“Tío, de verdad, estaba muy nervioso, muy nervioso”, Alejo confesses to Miki shortly after hitting the second shot on the 18th hole of the North Course at La Manga Club. We are in the midst of the grand finale of the National Final of the Audi quattro Cup. Alejo Farriols and Miquel Riera, a pair from the Real Club de Golf de El Prat, have reached this point in the round with very real chances of victory and, therefore, of earning a ticket to compete in the World Final of the circuit in Oman. Pressure? No, not at all, it’s the next level…
This is what the experience of the Audi quattro Cup conveys. It is competition in its purest form. The essence of sport. It ensures that the players, the 24 finalists who gathered this weekend in Murcia, felt for a few days the same thrill as Ángel Hidalgo to defeat Jon Rahm in the playoff of the Open de España just a couple of weeks ago. It is the perfect blend of tension for what is at stake and unparalleled enjoyment due to a perfect organisation that takes care of every detail so that golfers and companions remember it forever.
Back to the 18th. The shot isn’t bad, it reaches the green, but it’s far from the flag. It leaves Miki a birdie putt of about 15 metres, maybe more. He is not satisfied. He is a 1 handicap, plays golf brilliantly, and his standards are much higher than the average amateur. Riera has a -2 handicap, a player who lives each shot as if it were the last of his life and brings the same intensity to tournaments as Bobby Jones or José María Olazábal. He expends a ton of energy in each round. His putt isn’t bad at all, but it leaves Alejo with a commitment of just under two metres for par.
Farriols has been sinking putts from all corners. Lethal. The last one, not long ago, on the 15th hole, a spectacular seven-metre tube for birdie. He could sink it with his eyes closed, but there’s the pressure knocking at the door. It’s not just another putt. They are very aware that they are playing for Oman, the World Final of the Audi quattro Cup. If they sink it, victory is almost assured. They are ahead, but they would post a score of 37 points in the clubhouse that is practically unreachable. Alejo misses it. They finish with 36 points. Par. There’s a tournament.
The attention then turns to Felipe Iglesias and Óscar David Rosado, a pair from the Extremaduran Norba Club de Golf. At the same time Alejo and Miki finish their round, they sign a good par on the 14th hole that keeps them at par. They have four holes ahead, three of them with points (15, 17, and 18). With a score of one under par in that stretch, the trip to Oman will be theirs. They need nine points.
They make a spectacular birdie on the 15th, a par 5, and are virtually in the lead, but there’s still the finish. That’s when all the pressure is felt. Things no longer flow as smoothly. They sign four putts on the 16th and two out of bounds on the 17th. It’s over. Alejo and Miquel are the champion pair. They will defend Spain’s flag in the grand World Final in Oman. And they have chances to win, indeed they do.
The triumph of Farriols and Riera is even more commendable because their day started off on the wrong foot. A lapse caused them to arrive late at the 1st tee. The international referee Vicente J. Olmos, present at the tournament, had no choice but to apply a two-stroke penalty on the 1st hole. That’s what the rules of golf dictate. This kind of thing further elevates a circuit like the Audi quattro Cup and adds even more value to the triumph of the Barcelona pair. They knew how to overcome the setback and take the victory with a sensational round. In very windy conditions and in greensome format (both hit the tee shot, the best is chosen, and from there alternate shots) they signed six scratch birdies, one of them on the 1st hole, which was counted as a bogey due to the two penalty strokes. Besides Alejo’s great putt on the 15th hole, Miki’s shot on the 8th, a par 3, must be highlighted. A triumph against all odds.
The National Final of the Audi quattro Cup simultaneously celebrates a team competition in Ryder Cup format. Here the victory went to the East team by 8.5 to 4.5. This Final at La Manga has been the culmination of an exceptional regular season developed during the months of April, May, and June. More than 3,500 players have competed in 29 regular tournaments and two Territorial Finals for a single goal: to fulfil the dream of playing the World Final of the Audi quattro Cup.
The best Scratch, Handicap, and Audi Client pairs from each club have been qualifying for one of the two Territorial Finals that this year have been held at two prestigious courses, Golf Santander and Infinitum. The ten best pairs from these finals, five in each of the two territories – East and West – into which the circuit is divided, have secured their place in the grand National Final. Additionally, two pairs from the two Intercompany tournaments organised by Audi completed the finalist teams, so that each territory had twelve pairs that faced off in the exciting Ryder Cup format.
Counting the hours until the start of the next season…