Otaegui, one lap from glory

Adrián Otaegui will start this Sunday as the outstanding leader of the Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters that is played in Valderrama by achieving an income of six strokes over his immediate pursuers in a day, Saturday, which he has described “as the best” of his life.

The man from San Sebastian delivered his third consecutive card with 64 shots to stand at -16, with a six-shot advantage over Ángel Hidalgo and Joakim Lagergren, at -10.

Otaegui made five birdies in the first eight holes, which allowed him to take a lead of three strokes over Hidalgo, with whom he had started level with -9. On the par 3 of the 15th hole, he came within a span of making an ace and finished with another three birdies in the last three holes that catapulted him to first place alone, achieving the best lap of all the participants and reaching the last lap today with the highest income that is remembered in a tournament this season.

The man from San Sebastian has been neglected by the European Tour throughout the tournament. No images of him have been given on the different channels that the tour has. The reason is that Otaegui decided to play the new Saudi circuit, the LIV, and now he plays with a precautionary measure issued by a judge in response to the veto that the European Circuit, the DP World Tour, filed against the players baptized as rebels.

Beyond that resolution that is expected in February, the possibility of final victory at the Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters puts Otaegui on another step. He has three previous victories on the European Tour but none with the luster that Valderrama gives.