Rhys Davies shoots a 60 in Fred Olsen
Challenge de Espana on Canary island
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Former
European Tour winner Rhys Davies came within a whisker of an historic
59 at the Fred Olsen Challenge de España as an 11 under par 60 moved the
Welshman into a four-shot first round lead at Tecina Golf on the Canary
Island of La Gomera.
After
an eagle two at the first hole, where he holed out with a four iron,
and nine further birdies in his opening 16 holes, the 30 year old
stepped onto the tee at the par five 17th needing to gain
just one more shot in the final two holes to become the second European
Challenge Tour player in history to card a 59 – after Frenchman Adrien
Mörk.
The
Bridgend player came within millimetres of birdies at both of the final
two holes and was left with mixed emotions as he reflected on a
career-best score while also ruing missing the opportunity of carding
the magic number.
“It
has to be the best round of my career,” said Davies. “In the strangest
way, I’m really disappointed because it was such a big chance to shoot
the magic number and I didn’t succeed in that, but at the same time you
should never be unhappy with 60.
“The 17th
was a reachable par five but I drove it into the rough and didn’t have
good lie so I couldn’t get close in three, but I still just missed the
birdie putt fractionally. It was at the last where I had the real chance
- I wedged it to four or five feet and I didn’t hit a bad putt but it
was late in the day and the greens were quite grainy, so the ball jumped
off the putter face.
“I
had nerves all the way round because after the first I knew I could do
something special today. I started freakishly well so it was very
unusual in that I knew something big could happen and you just don’t
think that normally.
“I
holed a four iron at the first. It was straight into the wind, really
long, and I didn’t even see it go in because the sun was in our faces. I
knew it was good but didn’t know where it finished.
“I
was just really into it all the way around, once I birdied six I
thought the 59 was possible. I knew there were chances, and thought if I
could pinch one or two other birdies I could do it but you have to
laugh about it afterwards.
“I’d
like to think I will have that chance again. I flirted with it before
at Wales Open in 2010 when I shot a 62 with a bogey on the last hole –
but that one was less likely. I feel like I’m capable of shooting a
really low score and hopefully I can do it one day.”
Davies
was in the field the last time The Open Championship was played at St
Andrews Old Course – one of his three appearances at the year’s third
major – having earned a meteoric rise to The European Tour in 2009.
The
Fred Olsen Challenge de España was one of the tournaments he won on the
Challenge Tour en route to graduation, before he went on to claim a
title on the top tier a year later at the Trophée Hassan II.
Now
the former East Tennessee State student feels he is steadily returning
to that kind of form and, while he certainly loves the stunning Canary
Island of La Gomera, he is hoping that he might be back on British soil
playing in one of the biggest events in golf this time next year, or in
the near future.
“I
have made a few swing alterations recently and used a few new ideas,”
he said. “I have a different coach and feel much more comfortable with
my long game, which was always the thing that held me back. My short
game has always been my real strength. I’m far from the finished
article, but I’m heading in the right direction.
“As
a golfer you’re always trying to achieve certain things, but to be
honest right now I’m just pleased I’m playing well again. At times it’s
been so poor, it’s just nice to be playing good golf again. I love
competing, trying to win tournaments – that’s what really gets the
juices going, what I like to do. Hopefully I can contend again this week
but I just have to enjoy today.
Spain’s
Antonio Hortal will be the man leading the chase to catch Davies after
he carded a seven under par 64, while Brinson Paolini of the USA and
Englishman Chris Hanson were a shot further back on six under.
