Alfredo García Heredia (-7) had that ear-to-ear smile you can see in the photo accompanying this report as he walked towards the fairway on the 11th hole today. It was early morning in Ireland, at the K Club. He had only played one hole, but he had already pulled off his first trick. Specifically, he holed a 25-metre coast-to-coast chip for eagle on the 10th hole. The show had only just begun. The Asturian went out to play this 5th of September dressed in tails and a top hat. A round of 65 strokes, the best of the day. Leader at the end of the morning.
The best thing, if you don’t know Alfredo, is that if he had made a double bogey on the 10th, he would most likely have worn that same smile. It’s been a while since the skilful fisherman from Gijón has approached his sport with the calmness of a Brit. From Ross Fisher, of course, not Tyrrell Hatton. He’s our very own Tommy Fleetwood. A good face no matter what happens. He convinced himself long ago that there’s life beyond golf. That attitude is what allows him to stay calm and confident even though his position in the Race to Dubai (169th place) is more than precarious. If it’s meant to happen, it will happen.
Today his top hat had no bottom. For birdie and for par. There are his good saves on the 11th or the 13th hole. His great shot on the 14th. His magnificent third shot on the 16th or the birdie on the 18th putting for eagle. Pure magic. Not even the three putts for bogey on the 15th, always a setback, have stopped him. What do you think? Well, the best is yet to come…
On the 3rd hole, he hit another great shot to a metre from the flag, although the best would come in the last five holes. One trick after another. On the 5th, he made an approach and putt for par from 40 metres, on the 6th he repeated the operation from 130 metres and finished the matter by holing three consecutive birdie putts of almost eight metres, seven metres and two and a half metres. The Magic Andreu medal would fall short for Alfredo today.
It’s García Heredia’s best round of the year. By far. The lowest since the first round of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland last season, precisely the tournament where he went out to play the playoff to win against Matt Wallace and had to settle for second place. Who knows if this is a sign of what’s to come from him this week. For now, he’s up there with his candidacy for victory presented. With the afternoon session still to be completed, Alfredo is tied at the top with Thorbjorn Olesen (-7) and Daniel Hillier (-7).
Rafa Cabrera Bello (-5) will also be among the contenders over the weekend after delivering a 71-stroke card today. A lot of merit in the final birdie by the Canary Islander on the 9th hole after making a double bogey on the 8th. Spectacular reaction and a true demonstration that his game is more than sharp, as he has been showing in recent weeks.
Good news also for Joel Moscatel (-2) and Alex del Rey (-1). Both have secured the cut, Moscatel after a magnificent recovery in his last nine holes, the kind that builds character when you know you’re playing for a lot in this final stretch of the season. He signed a splendid three-under partial to ensure the cut when he had one foot out.
Meanwhile, Manuel Elvira (PAR), on a bad day, shot 76 and will have to wait until the end to know if he makes the cut. The one who will definitely not be there is Iván Cantero (+4).
Beyond the Spaniards, among the favourites, we have Tyrrell Hatton (-6), today 68, and Marco Penge (-4), who never seems to let up… Or so it seems.
