The Armada remains at the forefront in the DP World Tour. Today it was Alex del Rey‘s turn (-7). The Madrid native started with a superb round of 65 strokes at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and has positioned himself at the top of the tournament. He is in charge.
Del Rey began the day with three consecutive birdies on holes 1, 2, and 3. It was a kind of statement of intent. Shortly after, he signed another set of three, between holes 8 and 10, and finished the job with another one on the 13th. From hat-trick to hat-trick and on he goes.
The driver has once again been his best ally, although in today’s round he was joined by an old friend who had turned his back on him at the start of the year. We’re talking about the short game. The golfer from La Moraleja hadn’t been sharp around the green in the two weeks in Dubai. At least, not with the finesse he is accustomed to. Let’s remember that much is always said about Alex’s power, but his short game is delightful.
Well, the champion in Ras al Khaimah just a year ago has dedicated a few more hours than usual to the short game this week in Bahrain, and the results have appeared quite soon. It’s true that he hit many greens, practically all of them (only missing the 16th and ending up on the fringe), but he did need it to make the recovery for birdie on the par 5s. And so it was. The three birdies he made on the long holes came in that same way.
In any case, his main weapon remains the drive. He hits very long and has found more consistency at the start of this year. The combination of the work he is doing with Dave Philips to flatten the swing a bit more, along with the addition of the Quantum from Callaway to his bag, is yielding rich results. The best example today was that fabulous drive he hit on the 10th hole. It’s a par 4 of 340 yards that was played with the wind helping today. Del Rey aimed at the flag and nailed it. He struck the ball, landed it on the green four metres from the flag, and made two putts for birdie.
The greens of the Montgomerie course at the Royal Golf Club of Bahrain are not easy, but Del Rey handles these situations well. He has always been a good putter in terms of the concept of putt rhythm. That is, he handles himself well on large greens that cause a lot of long putts. Today he didn’t struggle to save any par. It can even be said that it was an easy 65, with a lot of order and consistency. The things of Alex.
The Spanish golfer has a one-stroke advantage over Daniel Hillier (-6), who started the season at the same level he finished the last, Laurie Canter (-6), the defending champion, Nicolai Von Dellingshausen (-6), who is definitely experiencing his best moment as a professional, and Niklas Lemke (-6), who was already seen at the top in Dubai last week.
As for the rest of the Spaniards, the start has been very good overall. Jorge Campillo (-4) finished with three consecutive birdies to place himself very close to the top area, while Nacho Elvira (-3) was going like a rocket after the first nine holes, five under par, until a missed short birdie putt on the 1st stopped him in his tracks. Even so, he also signed a notable start. Sergio García (-2), Rafa Cabrera Bello (-2), and Manu Elvira (-1) also started under par. A poor start for Quim Vidal (+3) and Rocco Repetto (+3).
The playing conditions have been good. The wind has blown, but not excessively, and the greens continue to receive well. Few will be made with the cleanliness they have done outside the fairways in the last year. If the wind doesn’t appear, and according to the forecast it will be calm for the next three days, we could see a winning score close to -20. Del Rey already has more than a third of the way covered.
