La Final of the DP World Tour School is a marathon, plain and simple. It may sound like a cliché, but it’s the truth. It’s a six-day event, with four rounds before the cut. You have to believe it. Especially after a lacklustre start by the Spanish players. Out of the 12 representatives of the Armada at Inifnitum Golf, only one is currently within the card positions… and the cut, after the first 18 holes. Yes, it could have been a better start, certainly hard to be much worse.
Santi Tarrio (-4) is the one to watch. The Galician has delivered a notable round at the Lakes, with five birdies and a single bogey. Positioned 13th. He is five shots behind the leader, the 23-year-old Australian Connor McKinney, who also played at the Lakes. The cut is currently at -4 with the top 20 and ties, those who after six days will receive the DP World Tour card.
Does this mean that to succeed one must reach -24? Not necessarily, but it shouldn’t be far off. It will depend, obviously, on the playing conditions in the coming days. Certainly, it seems that -20 is almost a requirement. This means averaging three to four under par per day.
The rest of the Spanish players are not only outside the top 20 and ties, the main goal of the week, but also outside the cut that will be made on the fourth day with the top 60 and ties. Currently, that cut is at -2. Demanding.
Given the situation, there’s no choice but to rally from this Saturday. Let today’s round be the bad one:
– Gonzalo Fernández Castaño (-1) played the Lakes. A double bogey marred his round.
– Víctor Pastor (-1) played the Lakes, with three birdies and two bogeys.
– Luis Masaveu (-1) played the Hills, with five birdies and four bogeys.
– Adri Arnaus (PAR) played the Hills and made a comeback. He finished with a two-under-par to stay in the game with the course.
– Scott Fernández (+1) played the Hills. Too many mistakes (five bogeys) overshadowed a great eagle and two birdies.
– Javier Calles (+1) played the Hills and a double bogey also disrupted his round.
– Joseba Torres (+1) played the Hills with two birdies and three bogeys.
– Alfredo García Heredia (+1) played the Hills with three birdies and four bogeys.
– Pablo Ereño (+2) played the Lakes and made many mistakes, with four bogeys and a double bogey. The good news is he made four birdies.
– Albert Boneta (+3) played the Hills and made plenty of birdies (six), but committed up to four double bogeys.
– Javier Barcos (+4) also played the Lakes with a very eventful round. He has no margin for error.
It can’t be said that the Hills course treated the Armada well. The vast majority played there and no one managed to score under par, only Arnaus’s par was spared.
Overall, the Lakes has been much more forgiving than the Hills, as expected due to the added difficulty of the new greens on the back nine of the Hills, which have not yet settled. Of the top 24 players, 16 played at the Lakes and only eight, half, at the Hills.
Beyond the Spanish players, these results stand out:
– Zander Lombard (-7)
– Robin Williams (-5)
– Frank Kennedy (-5), the youngest in the tournament for the second consecutive year.
– Fred Boindi (-4)
– Alex Levy (-4)
– Lucas Bjerregaard (-4)
– Gregory Bourdy (-3)
– Yannick Paul (-3)
– Eddie Pepperell (-2)
– Shubhankar Sharma (-1)
– Oliver Wilson (-1)
– Marc Warren (PAR)
– Tapio Pulkkanen (+1)
– Romain Wattel (+1)
– Chris Wood (+2)
– Matthew Southgate (+2)
– Fabrizio Zanotti (+2)
– Max Kieffer (+4)
