Christopher Sahlstrom (-14) celebrated a sensational win in the seventeenth tournament of the Gecko Tour which ended today, Friday, on the Valle Romano course in Malaga. The Swedish golfer dominated the tournament from start to finish after signing an extraordinary card of 128 shots on 36 holes. He finished with a four-shot advantage over second place, Matthew Baldwin and eight over Steven Jones and Andreas Andersson, both tied for third place.
Sahlstrom sealed the deal for the win after an exceptional first round. He shot a 62, with a surreal partial score of nine under par in fourteen holes. “They were the best nine holes of my life”, he said just before receiving his trophy as champion. “I’m really happy. I played really well and made some great putts. It’s my first international win, I couldn’t ask for much more”, he assures.
Sahlstrom, at 23 years old, has proved that persistence pays off. It was his ninth tournament in the Gecko Tour this season and he had already made three top tens and two top 3s. He had been on the verge of winning on other occasions, but this time he didn’t let anyone even come close. After yesterday’s stellar round, the golfer, born in Stockholm, did not stop pushing forward. Today he shot a 66 with just one bogey, and having done it in unfavorable conditions due to incessant rain that came down over Valle Romano.
The first Sahlstrom heard of the Gecko was three years ago. A good friend of his played in it and now he’s playing in the European Tour. As if he could have said no to trying it out. “The Gecko is the perfect tour for us. In Sweden now we can’t play, the weather is generally always nice and there is competition here. It’s a great way to prepare for the season. It’s the ideal time to try new things and to add tweaks to your game”, he explains.
And Sahlstrom’s goal, logically, is to make it to the European Tour. “This year I’m going to compete again in the Nordic Golf League and afterwards I’ll try to make it to the European Tour Qualifying School. The first tournament of the NGL is at the end of this month in Lumine, coincidentally the same course that will host the the European School finale. “I hope it’s a cycle”, says the golfer who declares that his two favorite golfers are Tiger Woods and Adam Scott. “I would love to compete with them, not half bad right?”, he remarks between laughs.
And apart from Sahlstrom’s big win, there’s Matthew Baldwin’s outstanding round on Friday at Valle Romano. He broke the course record with 61 shots. A magnificent sign that the British golfer is getting his A game back.
The next Gecko Tour tournament will be next Monday and Tuesday at La Cañada Golf Club.
