11 July 2023. Álvaro Quirós (-5) delivers a card of 65 strokes at the Golf Nazionale in Viterbo. Since that day, the Andalusian hadn’t repeated a similar result. Until today. At the start of the Fred Olsen Alps de La Gomera, Álvaro Quirós has sealed his best round in almost two years and moves into second place in the tournament alongside Javier Barcos.
The reality is that Quirós arrived at Tecina Golf feeling light and without pressure. It doesn’t take away any merit from his round, but the fact of not playing under pressure for card reasons has surely freed him from that murmur that can create tension at certain moments. He was an orderly, consistent Álvaro. Especially from tee to green. He barely missed one all day, and it was due to bad luck. A treacherous bounce prevented it on hole 7, and the ball ended up on the bunker slope. His second and last bogey fell. He wouldn’t miss another green. Solid.
The day started off fun. He played in the same group with Álvaro Hernández Cabezuela (-4) and Flavio Micheti (-3). The Italian, ninth in the Order of Merit, is known on the circuit for hitting the ball very hard. Sure, but Álvaro Quirós is Álvaro Quirós. Although he doesn’t have the distance of yesteryear that made him one of the biggest hitters in the world, the Spaniard wanted to mark his territory from the start. Tee of the 1st, the Italian hits it, and the ball goes straight and rolls well, a good start. Seconds later, it’s Álvaro’s turn. He hits it with all his might and lands past the Italian’s ball, who looks at Quirós half surprised, half amazed. Álvaro looks at him and, laughing, says: “Il piú vecchio (‘the oldest’) is the one who goes the furthest,” big laughs among the three. He wouldn’t hit further again in any other tee shot, but the territory was already marked.
By the way, Álvaro is not the oldest player in the tournament. That title goes to Luis Claverie (-3), who at 54 years old has delivered a card of 68 strokes, starting in the top 20 of the event.
The reality is that Quirós no longer hits as far, partly because he now prefers to play with a Titleist ball instead of Callaway. It’s a ball that covers slightly less distance but gives him more control in the short game. That’s his preference, and this Thursday it worked well for him. We’ll see if he can confirm it with a second round under the course’s radar.
To put a ‘but’ on an almost immaculate round, the man from Guadiaro sets himself tasks with the putter: “The reality is that at medium distances I’ve never been a great putter, but now I’m not comfortable even with putts of thirty centimetres. It’s probably more of a mental issue than a real one, but I have to believe I can do better. If I don’t believe it myself…” This Thursday, he putted well; you don’t make eight birdies without sinking some medium and long-distance putts. The pity was the birdie opportunity that slipped away on the tenth after a wonderful second shot, the three-putt on hole 4 with a lip-out, and the eagle putt on the 17th that had too much force and lacked a bit of direction. Even so, the round is more than positive, little can be reproached.
