar, but breathing down the neck of those at the top,” the Barcelona native explained to Tengolf just minutes after signing that scorecard. Indeed, Larrazábal has already positioned himself within the top ten, just two strokes behind the leader, Iván Cantero. Pablo is trying, among other things, to earn a spot in the final playoffs, those in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, for which he will likely need something like a top 5 finish on Sunday. In any case, it’s not a matter of life and death for him. He approaches it philosophically in a season that was sweetly and fortunately disrupted by his first fatherhood, to which he gave absolute priority.
Today he only experienced one moment of unease. It was on the 8th hole, a par 3 that was playing very long, where he sent the ball sixty metres to the right, out of bounds, hitting from the tee with a 3-wood. Immediately after, with the same club, he left the ball on the green but couldn’t avoid a double bogey. Aside from this mishap, the fact is that the nine-time winner on the European Tour completed a very tidy round, very well played, and even fell short in the result, although Larrazábal for now wasn’t asking for much more. He likes being where he is.
Manu Elvira (-4) also displayed enough golf to have caught the leader. There were many and varied birdie opportunities that slipped away, although the final result is more than commendable. Manu doesn’t have as many urgencies in this tournament as many other players, as he has secured his ‘stay’ in the top division, but who knows what could happen if he manages to climb even higher and fight for the win. For now, up to four Spaniards have finished the first round within the top ten (Cantero, Del Rey, Larrazábal, and Elvira), so it seems the Armada promises us strong emotions once again, this time in Korea.
Alfredo García Heredia (-1) is trying to secure his spot in Abu Dhabi, among other things, as he arrived in Korea ranked 67th in the Race to Dubai, and the top seventy qualify. For now, let’s say his scorecard of 71 keeps him in a good position, but he can’t afford to rest on his laurels, as right now the projection places him precisely on the edge (70th place). Adri Arnaus (+2), on the other hand, has started with doubts and will have to react one way or another this Friday to give himself one last chance to secure his full playing rights.
