GONZALO LEADS HOME CHARGE IN SPANISH OPEN

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño continued his fine form from last week’s Masters Tournament to lead the home charge at the Open de España after an opening 69 left him just one shot off the first round lead.

 

After finishing in the top 20 at Augusta National last week, Castaño made the trip to the beautiful Parador El Saler course in Valencia to post a three under par opening round and leave himself trailing early leaders Felipe Aguilar of Chile, Denmark’s Morten Ørum Madsen and Frenchman Gary Stal by a single stroke.

 

“I think three under is a great start,” said Castaño. “I played some steady golf and got a couple of lucky breaks when I needed them and I holed some nice putts.

 

“This course is second to none, one of my favourites in the world. I think the Spanish Federation alongside with Reale Seguros is doing a great job in moving the Spanish Open around the best courses in the country and this stop was very much obliged. It’s good to be back on the European Tour, this is my home tour, and, of course, it's nice to be back in Spain.

 

“I have to say that what I did last week is starting to sink in now. I was very disappointed at the end of the week because I really believed I had a chance to do something special because of the way I hit the ball. But my short game wasn’t half as good as it should have been. But now I am realizing that I played a pretty good tournament and I am also learning from the experience for the next time I go to Augusta National.”

 

Castaño is joined by seven other players on three under on a severely congested leaderboard that features no less than 40 players within four shots of each other.

 

Just outside that top 40 lies pre-tournament favourite and World Number 13, Sergio Garcia, who carded a level par 72 at El Saler.

 

“It was a pretty flat round to be honest,” said Garcia, who led last week’s Masters after round one and eventually finished the week in a tie for eighth place.

 

“We had very little wind but the greens are firm and it was not so easy to get it close. And, obviously, you are in trouble if you don’t hit fairways. I had a decent start and should have been three or four under but I made a lousy double on the fourth and after that I found myself fighting to save pars instead of making birdies.”

 

First round scores:

 

68 M Madsen  (Den); F Aguilar (Chi); G Stal  (Fra);

69 D Higgins (Irl); D Brooks (Eng); M Southgate  (Eng); J Sjöholm (Swe); G Fdez-Castaño  (Esp); R Derksen (Ned); J Lagergren (Swe); C Lee (Sco);

70 M Carlsson  (Swe); P Price (Wal); D Howell (Eng); M Warren (Sco); E Pepperell (Eng); S Wakefield (Eng); J Lara (Esp); E Molinari  (Ita); A Snobeck  (Fra); R Finch  (Eng); P Uihlein  (USA);

71 J Walters (RSA); P Oriol (Esp); C Aguilar  (Esp); M Tullo (Chi); N Elvira  (Esp); L Jensen (Den); P Hedblom (Swe); R Santos  (Por); A Cañizares  (Esp); P Lawrie (Irl); D Horsey (Eng); A Velasco (Esp); E Kofstad (Nor); M Korhonen (Fin); R Coles (Eng); A Levy (Fra); J Colomo  (Esp); P Waring  (Eng);

72 E De La Riva  (Esp); J Quesne  (Fra); R Rock (Eng); J Campillo (Esp); R Karlberg  (Swe); I Garrido (Esp); R Cabrera-Bello (Esp); A Otaegui  (Esp); A Sullivan (Eng); A Hansen (Den); P Casey  (Eng); S Garcia  (Esp); F Andersson Hed (Swe); A Domingo (Esp); J Morrison  (Eng); G Bourdy (Fra); K Ferrie (Eng); T Fleetwood  (Eng); A Marshall (Eng);

73 S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp); M Delpodio  (Ita); R Green (Aus); J Gonnet  (Fra); T Van Der Walt (RSA); A Hartø  (Den); M Baldwin (Eng); S Little (Eng); M Zions (Aus); O Fisher  (Eng); R Jacquelin (Fra); C Macaulay  (Sco); R Davies (Wal); J Garcia Pinto (Esp); R Wattel  (Fra); D Drysdale (Sco);

74 S Benson (Eng); S Webster (Eng); J Edfors (Swe); E Grillo (Arg); M Nixon (Eng); G Maybin (Nir); J Hansen  (Den); C Paisley  (Eng); S Hansen (Den); M Lundberg (Swe); P Whiteford (Sco); T Lewis (Eng); S Arnold  (Aus); R Gonzalez (Arg); R Bland (Eng); J Luiten (Ned); S Dyson  (Eng); K Broberg (Swe); V Dubuisson  (Fra); J Garcia  (Esp); J Sandelin (Swe);

75 M Brier (Aut); R McEvoy  (Eng); S Henry  (Sco); O Floren  (Swe); B Åkesson (Swe); M Kieffer (Ger); P Erofejeff (Fin); M Hoey  (Nir); J Busby (Eng); F Molinari (Ita); P Martin Benavides (Esp); A Tadini (Ita); L Slattery (Eng); D McGrane (Irl); J Sarasti (am) (Esp);

76 C Cévaër (Fra); N Fasth (Swe); A Forsyth (Sco); C Doak (Sco); J Olazábal (Esp); J Kruger (RSA); A Quiros  (Esp); G Piris Mateu (Esp); M Lafeber (Ned); G Havret  (Fra); J Parry (Eng); M Lampert (Ger); M Jiménez (Esp); A Ferrer (am) (Esp);

77 C Lloyd (Eng); P Larrazábal (Esp); C Del Moral (Esp); A Dodt (Aus); E Goya (Arg); B Etchart  (Esp); C Pigem (Esp); F Zanotti (Par); M Campbell (Nzl); G Cambis  (Fra); S Kjeldsen (Den); B Dredge (Wal); J Simon De Miguel (am) (Esp);

78 M Manassero (Ita); L Gagli  (Ita); J Legarrea (Esp); S Lowry  (Irl);

79 O Wilson (Eng); G Storm  (Eng); A Kaleka  (Fra); J Bondia (am) (Esp);

80 M Jonzon (Swe); G Lockerbie  (Eng); M Foster (Eng); T Levet (Fra); J Elson  (Eng); M Wiegele  (Aut);

81 R Whitson (am) (Nir);

82 D Gaunt (Aus); B Virto (am) (Esp);

83 G Boyd  (Eng);

ENDS