Alvaro Velasco gives us a run through Tecina Golf course, the venue for the crucial Fred Olsen Challenge de España victory in 2010 which kicked off a run of form that eventually made him the Challenge Tour Rankings Number One.
Hole 1, par 4, 459 yards
“In general the course is quite an easy one and it starts off quite easy too. You can hit driver and pitching wedge on the first so there is not much trouble here.”
Hole 2, par 4, 365 yards
“This is a par four which is reachable with a driver. You don’t see the green from the tee but you can definitely make it so it is up to you whether you want to take that chance.”
Hole 3, par 5, 547 yards
“This is a par five which you can reach in two with a long iron or a hybrid from the fairway. The second and third are real birdie opportunities.”
Hole 4, par 3, 186 yards
“You play a mid to short iron here. There are some really nice views on this hole so it’s quite picturesque.”
Hole 5, par 4, 475 yards
“This is probably one of the toughest holes on the course. It usually plays quite long and the greens are a little bit tricky as well.”
Hole 6, par 4, 421 yards
“This is quite a short par four. You can hit driver and sand wedge here. This is not as clear a birdie opportunity as the earlier short par fours but if you play it right it’s a chance. The second shot, you can get a bad lie on the downslope or in the rough so it can often depend on where the pin position is here.
Hole 7, par 5, 521 yards
“Another reachable par five if you hit the fairway off the tee, so it’s another birdie opportunity but it’s all about the tee shot.”
Hole 8, par 3, 214 yards
“You can play around a five iron into the green here and it’s quite a big green but it’s a bit slopey so it’s never easy to make a three here, it has to be a really good tee shot.”
Hole 9, par 4, 265 yards
“This is a very short par four. You can reach it with a hybrid or a three wood from the tee. The green is slopey so you will have quite a difficult up and down if you are around the green. I think there might be some eagles here but definitely a great chance for birdie.”
Hole 10, par 4, 397 yards
“This is a downhill par four. You can have a four iron off the tee and then a pitching wedge into the green. Again, there are beautiful views here and the green is at the bottom of a hill. You can’t really see the green from the tee and barely even on the second shot, so it depends on where you place your drive.”
Hole 11, par 3, 175 yards
“This is a par three, again you hit a mid-iron there. It’s a slopey green here too but it’s quite a regular par three.”
Hole 12, par 4, 428 yards
“You usually play a three iron off the tee here and then an eight or nine iron. It’s a slight dogleg to the right and there’s a bit of downslope to the green."
Hole 13, par 4, 419 yards
“This is a dogleg left par four, not very long again – a drive and a pitching wedge. There’s quite a big slope on the fairway so the second shot you can be in any kind of a lie on the fairway or on the rough so you have to adjust to that.”
Hole 14, par 3, 233 yards
“This is a long par three. I usually hit a four iron into this green. It’s quite a difficult one and three is a good score here.”
Hole 15, par 4, 413 yards
“This is quite a straight-forward par four – driver and nine iron or pitching wedge. It’s a bit of a risk-reward hole and if you play it well it’s a good birdie opportunity but if not you might end up with a bogey.”
Hole 16, par 4, 471 yards
“This is a tough par four, slightly dogleg left with an uphill second shot and a very slopey green, even if it is a big green. It’s not too short a hole either so you have your work cut out for you here.”
Hole 17, par 5, 502 yards
“This is a reachable par five again but you have to be on the fairway from the tee because from the rough it’s not easy. It’s an uphill second shot. In 2010 I was one or two shots ahead so I tried to go for the green on the second shot and just missed the green and left myself with a tough up and down so I just had a par.”
Hole 18, par 4, 416 yards
“I teed off here one or two shots ahead as well. It’s not very straight-forward off the tee. You can play either safe with a hybrid or three iron but some people hit driver. There are two really big palm trees in the middle of the fairway which gives you a difficult shot to the green. If you hit an iron from the tee then you have around a seven iron to the green. The green slopes away from you so it’s important to pick a spot to land the ball. I got a par here when I won, I found the front of the green and two-putted.”
