For one day, the protagonism of golf was not in the professionals but in the amateur players who have played the Pro-Am of the XXVIII Championship of Spain PGA-Premio Liébana 2017 that begins today and ends on Sunday, and in which prominent names of national golf will participate. And the attention was focused, especially on two of them. The singer David Bustamante, a native of San Vicente de la Barquera, to whom the golf bug has completely hooked him: “Between winning Eurovision and winning this Pro-Am, I prefer to win the tournament; I see it much more feasible than winning the Song Festival,” joked the Cantabrian, happy to play in his homeland.
Bustamante was paired with Madrid professional Carlos Balmaseda, current leader of the Madrid Professional Ranking, and one of the favorites for victory in the tournament that last year escaped him on the last day. Jacobo Pastor won then, in play-off over Borja Virto, who has not been able to defend his title due to a wrist injury that has kept him out of competition for the last two months.
“To win in Santa Marina you have to have a lot of patience, especially in the Par 5s, which seem very affordable but can give you an upset. I will miss not being able to defend my title and I hope a lot of people come to the tournament like last year; we professionals like to play with people”, explains last year’s champion.
Cantabria already has its own 5-year old Tiger Woods
And if there was a game that competed in public and attention with that of Bustamente, it was that of another player of the land, José Antonio Salas, who at only 5 years old, fought the professionals and played the 18 holes of Santa Marina on foot, attracting attention especially with his short game approaching the green and his accurate putt. “He didn’t sleep all night thinking that he was playing his first tournament with professionals today,” explains his mother, who proudly tells how little José Antonio was already hitting his first balls on a driving range when he was a year and a half old. “He still didn’t know how to walk, and he would climb up on the ball park we bought him and take the plastic stick out of the railing to take his first swings”. His prize at the end of the game is always a chocolate bar and his most prized trophy: a cardboard and laminated cup that he won in the club’s first children’s tournament two years ago.
The amount will be higher for the professionals who will fight for the 40,000 euros in prizes distributed by the tournament, which will be played in three rounds, 54 holes, with the cut on Saturday that will overcome the best 40 most tied. Javier Colomo, winner this week of the last round of the Madrid Professional Tour; José Manuel Carriles, a native of Pedreña, Seve’s homeland: “The greatest that this land and the world of golf have given”; Vicente Blázquez, in contention for the lead of the Madrid Tour and who last year had to leave the tournament in a hurry due to the sad death of his father. “Being here gives me mixed feelings: happy to play our PGA tournament but sad to remember that it’s been a year today since my father passed away suddenly. I just hope to do well, win and dedicate it to his memory.”
Another Madrilenian, Santi Luna, who last week disputed the Senior British Open in England and without any laziness, returned to pack his suitcase to play the tournament. “I didn’t know Santa Marina and I’m liking it a lot. It is a great course: dangerous for the first nine holes, and with greens that are very busy, but very interesting”. The eyes will also be on Xavi Guzmán, current RFEG Spanish champion, and Gabriel Cañizares, son of the veteran Ryder player José María.
Everything is ready for the tournament to begin, which for the second consecutive year is being held at Golf Santa Marina, under the watchful eye of Seve Ballesteros, whose gigantic statue in front of the 18th green watches over one of his latest designs.
The longest hole in the world
This week is being the week of records. If the tee shot was given from the highest tee in Spain, the Torre del Infantado de Potes, tomorrow a group of pilgrims will make a section of the Camino de Santiago and the Route of Liébana, and will inaugurate the ‘Ruta Lebaniega de Golf’, between the 9th tee of the Oyambre Golf Club to the 9th green of the Golf Santa Marina, about 5 kilometers of distance in what will undoubtedly be the longest golf hole in the world and to which are invited all those pilgrims, golfers, curious and tourists who want to share more than an hour’s walk through these beautiful landscapes of Cantabria. The route will start at 10.00 a.m. at the Tee of the 9th hole of Oyambre golf course and credentials will be distributed, which along the 5 kilometer route will be stamped. The route will end at the church of La Revilla, where the credentials will be stamped and the pilgrims will receive the blessing and then, to regain strength, a typical Cocido Montañés will be served for the pilgrims who have participated in the march.
The institutions and entities that have made this tournament possible, thanks to their sponsorship, are the Government of Cantabria, Año Jubilar Lebaniego 2017 and the City Council of San Vicente de la Barquera. Co-sponsors are: AON, A&G, Ping, Avis, Kyocera and Srixon, Collaborators: Cantabria Golf Federation, City Council of Comillas, City Council of Valdaliga, Diario Montañés, Estrella Damm, John Deere, Cafés Dromedario, Frigo, Nestlé and West Syndrome Foundation. Organized by Pepa Marijuán (www.segagolf.es).
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