Adrián Otaegui is set to compete this week at Valhalla in the seventh Major of his career and his fourth PGA Championship. His debut in the Majors back in 2018 seems a long time ago. “I would say I’ve changed a lot. I’ve gained maturity and experience. I take things more philosophically and enjoy the moment more. Yes, you could say I’m more patient and more of a pleasure-seeker,” he confesses to TenGolf just hours before the second Major of the year begins.
The best example of his ability to savour the moment took place two weeks ago on Sunday, during the final round of the Volvo China Open. Otaegui experienced a very special feeling. He was fighting to win, but he managed to abstract himself from that. He was so comfortable with his game, with his golf, with the situation he was in, that he enjoyed the moment. He was almost relaxed, without pressure. “I didn’t look at the standings at any point. I was so comfortable that I was only thinking about making one more birdie each time,” he says.
This mental conviction, this satisfaction for a job well done, has allowed him to arrive at the PGA Championship in a position that only a few share. And what a few. There are only five golfers at Valhalla who have won the last tournament they played before coming here. Watch out for the list: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Adrián Otaegui, Tim Widing and Ben Polland. That’s it. Specifically, Scheffler, McIlroy and Widing have not won one, but the last two they have played (Widing on the Korn Ferry Tour), and Polland is the champion of the PGA of America professionals tournament.
Arriving at a Major as a tournament winner is not something many can boast about and it gives you a plus. “More than anything it means that I’m playing well and in a good dynamic and that’s always positive,” says Otaegui. By the way, the golfer from San Sebastian assures that Valhalla is the most vulnerable Major course he has seen of all the ones he has played, although he qualifies. “Beware, I say this on Wednesday, with the greens receptive due to the rain… If it stops raining and the course dries up, let’s see what we find at the weekend,” he warns.
