ngel Ayora is pure fresh air. People point out that he shot 12 under par on the 12 par-5s he played at the Spanish Openthree per roundand his face lights up. "That's great! I didn't know that, and I've been telling my caddie lately that we weren't getting much out of those holes," says a golfer teeing off.
David Puig also mentions his caddie in the final report. He does so without reproach, but it was a mistake by the caddie, who added 84 yards on the second shot on the 8th hole when he should have added 74, that halted his assault. "I don't keep a yardage book, I volleyed off the green, and the truth is, that bogey weighed on my mind." He had holed two birdies and was growing. The next step was darkness. Two bogeys and a double bogey in four holes. The end of the dream.
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Angel Ayora, stataments
"I value the four birdies I got afterward and how I recovered. I hope it's enough to keep my card. A top-10 finish, considering how things were on the 12th tee, isn't bad," explained the ever-ambitious La Garriga native. So much so that while others are heading off on vacation, he will be leaving for Hong Kong in two weeks. "It's a good tournament, and there's also a spot at the Masters at Augusta. It's a good opportunity to continue adding world ranking points."
Ayora and Puig tied with Rahm as the best Spaniards at the Real Club de Campo. The young man from San Roque has found a springboard in the major national tournament. He battled through a difficult Sunday and repeated his third 69, with all four rounds under 70. "I'm very proud to have been able to play like this," he said while revealing his plans. "Now I'm going to keep fighting for one of those 10 spots that give me a ticket to the PGA Tour. If I get it, of course I'll go play there"he turned down an offer from LIV Golf"even if it means swimming."
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The Cadiz native, a product of La Caada, the leading public school in Spain alongside the Madrid Golf Federation for youth, is now twenty-third in the Race to Dubai. With the LIV players and those who already have PGA Tour cards filtered, he still has seven spots to make up. India, Korea, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai are the venues for the great battle the young man is waging.
