The launch of the fifth edition of the Gecko Tour has already started the countdown. In six days the most important winter circuit in Europe starts. From October 27th to 29th, the first event of the season will be held at the Torrequebrada course in Costa del Sol. The action begins, the excitement begins. Three days of competition, 84 players and double ration of points for the order of merit of the circuit. A lot of incentives.Who better than the current defending champion of the Gecko to do the honors and give the starting flag to the circuit. Jordi García del Moral, a splendid Spanish professional based on the Costa del Sol who combines training with his training as a golf course manager, recalls the high level that is breathed in the Gecko every year.
“It’s a very good circuit and everything I’ve seen and been told for this year sounds very good. I know that top-level courses like Finca Cortesín and San Roque are being added and it is a great help to keep the players trained and prepared at a time when it is not easy to find tournaments,” says the golfer from Castellón.
García del Moral believes the time has come for a major sponsor to back the Gecko. “They’ve earned it. I think it’s an attractive opportunity and it would be great if someone would step forward and help them, so they can lower the players’ registrations a bit. They have it all: good courses, a very high level of competition, weather that allows you to play every week in winter…”, Jordi points out.
García del Moral played twelve rounds of the Gecko last year with a superb balance: he won two and finished in the top ten on eleven occasions. He then won the qualifying round of the Spanish Open and fought until the last seven holes to win the Spanish Professional Championship. From May onwards the season went awry, with problems, especially from the tee, but his Gecko results could not have been more satisfactory.
At the moment, the reigning Gecko champion is undergoing course management practice at Valderrama and will find it almost impossible to defend his title in the order of merit.
The Gecko is going to play, but not with the necessary regularity to be able to win. “Winning the Gecko’s order of merit goes through three keys: you have to play very well, play a good number of tests and be clear that you have to beat Carlos Rodiles, Manuel Quiros and Gabriel Canizares. They are the ‘little machines’ of the Gecko. They play very good golf and are very solid. They hardly miss any shots. You know they are always going to be between 68 and 72 strokes”, he assures.
The champion has already kicked off the Gecko. A new champion is being sought for 2016, although, just in case, don’t rule out García del Moral just yet.
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