Angel Hidalgo from Malaga is the new champion of Spain Absolut after having dominated from the first day the event held in the Valencian course of El Saler. The Cantabrian Manuel Elvira made things difficult for him until the last putt, but the leader always kept his composure.
Angel Hidalgo started with a four-stroke lead over Manuel Elvira, but Elvira was in charge of taking strokes off the lead with birdies. He reached -4, a result that combined with what Hidalgo was doing behind him, gave him the lead with a one-stroke advantage.
The tables returned to their initial place with a double bogey by Manuel Elvira at the 16th. That was the crucial moment of the championship, as it gave the Malaga-born player back the lead, a lead that he would not leave again. With his last putt of a meter and a half on the 18th, the player of the Real Club de Golf Guadalmina certified his most important triumph.
Finally, Angel Hidalgo won with 292 strokes (74 on the day), one less than Manuel Elvira (71) and two less than the Basques Javier Sainz (76) and Borja Martin (73).
It is worth mentioning that Iván Cantero -signatory of the best round of the week, a 68 (-4) in the third round- has finally shared eighth place with two of the other main contenders, Mario Galiano and Alejandro del Rey, all of them members of the National Teams.
Ángel Hidalgo leads alone in the third day of the competition
Angel Hidalgo never had anyone ahead of him in the standings, but it was not until the third day that he took the lead alone. At that point the standings narrowed considerably. Within five strokes there were six players left heading into the final round.
From the unquestionable dominance of Gonzalo García and Ángel Hidalgo in the first two rounds, a relative balance was reached that could be broken by any of those involved. The lead went to Angel Hidalgo, who signed his second consecutive 74 (+2), while his partner in the two previous rounds, Gonzalo Garcia, lost his pace slightly with a 77 (+5). The Andalusian was one stroke ahead of a very experienced golfer, the Basque Javier Sainz, who with his second par of the week maintained his solid line.
Gonzalo García himself, three strokes off the lead; Adrián Mata, Manuel Elvira and Borja Martín, four strokes behind; Asier Aguirre, Adriá Arnaus and Iván Cantero, five strokes behind, remained in the lead.
On that third day the cut was made, which was 236 strokes (+20) and 67 players passed.
Two Andalusians to dominate the first two days of the season
The Andalusian dominance from the start has been indisputable. The first day left two leaders, the only two players who managed to go under par on a complicated day. They were Gonzalo García and Ángel Hidalgo, who both signed cards of 70 strokes (-2) with which they were two ahead of David Puig, Francisco Rosete and Javier Sainz, who signed a remarkable par.
On the second day, Gonzalo García and Ángel Hidalgo went hand in hand again. If on the first day they scored rounds of 70 strokes (-2), this time they were 74 (+2) for a par total. Both managed with extraordinary ease in a demanding course that when it suffers the rigors of the wind, it is very tight.
The day brought sensational cards from Manuel Elvira (71, -1) and Alejandro del Rey (70, -2) that propelled them into the Top 10 of the ranking. Both, who will meet next year in the United States, are qualified to fight for the victory. However, the best round of the day was Miguel Angel Herrero’s spectacular 69 (-3).
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