Adri Arnaus (-6) had been crying out for a round like the one he completed this Saturday at the third day of the SDC Championship. The golfer from Moià handed in the best card of the day (66 strokes) at the St Francis Links in South Africa and has made it into the top 10 of the tournament with 18 holes to go. He is ninth, five strokes behind the leaders Daniel Brown (-11) and Connor Syme (-11) and is only three strokes away from third place. A victory seems unlikely, but at least he has left a small window open.
In any case, Arnaus’ round today in Eastern Cape goes far beyond the simple and forceful numerical strength. The most important thing, aside from the 66 itself, being the best of the day, also being his best round of the year or having made it into the top 10, is how he has played golf. The conditions on this moving day have not been easy, the wind has blown even more than yesterday, but Adri has been simply sublime. It’s a real boost. Literal and metaphorical.
Arnaus has shown himself particularly inspired in the shots to the green against the wind and, even, with wind from the left, which is usually the most uncomfortable for right-handers. He started playing by the book, with three clear birdie options on the first three holes, about three meters, which did not want to go in. However, on the 4th he opened the can with a very good one of just over four meters. From there, he has putted really well. Another ‘easy’ birdie fell on the 5th, after going for the green with the driver and on the 6th he nailed it. He hit a 3-wood to the spot, a sensational 8-iron to the clouds and a putt for eagle, which he made, of just over a meter.
The only mistake of the day was on the 7th, with a three-putt from the antegreen for a bogey, but he recovered like a charm with a birdie on hole 8. Again, played by the book: 5-iron from the tee and a great shot with the 52-degree wedge less than three meters from the flag. In the back nine he made two more birdies taking advantage of the par 5s.
It was curious because the wind blew with a bit more intensity than yesterday, but especially in the opposite direction, just the opposite. So, while yesterday on the 10th they played 5-iron and wedge, today they had to hit driver and 7-iron. Another example is the 12th. Yesterday with the driver you could practically take it to the green, or at least leave it very close, and today with the wind against he hit driver and 6-iron (140 meters from the hole, when normally Adri hits almost 190, get an idea of how it blew against). Huge difference. It’s not easy to make these adjustments and come out so well. And one more example, hole 13 (par 5): yesterday with the wind in favor he hit driver and 50-degree wedge to the green and today he hit 3-wood, 5-iron and 6-iron third to 130 meters. He made it from about four meters.
To finish, he saved two very good pars on the 17th and 18th, the first one getting out of a bunker and the second one, which today was a monster with the wind against, making approach and putt from about 70 meters. Adri needed a round like this, a boost of this kind to gain even more confidence. It’s his first cut of the year and now he’s got the prime top 10 in sight since, precisely, this same tournament last year, when he finished in second place.
As for the rest of the Spaniards, they have stayed a bit far from the top positions. Manu Elvira (-1) has won the match against his brother Nacho in the first round of competition they play together in the DP World Tour. The younger one has made 70 strokes, while the older one has signed a result of 72. Also under par are Adrián Otaegui (-1) and Ángel Hidalgo (-1). Iván Cantero has dropped to par with a round of 74 and Nacho Elvira is with +1.
