Sweden
Round 1 of the European Amateur Championship in Vasatorps Golfklubb, Sweden turned out to be a battle between the players, the golf course and the heavy gusts. All 144 players engage had to face brutal playing conditions, resulting in only ten of them breaking par.
First and only player of the morning’s flight to shoot a 2-under 70 was Mexico’s Gerardo Gomez. His only mistake of the day came with a double bogey on the 16th. But he was able to bounce back straight away, with a birdie on the last hole. He thus became the Championship’s first leader.
« It was pretty hard, he reacted at the end of his round. You have to hit the fairways, because with the wind and how hard it is, if you mishit it, you’re going to go so far off the line. »
The players of the afternoon flight had the good surprise to face less heavy winds. Australia’s Kayun Mudadana made the most of it, joining Gomez in the lead at minus 2. He came very close to signing the only bogey-free card of the day, dropping a single shot on the par-4 13th.
One of the last men on the course to power his way through was Jack Gilbert from the USA. Four birdies in a row at the beginning of his back 9 pushed him to join the leaders at -2.
A group of no less than seven players share 4th place at one under. That includes Alejandro De Castro from Spain, and number 9 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Filip Jakubcik from the Czech Republic. Also at -1 at the end of the day is Finland’s Sakke Siltala, who threatened to take the solo lead at -3 thru 16, but had to settle for a 71 after bogeying the last two holes.
Thursday should see yet another tough test of golf, as winds should remain a factor in round 2 of the Championship.
