Excitement from the early stages of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, final round of the Race to Costa del Sol (the order of merit of the Ladies European Tour) held at the Real Club de Golf Guadalmina, with the classification led by the Finnish Sanna Nuutinen with 67 strokes (-5) and the Spanish alternative starring Luna Sobrón and Nuria Iturrioz, fourth, three strokes behind the Nordic. Unfortunately, the rain prevented half of the team from completing the opening round, which will end on Friday.
Interruptions are not usually timely or welcome, although there are exceptions in the form of a break or a parenthesis that allow a situation to be reconsidered. However, the two most outstanding Spaniards on the first day of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, the Balearic Luna Sobrón and Nuria Iturrioz, are surely wondering what would have happened to them under different circumstances. Sobrón, who was able to finish her round with a remarkable 70 (-2), is coming to the end of a season in which she is shining (with a victory in the LET Access Series and two top 6 in the LET tournaments recently played in Saudi Arabia). Nuria Iturrioz’s path has been crossed by the weather when she had already reached the fourth place with -2 and was looking at the leader after only ten holes. In any case, both will have in their hands to extend their sweet moment on Friday.
“I struggled quite a lot during the round. From the tee I have not been very fine, but otherwise and with the putt I have done well,” said Sobrón, who explained the keys to successfully tackle the south course of Guadalmina on a rainy day. “The course is very strategic. You always have to be on the fairway, because it is very long. If it were short, fine, but you have trees in the fall of the drive and if you don’t take the fairway the hole can be complicated. Besides, the greens are small. If you are on the green you have a birdie option all the time, but otherwise you have to approach and putt all the time.
Until the postponement decided at 4 p.m., Guadalmina has withstood well the rain that has fallen during most of the night and Thursday morning, and the drainage has worked wonderfully, offering a remarkable nobility on the greens.
In addition to the outstanding rounds by Sobrón and Iturrioz, it is worth mentioning the hard-fought round by Patricia Sanz, stellar with her short game and putter to finish with a 71 that places her in the noble zone of the table. Within the virtual line of the cut (which will be surpassed by the 60 best and tied players of the tournament), 14 of the 18 Spanish players present in the competition, including Azahara Muñoz, double winner of the Open, who is currently thirty-sixth with +2.
With regard to the international squad that has attended the only Ladies European Tour tournament held this year in Spain, one stroke behind the leader, the Finnish Sanna Nuutinen, are the Scottish Kelsey MacDonald and closes the provisional podium the German Esther Henseleit, winner of the order of merit of the circuit in 2019. Emily Kristine Pedersen, her virtual heir apparent, lurks at -2 after just 10 holes. Nuutinen went from not being clear if she could play to leading the competition in a few hours.
“I played very well, even though the first nine holes are complicated. When I got up, I wasn’t sure we could play and we warmed up in the dark, but we got out in time and I didn’t have much time to think about it. I went out to play and only when I signed the card was I aware that I had made minus five,” recapped Nuutinen.
As is logical, Friday’s starts will be delayed by a little over two hours to allow time to finish the first day and the second round is scheduled to start at eleven o’clock in the morning.
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Teletipo desde el Real Club de Golf Guadalmina
– The great drainage of the south course of the Real Club de Golf Guadalmina, put to the test during the hours prior to the start of the tournament and the first day of competition, attests to the effectiveness of the measures put in place by José Luis Prado, greenkeeper of the club, and his team. Until the postponement of play, the ball did not stop rolling nobly on the course designed by Javier Arana more than sixty years ago.
– Although the public cannot enjoy in situ this Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España that ends the season of the Ladies European Tour, it is possible to enjoy the magnificent official products of the tournament that can be purchased in its online store. Just enter https://openfemenino.com/tienda/ to purchase the official articles of the competition, from technical clothing branded PING to Wilson bags with the logo of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España.
– The curiosity of the day was played by South African Nicole Garcia, who on the par 3 10th hole sent her tee shot straight into a referee’s buggie. After the regulatory drop, and thanks to a meritorious approach from a compromising position, Garcia has left the hole with the most spectacular par of the day.
– ARQUIMEA Medical continues to offer its services of analysis and detection of covid during the days of competition, a medical shielding that ensures the well-being of all those involved in the development of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España. The protocols established by this specialized company, in coordination with the Ladies European Tour, show that in Spain it is possible to organize top level sports events with responsibility and health excellence.
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