First round highlights of Andalucia Masters
The season is ending and the European tour is coming to an end. Here are the highlights of the first round of the Andalucia Masters, which was taking place at the Valderrama Golf Club. The event is carrying a purse of €3000000,
out of which €500,000 will go in the pocket of the winner.
To seize this huge sum, 96 players teed off, but as per the policies of the tournament only fifty will make the cut into the weekend. The first day field was led by Pablo Larrazabal who stroked a superb round of 66 to notch the
lead. The Spaniard picked five birdies without dropping a single shot to take an edge of two strokes on the Ryder Cup champion, Graeme Mc Dowell.
Meanwhile, the Irish managed to keep himself safe on the par-71 course by carding only three birdies. He was joined by Damien Mc Grane who replicated the score of McDowell to take the second spot.
In the forth group were nine players, which included Miguel Angel Jimenez, Francesco Molinari and Sergio Garcia. All three gave terrible performance at Valderrama, but the worst was delivered by Jimenez who carded four bogeys and
four birdies to score one-under-par.
A shot below was Ross Fisher. The player picked up four birdies, but dropped two shots to level head with par.
The worst score of the Ryder Cup squad was drafted by Edoardo Molinari. He dropped eight shots against three birdies to take a share in the bottom most spot. The leader of the Race to Dubai Ranking carded a 72 to remain in contention
for the next round. The German is eyeing the number one title of the world, but during the past two tournaments he has not been able to give his utmost attention. First he lost the PGA Grand Slam in Bermuda due to lack of focus and now he seems lost on the
course. The winner of the USPGA Championship bogeyed three consecutive holes in the back nine and lost his chance to finish in the top five.
Despite this though, he was calm and composed as if four bogeys were a minor shock. Speaking to the press he said, “It wasn't that bad a round and it's not the end of the world. I have a lot to think about, not only being World
No. 1 but also the Race to Dubai. It's important on this course not to give up. You have to stay patient and that's what I did after making three bogeys."
Looking at Kaymer’s performance, one can apprehend that the player won’t be able to finish in the top two spots of the leader board and hence won’t be successful in replacing Tiger Woods. According to the press releases, Tiger
Woods who is the current World number one is to be replaced on the 31st of October, 2010. However, the way things are going, this change will be further delayed.
However Graeme Mc Dowell who is a few points behind Martin Kaymer might take an edge and the title. The player gave an outstanding performance on the course, which is popular for the highest number of bogeys. Fighting against the
same conditions, Mc Dowell managed to keep himself safe and did not miss a single shot.
Speaking to the press he said, "I need to have some strong finishes if I'm to catch him. I had a couple of key saves on the front nine and I think bogey-free is exceptional at Valderrama. I have a lot of golf ahead of me yet. I’ll
have to play my best golf to catch him - even then my best may not be enough."
These were the highlights of the first round of the Andalucia Masters, which took place at Valderrama Golf Club, Spain.
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