Alex del Rey (-9) was the last player to enter the Genesis Scottish Open. On Tuesday morning he was still the first reserve of the tournament, but an injury to Sebastian Söderberg opened the doors of the tournament to him at the last minute. Alex was also going to be part of one of the best matches alongside Rickie Fowler (+4) and Adam Scott (-8). Sometimes you have to jump on moving trains and Del Rey has taken full advantage of it. He has placed himself among the top five in the tournament with a spectacular round of 62 strokes.
The Madrid-born player arrived in Scotland with mixed feelings. After having a very solid start to the season in which he managed to pass ten cuts in a row (and three top tens) Alex was finding the last third of the season a bit tough. Four missed cuts in the last six tournaments left the Spaniard with room for improvement.
Five days ago the Spaniard posted a message on social media clearly showing that he was not having a good time: “In golf, as in life, there are ups and downs. I have experienced both, but I firmly believe that brighter days will come” and he closed with a message of hope: “I am feeling more confident in my game and time will prove me right. Stay tuned!”
Just two days later he left another message in which he used a motivational audio from the speaker Victor Küppers to make it clear that the only way to turn the situation around was with work, work and more work. There is no other recipe.
Well, he didn’t have to wait long and yes, we had to pay attention. The Madrid-born player has matched the best card of the week at The Renaissance Club to sneak into the top 5 of the tournament. He started the day with the -1 he had obtained the day before and was urged to make a good round to play the weekend. The cut was at -3. He was well above it.
“The start has been galactic,” the player told Ten Golf just after finishing the round. There is no better way to define it. He started like a rocket thanks to a sublime streak of six consecutive birdies: “Starting like this has given me a lot of peace of mind for the weekend”
The first nine holes could have been even better, but a putt of just two meters did not want to enter on hole 9. What he has controlled like no one else today were the irons, he has left three practically given birdies. He also putted like the angels and holed two birdies from eight and seven meters. “I’ve been very good with the irons and the wedges, in general I’ve hit very good shots. I remember the one on hole 6 to make the sixth consecutive birdie and the one on 17 to save par. With the putt I’ve also been very solid,” confessed the Spaniard.
You don’t make 62 strokes without a team effort, but Alex has not been particularly sharp from the tee. He has only hit three fairways, but they have not been gross mistakes. All very controlled and close to the fairway, although the player himself admits that he lacks confidence to hit the ball on the course what is already working for him on the practice range. This is not news, but by force he is practically unbeatable, he has hit the second longest shot of the day, 396 yards. A real bomb.
His great round today puts him in the fight for his first DP World Tour, but it also brings another great news. Right now Alex is in what would be the first Open of his career. He would take the second place of the three that are distributed this week. Three days ago he was about to go on holiday and who knows if he will end up playing at Royal Troon next week.
Another of the big names in the afternoon shift is Rory McIlroy (-9). The Northern Irishman has stayed among the best in the tournament thanks to a card of 66 strokes that put him in fifth place in the tournament. McIlroy, like in the final stretch of yesterday, has always given the impression of having the round under control. His great deficit has been that he has only holed three putts over a meter and a half, but not because he has putted badly but because with the irons he has not left them very close. In general he has not struggled to save pars, but he has not had options to add more hits either. That, coupled with a very bad start on hole 12 where he managed to save the bogey, has prevented him from finishing even closer to the leader Ludvig Aberg (-12). This weekend he will seek to be the first player in history to defend the crown in the Scottish Open.
