Rafa Cabrera-Bello is hoping a potential debut in the first Major of the season at The Masters Tournament can inspire him to victory at the Trophée Hassan II.
The Spaniard, currently 65th in the Official World Golf Ranking, is one of five players in the field in Morocco who can leap into the all-important top 50 this Monday to book a spot at Augusta National in a fortnight’s time.
Stephen Gallacher (64th in the World Rankings), Marcel Siem (72), Richie Ramsay (73) and Scott Jamieson (74) are the four other contenders, but they will all have to secure victory at the Golf du Palais Royal in Agadir to secure a place at The Masters.
Cabrera-Bello, like Gallacher, has been knocking in the door of the top 50 since the start of the year and both men have been chasing down the World Raking points required, both travelling to Malaysia last week before making the journey to Morocco.
“The main reason I am here is to try to win this tournament and get into The Masters,” said Cabrera-Bello.
“This is my last chance to do it this year, the last bullet in the chamber if you like, and I am going to give it my best shot. Hopefully I can continue to play well and if the door opens a little bit on Sunday afternoon here then I can take my chance.”
Cabrera-Bello will be trying to win that Masters spot on a golf course that is in a similar condition to the hallowed turf of Augusta.
The Golf du Palais Royal is positioned in the Royal Palace grounds in Agadir and, fittingly, is maintained to a regal standard. The Robert Trent Jones Snr masterpiece is one of golf’s hidden gems that, given its highly secure location, is rarely seen by the outside world.
“The golf course is just in immaculate condition,” continued Cabrera-Bello. “We are very lucky to be invited to come and play this golf course because not a lot of people will have played here before.
“You can tell from the conditioning of the course that we are in the King’s garden – it is very beautiful and is just in immaculate condition so we cannot complain about the course this week!”
