In the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello talks about his 2016 form, growing up on Gran Canaria, his golfing family, the Olympics, the Ryder Cup, surfing, the gym and more.
It’s nice to have a week off in between two massive tournamentsand it was a pleasure to spend a bit of it in Switzerland on Monday helping out my good friend Sergio in his charity day, #SergioAndFriends! It was a fun day and for a great cause contributing to his foundation, and what a great field we had at Bad Ragaz with many of our Tour friends there. I heard we had 303 professional titles between us, and at least I have two of those! Also, while it was a great couple of weeks in Scotland, it was nice to get back in the sunshine and not have to wear as many clothes in July.
I think this has been the best season of my life so far. Apart from getting a win, I’ve pretty much done everything else – plenty of top tens, top fives, I’ve been contending up there on many occasions and haven’t missed a cut yet in 15 starts on the European Tour. Actually, my worst finish so far in the 2016 season was last week at The Open, with a 39th place. And even then I was just outside the top ten going into the weekend. But my game has been solid and I feel like I’ve been improving in all aspects thanks to my physical, technical and mental work. Hopefully a win is coming soon!
My childhood home in Gran Canaria shares a wall with a driving range, so it was always inevitable that one day we would go over there and try golf. I first started when I was six years old, when my uncle brought over a club and some plastic balls one day and he, my dad and me started trying some swings in the back yard. After that, playing golf became a Sunday family getaway for us where we’d go and play with my dad, my brother and my sister and things obviously grew a lot from there.
My sister Emma plays on the Ladies European Tour, so having her around growing up helped to drive us both on. We were already quite competitive even when we were still basically just toddlers. Our dad would buy pins for every Sunday and whoever won that round would get a pin in their visor. But my dad made sure all our handicaps were correct so we all won an equal amount of times! So all our visors were covered in pins…
I’m in control of my own fate when it comes to getting into The Ryder Cup team. There are still a few tournaments to go but it is looking good. I don’t consider myself guaranteed at the moment but I feel it is close. If I can carry on playing just the way I have been then it should work out. But if and hopefully when it does happen, it is absolutely something I will relish and enjoy and it will surely be a career highlight for me.
Surfing is my getaway from golf but there are definitely some aspects that translate across both sports. I love it, when I’m in the water my mind moves away from the stress we suffer with golf sometimes and it allows me to connect with nature – something I really value. I enjoy being outdoors whenever possible and also it’s an athletic sport and one that is physically demanding. In a way, it has some resemblance with golf in that you have to commit to the drop like you commit to your shot. If you’re trying to catch a wave you have to go for it, put your fears aside when the swell is big and just enjoy it. Use that approach with golf and you won’t go too far wrong.
I hope that the Olympics golf tournament ends up being our fifth Major. I don’t really know what to expect in Rio but I do have great hopes that it is going to be a fantastic event, and it’s going to be a great honour representing Spain in such a prestigious way. It’s totally new ground for all of us golfers but I’m pretty sure the experience of the opening ceremony and Olympic Village is going to be unforgettable.
The future of golf is in athleticism. It’s definitely the way things are going, the game is becoming more physically demanding and if you want to beat everyone else then you have to put the hours in in the gym as well as at the golf course. Luckily, many of the places we go to have gym facilities and we also have the European Tour Physio Unit truck that travels around with us most weeks. Yes, you need discipline, you need to find that extra hour or so each day, but it’s worthwhile. You see the benefits from it, you feel good, you know it’s good for you so it is a boost in many ways.
