“This tournament is won and lost in the foursomes.” The statement is not from just anyone passing by on the street; it belongs to Rory McIlroy, who knows a thing or two about this as the defending champion of the Zurich Classic. For Ángel Ayora and Alex del Rey (-7), it was the latter. The alternate shot was their downfall. A poor round this Friday, with a scorecard of 75 strokes, left them out of the cut. The experience in the PGA Tour ended, despite giving their all until the last breath to stay alive. It wasn’t enough.
Curiously, the day began the opposite of the fourball. The Spaniards started with a great birdie on the 10th hole after a good drive from Ayora and a masterful wedge from Alex. The player from Málaga completed the task with a short putt. Shortly after, they missed a good opportunity on the 11th, a par 5, and quickly a bogey came on the 12th. From there, everything went wrong and never got back on track.
The lack of consistency, especially from Del Rey, who hasn’t had his finest week, although on the other hand, it’s a well-marked trait of his game, that irregularity capable of the best and the worst, has been an impossible burden to lift. On the 15th hole, things were already looking very uphill with a costly double bogey. A poor approach from Alex and a missed short putt put them two over par, forced to react to avoid missing the cut.
As you know, the foursome is not exactly the ideal scenario to be trailing, nor to take more risks than necessary. Another bogey fell on the 17th, after a poor tee shot from Del Rey, and another on the 1st, again with a missed drive to the right by the player from Madrid. Ayora’s second shot wasn’t the best either, overshooting the green, and they couldn’t make the approach and putt. They made a birdie on the 2nd, but quickly another bogey fell on the 3rd. Another erratic iron from the tee by Del Rey. It should also be noted that the tee shots on holes 3 and 17, both par 3s, are among the most tense at TPC Louisiana and fell to Alex.
It’s true they never threw in the towel. Hats off to their fighting spirit. They signed a great birdie on the 7th hole, a par 5, this time with a great approach from the left by Del Rey. They also came from signing a great par on the 6th, with a magnificent recovery from Ayora. On the 8th, the player from Málaga went all out from the tee and hit the drive of the day, less than 40 metres from the flag, a par 4. Del Rey’s approach stopped four metres away. It was the last chance to keep dreaming, as long as another birdie came on the 9th. And Ayora, all grit, made it. They were at -7, and at that moment, -8 had some chance of making it if the afternoon got very complicated.
They needed the birdie on the 9th, but it didn’t come. Del Rey’s tee shot ended up off the green on the right side and short. Ayora had a chip of about twelve metres ahead, and only a hole-in would keep the cut dream alive. It didn’t go in. The top 33 teams and ties advance. A shame.
In any case, they add another experience in the PGA Tour. It’s about learning. Ayora has been quite solid over the two days, hitting very good shots, and Del Rey has been more inconsistent. They’ve provided entertainment, but they will fall short of playing all four days.