Rookie pro Bradley Neil from Blairgowrie is well in the mix with a 66, his best score since he left the amateur ranks.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 71
60 R Davies (Wal) ,
64 A Hortal (Esp) ,
65 B Paolini (USA) , C Hanson (Eng) ,
66 R McGowan (Eng) , B Hemstock (Eng) , A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) , B
Neil (Sco) , J Senior (Eng) , S Henry (Sco) , A Velasco (Esp) ,
67 J Hansen (Den) , C Brazillier (Fra) , D Coupland (Eng) , R Evans
(Eng) , L Claverie (Esp) , T Gornik (Slo) , T Tree (Eng) , N Turner
(Irl) , G Drakeford (Aus) ,
68 M McGeady (Irl) , A Rota (Ita) , N Quintarelli (Ita) , B
Hafthorsson (Isl) , M Delpodio (Ita) , G Watremez (Bel) , N Lemke (Swe)
, C Russo (Fra) , J Doherty (Sco) , K Benz (Sui) , T Remkes (Ned) , E
Saltman (Sco) , M Quiros (Esp) , S Manley (Wal) , V Riu (Fra) , C
Balmaseda (Esp) , A McArthur (Sco) , L Corfield (Eng) , A Hernandez
Cabezuela (am) (Esp) ,
69 W Besseling (Ned) , J Girrbach (Sui) , J Sarasti (Esp) , E
Larrañaga (Esp) , C Berardo (Fra) , F Becker (Ger) , H Joannes (Bel) , L
Nemecz (Aut) , A Björk (Swe) , Z Scotland (Eng) , S Brown (Eng) , A
Domingo (Esp) , T Elissalde (Fra) , J Sjöholm (Swe) , D Borda (Esp) , M
Wiegele (Aut) , G Shaw (Nir) , A Kaleka (Fra) , J Ballesteros (Esp) ,
P Angles (am) (Esp) ,
70 J Kunzenbacher (Ger) , C Sordet (Fra) , A Bruschi (Ita) , D
Suazo Gonzalez (Esp) , S Tiley (Eng) , K Subregis (Fra) , D Foos (Ger) ,
B Virto Astudillo (Esp) , J Smith (Eng) , A Bernadet (Fra) , D Kemmer
(USA) , C Aguilar (Esp) , X Puig (Esp) , E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) , J
Lara (Esp) , N Bertasio (Ita) , J White (Eng) , S Wakefield (Eng) , J
Winther (Den) , J Legarrea (Esp) , N Elvira (Esp) , J Poladura (am)
(Esp) ,
71 D Vancsik (Arg) , S Del Val (Esp) , B Parker (Eng) , Z Lombard
(RSA) , F Cea (Esp), J Gallegos (Esp) , J Ross (Sco), L Vaisanen
(Fin) , N Dahlgren (Fin) , J Bragulat (Esp) , M Trappel (Aut) , J
Garcia Del Moral (Esp) , D Ulrich (Sui) , S Santana (Esp) , M Röhrig
(Ger) , M Fenasse (Fra) ,
72 G Murray (Sco) , J Colomo (Esp) , C Selfridge (Nir) , G Houston
(Wal) , M Cabrera-Bello (Esp) , N Geyger (Chi) , S Garcia Rodriguez
(Esp) , N Kimsey (Eng) , A Saddier (Fra) , W Harrold (Eng) , L Astl
(Aut) , J Friesz (am) (Svk) ,
73 O Stark (Swe) , D Law (Sco) , J Ferraby (Eng) , R Enoch (Wal) , D
Stewart (Sco) , F Calmels (Fra) , J Kaske (Fin) , S Fallon (Eng) , J
Simon De Miguel (Esp) , N Ravano (Ita) , A Hartø (Den) , J Robinson
(Eng) , F Praegant (Aut) ,
74 R Kellett (Sco) , B Chapellan (Fra) , C Sutherland (Sco) , G Woolgar (Eng) ,
75 C Ford (Eng) , G Snow (Ken) , S Einhaus (Ger) , M Galiano Aguilar (am) (Esp) ,
76 N Floren (Swe) , J Harrison (Eng) , C Mivis (Bel) , F Andersson Hed (Swe) , K Hesbois (Bel) , P Howard (Eng) ,
77 F Laporta (Ita) , R Harris (Eng) ,
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Labels: CHALLENGE TOUR