The second round of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters came to an emotional ending with Jon Rahm bidding a humble farewell to the public who gave him a standing ovation on Real Club Valderrama’s 18th green. France’s Romain Langasque leads the field with -4 and Alejandro Cañizares is the best Spaniard two shots behind after 36 holes.
Rahm got off to a bad start for second day in a row ̶ starting from the first this time ̶ and was unable to find the birdies he needed to stay in the tournament, although he played the back nine under par. He leaves after a long and eventful season, basking in the affection of the crowds who have supported him enthusiastically in the two events he has played in Spain and promising that he will do his utmost to ensure that the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters reaches a higher status on the international scene.
“I putted for birdie on every hole after 7 bit didn’t make any. I knew that I needed six and I didn’t give up. Pity that I played badly. It’s been a long year and a good year, it's a shame that it ended like this. I love the course and I'll keep coming back, but I'm a bit tired. I don't like excuses, I've tried, but more than my body, my mind hasn't been able to cope. I’m going to hang my clubs for the next four weeks and do something else. I need a rest.”
Rahm admits that his main motivation for coming to this tournament is the passion he felt as a child which he now sees in the eyes of his young fans.
"The public was my reason for coming here, apart from wanting to win. I understand that having reached the level I have reached I can help Spanish golf. I remember when I was a kid coming to the Volvo Masters, seeing the players gave you a big boost. Now I will go and sign autographs because I remember when they signed my shirt in 2008 or 2009, I was thrilled. The next Spanish benchmark golfer could be right here".
Langasque, the 2015 Amateur Champion and a one-time European Tour winner, has carded back-to-back rounds of 69 to lead at the halfway stage with -4. After a stunning eagle on 17, the Frenchman is one shot clear of Swede Sebastian Söderberg, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and Englishmen Laurie Canter (after a superb 65) and Ryder Cup star Matt Fitzpatrick.
Two shots behind the leader, Alejandro Cañizares made the most of his local knowledge to get to -2 with spectacular finish to his round.
Cañizares, a member of Valderrama, praised the character of the course.
"Valderrama is a great example of a course that not being long is one of the most difficult if not the most difficult of the year. It would be nice to have more courses like this. Obviously, I'm not a big hitter and it suits me, but it's just that this type of course is nicer than having to hit 350 yards off the tee. More courses like Valderrama would do golf a lot of good.”
Rafa Cabrera Bello had a difficult day on the firm greens of Valderrama and paid dearly for his few long game mistakes, but managed to finish tied 13th in level par. One stroke behind, Sebastián García Rodríguez and Pablo Larrazábal tied 16th (+1). Outside the top 20, Jorge Campillo (+2), Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño and Adrián Otaegui (+3), Álvaro Quirós and Nacho Elvira (+4), and Santiago Tarrío (+5) also made the cut.
INSIDE THE ROPES
Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño equals his best round in this tournament
After struggling on Thursday, Fernández-Castaño, a member and great expert of Real Club Valderrama, carded a bogey-free 68 on Friday, his best score in this tournament (although he shot 67 on the third day of the 2008 Volvo Masters).
England’s Eddie Pepperell, also played bogey-free golf on Friday but missed the cut.
Romain Langasque and Laurie Canter have good memories of Spain
Both midway leader Langasque and lowest scorer Canter will be looking for a prestigious European Tour victory at Valderrama this weekend, the first for Canter and the second for Langasque.
Both are united by a prestigious triumph on Spanish soil, the Spanish International Amateur Championship (Copa S.M. El Rey) which they won resoundingly: Langasque by 9 & 8 at RCG de Sevilla in 2016, and Canter by 11 & 10 at El Prat in 2011.
Picking up Gasol's baton
Jon Rahm declared himself flattered by the front page of Marca naming him Pau Gasol's "successor" as the new benchmark for Spanish sport after the recent retirement of the great Catalan basketball player.
"I'm delighted to accept, and all I can say is that I hope I can deliver. Apart from the next few weeks, I'm going to keep training to try to win more titles and give Spain a lot of excitement. I hope I can be an example like Pau has been; he is a great Spanish sportsman."
Tickets can still be purchased to enjoy this year's edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, and the flexibility of the offer allows to choose between individual access for each day, season tickets or passes for the weekend, with preferential rates for children under 14 years, federated golfers or people with reduced mobility.
Tickets can be purchased from the Tickets menú on the tournament website, at edamgolf.es or at Fever.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, an event in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai made possible by the essential contribution of the Real Club Valderrama, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Regeneración, Justicia y Administración Local of the Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by the EU, declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain. This tournament is also supported by the Diputación de Cádiz, Exterior Plus, Hero, Rolex y Santander Private Banking. Callaway, Cinco Jotas, Enterprise, Gadira, Kyocera, La Reserva Club Sotogrande, Marca, Quirónsalud, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, Riversa, SO/ Sotogrande, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.
