Five things you might have missed - Andalucía - Costa del Sol Match Play 9

The 2019 Andalucía – Costa del Sol Match Play 9 was won by Eirik Tage Johansen as he defeated Ugo Coussaud 2&1 in the final at Valle Romano Golf. Here, we take a look at five things you might have missed from a busy week in Estepona.

Story of the Day

Rhys Enoch returned to European Challenge Tour action after teeing it up at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open the week before. The Welshman made the cut after bouncing back from a seven over par opening round and was paired with Patrick Reed and Martin Kaymer over the weekend. We spoke to the 31-year-old upon his return to Europe and he spilled the beans on his Major week.

100% record remains intact

England’s Ryan Evans tied the course record on Friday with a stunning seven under par 64 to head into the match play section of the event as the second seed. Prior to teeing it up in the Round of 64 against Francesco Laporta, Evans joked about his less than impressive match play record.

After then losing to Laporta 1UP in his first knockout match, Evans exited the tournament but remained in high spirits regardless.

Woof, woof!

Golfing etiquette means players are often putting in complete silence and are shielded from noise and movement. However, sometimes there’s nothing you can do, just ask Chris Hanson. The Englishman finished sixth in the Match Play 9 after losing 2&1 in the quarter final to Ugo Coussaud. The two men battled through the first six holes before Hanson was faced with a birdie putt to win the seventh hole and get back to one down, but a certain four-legged friend had other ideas…

Last man in

A strict cut of 64 players is required at the end of the stroke play section of the Match Play 9 and after a long day in tough conditions on Friday, exactly 64 players were making the cut with the final group heading down the 18th hole as the clock ticked towards 9.00pm local time. Step up Antoine Schwartz. The Frenchman was the only player remaining on the course who could force a play-off and he did just that, birdieing the 36th hole and therefore sparking a 12-man play-off. The dozen players returned to the ninth tee in groups of six and the unfortunate man was Felipe Aguilar, who lost out on the second extra hole.

Toppling over

Valle Romano Golf looks over Estepona from altitude and is therefore susceptible to high winds, which is exactly what met the players on Thursday. Some players were hitting three or even four clubs more than they usually would, and it wasn’t just the shots which were affected. Putting on the 16th green, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa left his trolley at the side of the green as he rolled in a birdie putt – before chasing after his trolley as it made its way into the greenside bunker.