Samuel

Del Val

The 33-year-old, who hails from Bilbao, Spain, made his first European Tour start of the season last week in Gran Canaria, but fired a lackluster 70-71 (1 over) and missed the cut by seven shots. Last season he played just four tournaments – two Euro Tour and two Challenge Tour events – and made just one cut, recording a T-45 at the Andalucia Challenge de Espana in November. The unheralded Del Val, who cut his teeth on the LatinoAmerica (2013- 16) and Korn Ferry (2017-18) tours, recorded the best result of his career in October 2019 with a solo third at the Open de Espana thanks to a final-round, 3-under 68. That same season, he made five cuts in nine starts on the Challenge Tour but missed out on weekend action in both European Tour starts.

The little known 32-year-old was not the biggest story of the week – that was Jon Rahm successfully defending his title – but in finishing behind Rafa Cabrera Bello at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid Del Val became the romantic tale of the week. After all, this is a man who has plied his trade in South America, on the second tier in America, in China and the second tier in Europe, with barely any sniff of a chance at ET level. Remarkably, given that inexperience, he is actually now 4-for-4 on the circuit, but this was a first top 25. Understandably, in his home Open, playing with Rahm and Cabrera Bello, he made bogey at the third. But he responded brilliantly, ticking the fourth, seventh and eighth. He also circled the 14th and would have grabbed second but for a late birdie blitz from Cabrera Bello.

Who could have predicted that this almost totally unknown 32-year-old would be tied alongside Rafa Cabrera Bello, only Jon Rahm ahead of him, with 18 holes to play this week? His front nine was, like many at the top of the leaderboard, neither here nor there. He gained a shot at the fourth and gave it back at the fifth. But three birdies in four holes (at 12, 14 and 15, the latter thanks to an exquisite chip-in from the back of the green) changed the tone of his day. He closed on the clubhouse alone in second, but flew the par-3 17th green (he saved par) and then three-putted the final green for bogey. However he will play the final group on Sunday and said afterward: “An amazing experience, I’ve felt nothing like it. I was hanging in there for dear life. I can’t focus on anyone else. I’ll do what I can.” His world ranking of 1,413 looks set for quite a boost and a minimum hope in round four might be a top ten to earn another ET start.

What a week this has been for the Spaniard at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Two distinct burst of scoring on Friday have given him a great chance of contending and also changing his golfing life. He started from the tenth and ticked the 13th, 14th and 16th before the turn, made an error at the first, but then circled the third, fifth, sixth and seventh to be just one swing back of Rafa Cabrera Bello and Adri Arnaus. Unheralded, he has been a LatinoAmerica Tour veteran from 2013 through 2016, then had a couple of seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, but made just three top tens. In 2019 he has flitted between the China Tour and Challenge Tour. He was T9 on his last outing in the former and top 20 all week in his most recent start on the latter, both last month. He is 3-for-3 on the European Tour when he’s completed tournaments (one withdrawal) but is seeking a first top 25.