Two men looking to make a name for themselves on the European Challenge Tour in the early stages of their professional careers are Sebastian Gros and Ruaidhri McGee, who both got off to ideal starts at El Encin Golf Hotel, signing for seven under par scores to lie in a share of second after round one.
They are alongside Michael Jonzon, a stroke adrift of the leading Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, meaning the pair are ideally placed to post a potentially career-changing result at the Challenge de Madrid.
Frenchman Gros is in his first full season on the second tier in 2015, having narrowly missed out on his European Tour card at the Qualifying School Final Stage last November, and he went bogey-free on Wednesday.
It could have been even better for the 25 year old had his pin-point wedge to the par five last not hit the flag and careered back down the green towards the water, but he was happy with his lot, and pleased to have started so well.
“I am very happy with that first round as I am not usually a first round player, so it was good to have that today,” said Gros. “Everything was OK, perhaps a slower finish than my start, but I am very happy. The course suits my game, and the putter was good too, so it was a great round.
“I generally have my best rounds over the weekends, so I am always happy to start well. I didn’t go to Kenya, and my first event of the year in Madeira was cancelled, so I’m pretty happy with that. When you shoot low in the first round you never know what will happen, so to start well is great.
“The shot at 18 hit the flag so it could have been a great shot, but it also could have gone in the water. I just want to hit the best shots I can, as only 25 per cent of the tournament is done, so let’s see.”
As for McGee, who is playing on a medical extension in the first three events of the season, he is reaping the rewards of a winter practicing on the west coast of America having spent a month in Palm Springs earlier this year.
Couple that with a trip to Portugal in the build up to Madeira, and you seemingly have a recipe for success, as the Irishman looks to build on a tie for 19th a fortnight ago in Kenya.
“It was good today, I just played really solid,” said the 24 year old. “It was very much fairways and greens, and I holed a few putts on the back nine too. I played well in Kenya but didn’t get much out of it, so I was looking forward to playing this week as I’m playing pretty well, so I’ll see how it goes.
“I headed off to California for a month over the winter as I’ve got some friends out there, so I got in a bit of warm weather practice, and I played a bit in Portugal before Madeira too.
“I didn’t think this course would suit me as it is wide and I don’t hit it that long, but I enjoy putting and there are plenty of slopes out there, so I enjoyed it. This course is all about the second shot, and it is soft, so you know it is going to stop.
“I’ll take three more of those, so we’ll see. I just need to get my category up so I can play more events the rest of the year.”
