Sergio Garcia got off to the perfect start as the tournament host of his home European Tour event as the Spaniard moved into a share of the first round lead at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation.
The 37 year old is making his first appearance in his native land since claiming his maiden Major Championship title at the Masters Tournament in April and he delighted the home crowds upon his return with a five under par 66.
That marked his best ever start on a Real Club Valderrama course upon which he has already enjoyed one victory and three runner-up finishes, and he was joined at the top by Joost Luiten of the Netherlands, who carded five birdies on the front nine – his back nine – en route to a 66.
Another local favourite, Pablo Larrazábal, backed up Garcia's home charge as he signed for a four under 67 to share second place with Englishman Robert Rock, while Andrew Johnston – who won on this course last year – was two shots further back in a share of sixth.
World Number Five Jon Rahm, meanwhile, got off to a disappointing start in his first professional appearance on home soil as he struggled to a three over par 74.
Sergio García
“Unfortunately, it’s very wet after the rain, but the course is holding well. Towards the end of the round the ball wasn’t even picking up mud on many spots on the fairway. It’s the kind of course that only needs a little bit of sun and it dries quickly. Obviously it was gettable because it was soft, but you still have to hit good shots. I was able to do that most of the day. Except the drive on 8, I was pretty much spot on, hit some good putts here and there – overall I’m very happy.”
“It’s not the first time that Valderrama plays soft, but I wouldn’t say that it was at its easiest because we had some breeze, and you still need to put the ball in the right place. It was not easy to two putt if you hit the wrong side of the green.”
“Today I made some putts and missed others. We had some tricky pin positions. We could barely touch some of the putts and it’s hard to hold the line even with a slight breeze. I normally drive well and I enjoy driving here because the fairways open up bit more than with an iron or a wood. Using the driver has always been my strategy at Valderrama and I see no reason to change. My game today has been a blend of good ball striking, some nice chips and good putting”.
“I don’t remember birdieing all the par threes – four twos. I may have done it with an eagle on a par four, but I don’t think I have ever made four twos on the par threes.”
“It was great having so much support. If we don’t get support in Spain, I don’t know where we are supposed to get it (laughs). So many people came round early in the morning with a lot of kids and it was great.”
Pablo Larrazábal
“I had a horrible start with two wild drives. I bogeyed the first, but I managed to save par on the second with a great 3-wood between the trees, and there I started believing in myself. I played solid from there giving myself options and waiting for my chances. The first birdie was on 9 and then two more in a row gave me the momentum I needed. I kept being patient and two more came: a lucky flyer on 16 that finished close and a great shot on 17.
I feel comfortable at Valderrama. I much prefer to play on a difficult course where shooting around par is good. I don`t like to tee it up thinking that I need a round of six or seven under to be up there. Here four rounds just under par will put you in contention on Sunday. The other factor is the greens. I love fast greens, and these greens together with Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the French Open are probably the best on tour.
It is a real luxury for us to play on a course like this. Not many courses on the European Tour are set up to this standard and we do appreciate it.
My game is in good shape, but the results have not been coming lately. Only two cuts in the last ten starts is a bad performance, but I am working well and doing the right things for a long time, so the results will come sooner or later”.
Jon Rahm
“It’s been a pretty bad day to say the least. I don’t really know what happened between 2 and 8 – nothing good besides the birdie on 6. Holing the putt on 12 has settled things a bit but I never got into it. It’s a shame that this had to happen on my first appearance in Spain, but at least the worst round of the week is over. Better today than on Sunday.”
“Such is golf, and there’s not much more to say. I don’t know if I am doing the right things mentally, probably not, because this wouldn’t have happened. My swing is ok because I hit some good shots. Maybe wrong decisions, bad luck, a couple bad putts and a bit of everything that made me slip into a chain of bogeys.”
“It’s very easy to get uncomfortable in Valderrama if you have never played it before. After I let the tension go I started hitting good shots, but even those were not good enough. I think I need more experience of this course. It’s a bit like Augusta, very few players win here the first time – but this is not over! (laughs).”
“I couldn’t perform as I would have liked in front of the public, only a few good shots on the last holes, but that helps. It’s hard when everybody cheers you and you cannot give them a good show, but I am grateful for their support and it did help. Today could have been much worse without their encouragement.”
Fotos cedidas por Real Club Valderrama
