Pablo

Larrazabal

The 39-year-old Spaniard, a seven-time DPWT winner, also was one of five players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the DPWT rankings upon the completion Sunday’s event who secured their spot in the 150th Open Championship. Larrazabal, who won twice in 2022 – at the MyGolfLife Open and ISPS Handa Championship in Spain – currently stands at No. 8 the DPWT ranking. Joining him in the field at St. Andrews next month are BMW International winner Haotong Li, England’s Jordan Smith (No. 11), who finished T-8 in Munich for his fifth top-10 of the season, Englishman Sam Horsfield (No. 15) and fellow Spaniard Adri Arnaus (No. 13). Larrazabal also was one of 10 golfers who played the first LIV Golf event and also were in the field in Munich, where he posted the best result of the bunch at 17-under 271, five strokes behind winner Li. Louis Oosthuizen finished T-8 at 16 under. Larrazabal will not play this week at LIV’s second event at Pumpkin Ridge, in Portland, Ore., and instead is in the field at the DPWT’s Horizon Irish Open at Mount Juliet Estate in Kilkenny, Ireland. In 11 previous Irish Open appearances, he’s made seven cuts with his best finish being a solo fourth in 2013.

The 39-year-old Spaniard has played just twice since April, missing the cut at the PGA Championship (77-77) in May and at the DPWT’s Porsche European in June following rounds of 79-72. But he’s already won two DPWT titles this season, winning the MyGolfLife Open in South Africa (the win was also official on the Sunshine Tour) in March, beating fellow Spaniard Adri Arnaus and Englishman Jordan Smith in a playoff. In April as the ISPS Handa Championship of Spain near his home in Barcelona, shooting an 8-under 62 in the final round to beat Spain’s Adrian Otaegui by a shot. He is fourth on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai entering the PGA Championship. In 12 previous appearances at the BMW International, Larrazabal has won twice (2015, 2011), has three additional top 10s and missed the cut just twice (2013, 2009). Last year at Golfclub München Eichenried, Larrazabal finished T-17.

The 38-year-old Larrazabal started the day three shots off the lead and carded a blistering 8-under 62 in the final round at Infinitum’s Lakes Course in Tarragona. He reeled off five straight birdies on Nos. 9-13 and secured a one-stroke victory over fellow Spaniard Adrian Otaegui. Larrazabal finished at 15-under 265 to earn his seventh career DPWT title, with the win coming just three starts after his last victory at the MyGolfLife Open in March. “It’s been tough, the last three years, the last maybe five, six years – I know I had a win three years ago,” said Larrazabal, who had last won in 2019 (Alfred Dunhill Championship) before this season. “…I thought a lot about not playing any more. And sometimes if you believe and you keep working hard, life gives you back and it’s been a long road. For the trust and for the work I did, and for the patience, I think I really deserve it.” Larrazabal will stay in Spain for this week’s Catalunya Championship at PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness in Girona.

The 38-year-old Spaniard, who started the final round two strokes behind leader Hennie du Plessis, carded a 5-under 67 on Sunday and finished tied with Arnau and Smith at 22-under 266. Arnaus made bogey at the first playoff hole, dropping out as Smith and Larrazabal made birdie. Smith made bogey on their second trip up 18, while Larrazabal dropped another birdie to secure his first win since the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Championship. “What a day,” said Larrazabal. “I felt great this morning. It was one of those days where you just feel great, and you know you’re going to have a chance. I started fast to get into the lead very quick.” He’s made four cuts in four starts in the new season, with a podium finish in his last start – a T-3 at the Ras al Khaimah Classic. Larrazabal will stay in South Africa for this week’s Steyn City Championship at The Club at Steyn City in Johannesburg.

The Spaniard made something of a wild start to his Moving Day round, going birdie-eagle-bogey from the first. When he added a birdie-bogey double at the seventh and eighth he might have wondered if he was stuck in a rut. But he then unleashed a spectacular back nine to equal the course record, draining birdies at the 12th, 14th, 15th and, from 25’0", at the 17th. At the par-5 13th he went one better and pencilled-in an eagle-3. It meant the 36-year-old Spaniard had jumped 33 spots on the leaderboard and bang into contention, not least because the other seven players in the top eight have just two Euro Tour titles to their names and he has five, the most recent at the start of the season in Leopard Creek. He will start Sunday just three blows back of his compatriot Jorge Campillo, who leads, at Education City GC in Doha.

