It wasn’t on the first day of the BMW International Open. The anticipated and necessary gear change for Sergio García to aim for playing in the Ryder Cup is still awaited. His initial round at the Golfclub München Eichenried in Munich was 75 strokes, three over par, far from the leaders. His return to the DP World Tour three years later hasn’t gone very well.
Beyond the result, which is obviously not good, Sergio has once again shown a lot of fragility in his long game, the true measure of his form. He was very inconsistent from the tee, missing many fairways and hitting some shots that, certainly by his standards, can be described as unusual. For example, in the first three par 3s he played, he made bogey by missing the green, and in the fourth and last, on the 8th, he missed again but saved par with a great five-metre putt. There won’t be many rounds in García’s career where he has missed the green on all the par 3s.
The inconsistency and lack of confidence are still there. For now, that expected gear change hasn’t arrived. It’s true that on this occasion, it can also be attributed to the fact that his tournament preparation wasn’t the most appropriate. Beyond finishing the Dallas tournament on Sunday, the man from Borriol cut it very close arriving in Germany to attend his wife’s grandmother’s funeral. He arrived almost at the last minute and barely had time to prepare the course. It’s likely that tomorrow he will find better sensations. Certainly, for now, he cannot convince Luke Donald. He still has room.
The leaders of the BMW International Open after the morning session are Marco Penge (-5), determined to fight for the PGA Tour card, and Gavin Green (-5). Penge is also competing this week for a spot in the Open Championship. He is one of the five who would currently obtain it through the Race to Dubai. The defence of his position couldn’t have started better. One stroke behind them are Nathan Kimsey and Scott Jamieson. Wilco Nienaber (-3) managed to take the solo lead at -6 but finished with three bogeys in the last four holes.
Joel Mostcatel (+1) was also the leader at times. The Catalan started with three consecutive birdies in the first three holes and moved to the top. He eventually finished over par. It’s not a good result, but it keeps him fully in the fight to make the cut, a fundamental first objective in his desire to turn the season around.
The best Spaniards of the morning were two who have been playing very well in recent weeks. They are Rafa Cabrera Bello (-2) and Iván Cantero (-1). Both are within reach of the top positions. The Canary Islander made five birdies and three bogeys, one of them particularly painful, on a par and putting for birdies from three metres. One of those three-putts that hurt. Meanwhile, Cantero had a fairly orderly round. Beyond two good saves on the 14th and 18th and the bogey on the 12th with three putts, he was almost always putting for birdie. He missed several good opportunities. He made only two birdies but showed that he can make much better use of this course.
Additionally, from the morning, we have Alfredo García Heredia (+2) and Manu Elvira (+3). Both have left work for Friday to make the cut.