The Spaniard knew he had a tough task ahead of him because he had ended 11 of his 14 pre-final rounds at this venue in the top 20, but had never bettered 73 on Sunday and he still hasn’t. But he entered this lap with a three-shot advantage and he used it. “I woke up this morning and didn’t think I was going to play,” he said. “I couldn’t putt my shoe on because of my blister.” He then proceeded to make six bogeys and a double bogey in the first 13 holes and, despite adding two birdies, he was two shots back of the lead. He later said: “Back nine I told myself, ‘You cannot walk, cannot swing, but if Tiger can win on broken leg what is a blister? I had the back nine all week.” In a supreme battle against himself and the course he birdied 15, 16 and 18 to win by one. “It’s been a long road,” he said of the gap before his fifth ET win. “I’ve struggled the last four years. This is where I want to be.”

The Spaniard made early birdies at the fourth and sixth, but he found water at the par-3 seventh and was eventually happy to make bogey. Two holes later a low duck hook off the tee led to a bogey-5 and he seemed rattled. A third birdie of the week at the par-4 tenth righted the ship somewhat, as did a chip-in birdie from a blind spot at the par-3 12th, but he couldn’t make birdie at the par-5 13th despite having a mid-iron in his hands with his second. No matter his birdied the 14th instead before a rough finish. He three-putted the 17th from 18’0", snapping angrily at someone on the greenside afterward, and then hooked his tee shot at 18 and missing from 20’0" for birdie. He will fear the presence of Branden Grace in third, four shots back, and maybe also course specialist Charl Schwartzel, although he is seven back. He is 1-for-3 with a 54-hole lead (solo and shared).

After a front nine that witnessed seven pars, one birdie at the second and a bogey at the seventh, the Spaniard caught fire on Leopard Creek’s back nine. He started with birdie at the tenth, drained a 10’0" putt at the 11th to make it two-in-two, but his par breaking putt at the 12th was enormous. Television on-course reporter Julian Tutt insisted it was the longest putt possible on the course and 100’0" (see the Twitter link). Two more par breakers came at the 13th and 15th but there was a bogey in-between at the 14th. Put together it left him those three blows clear of second, with the rest five adrift. Quick starts have been common for Larrazabal on this course. Thursday was a fourth R1 top ten in five starts, this is a third 36-hole T11 or better, he ought to make it a third 54-hole top ten in a row, but he will be desperate to improve on a 72-hole best of T9, his only top 20.

Scotland’s Grant Forrest is also at 6-under with two to play while Larrazabal’s fellow Spaniard Alejandro Canizares is one back after a 67. The 36-year-old, who has four European Tour wins, opened his day with a birdie-bogey exchange at 10 and 11 but then attacked the par 5s, picking up a shot at 13 before carding eagle-3 at 15. After turning in 3-under 34, Larrazabal continued his move with gains at 1, 5 and 6. He was certainly on the radar for gamers this week having finished tied ninth here last year and also T23 on his previous visit. He shot a round of 67 in both those editions but today’s 66 is his lowest round in 15 circuits of the par 72.

The Spaniard played all three editions there from 2013-2015 although had to settle for 53-52-60. He had better success when the event moved to Carya, posting T8 in 2016 and T18 last year. His latest form is hit and miss, with his last six starts producing three missed cuts along with T7 at the European Open, T33 at the Open de Espana and T14 on his latest start at the Portugal Masters. He’s 60th on the Race to Dubai although has an interesting take about trying to make the top 50 who’ll contest the season ender in Dubai. “To play Dubai, obviously it’s great, but at this point in my career, it’s not a big deal. Obviously I would love to, but my goals are week-to-week and try to do my best this week to try to have a chance on Sunday afternoon.”