Buenos Aires, Argentina (December 5, 2013) – Florida’s Ryan Blaum and Argentina’s Rafael Echenique share the lead after the opening round of the 108th playing of the VISA Open de Argentina presented by Peugeot.
Taking advantage of the prime scoring conditions of the morning, both went bogey-free on their way to rounds of 5-under 67 for a solid start in the decisive final event of the NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica 2013 season.
“Any day you can go around this golf course without a bogey it’s a good day,” Blaum said. “You know I played very solid, I hit the ball well, made some big par putts, so I’m happy with my first round. It’s just the first day though.”
Entering the week ranked No. 2 on the NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit, Blaum needs to earn $3,572 more that José de Jesús Rodríguez in order to overtake him as No. 1. The Tour’s top player will claim the Roberto De Vicenzo Award and will also earn full exempt status on the Web.com Tour in 2014.
Blaum, who teed off on No. 10 Thursday, helped his cause with a chip-in birdie on No. 6 and a 25-foot birdie conversion on No. 9 to close out his round.
“I can’t control what José does, so kind of thinking about that right now wouldn’t be worth it,” Blaum said. “My goal right now is to relax, have fun and play my game.”
The 30-year-old Blaum was playing alongside Rodríguez on Thursday and pulled five shots clear of him as the current money leader found water twice in the opening round.
After finishing in a tie for sixth at the Abierto De Chile two weeks ago and tied for third place at the Personal Classic last week, Echenique kept his good pace with a flawless round of three birdies and one eagle.
“I saved good pars on 11 and 12 and then I made an eagle on 13, where I hit a terrific 3-wood within 10 feet of the pin,” he said. “That gave me a boost.”
The 33-year-old Echenique, who won this event back in 2006, said that having his younger brother Juan Emilio as a caddie was critical for his success.
“We are very different and the good thing is that he knows how to help me out there,” Echenique said. “I’m anxious and he is more patient. I’m working well with him and my coach Hernán Rey.”
At 69, two strokes off the pace, were Argentina’s Miguel Carballo and Colombia’s Diego Velásquez, who were paired together in the morning. Carballo had a bogey-free round, while Velásquez chipped-in for birdie at the last.
NOTES:
Weather Sunny and clear in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon. A high of 75 degrees. Winds coming from the Southeast were a significant factor in the afternoon.
Scores under par Only 13 players were able to score in red numbers today. Among them, Argentina’s Emilio Domínguez and Rodolfo González posted lowest of the afternoon with 70s.
Defending champion Ángel Cabrera Starting off the 10th tee at 7:44 a.m., Argentina’s Ángel Cabrera got off to a good start with three birdies on the front nine. His good pace was halted by a bogey on No. 5 and then he hit his tee shot in the water on the sixth and carded a triple bogey. He finished birdie-birdie-par to post a 1-under 71 to claim a piece of the ninth spot.
“I hit one bad shot today (in the water on 6) and it cost me a triple-bogey, but I managed to make some good puts to finish the day under par,” the 44-year old Cabrera said of his performance on a course where he by four shots last year.
The two-time major champion responded well to the doubts about a shoulder injury that forced him to rest and undergo therapy in recent weeks.
“I feel perfect,” he said. “Luckily I did not feel any discomfort at any time. Everything is all right.”
“Los Cinco” The following are the scores and positions for the four players ranked in the top 5 of the NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica competing in this event:
T1. Ryan Blaum, USA 67 (-5) #2 OM
T14. José de Jesús Rodríguez, Mexico 72 (par) #1 OM
T41. Jorge Fernández Valdés, Argentina 74 (+2) #4 OM
T117. Manuel Villegas, Colombia 82 (+10) #5 OM
Los Cinco are the five leading player in the Order of Merit of NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. At the end of this tournament, the players holding those five spots will earn playing status for the 2014 season on the Web.com Tour.
Race for No. 5 Colombia’s Manuel Villegas had a long afternoon of five bogeys, three double-bogeys and only one birdie for an unlikely 82. His playing partner Julián Etulain of Argentina was unable to take much advantage by carding a 77 of his own. Villegas and Etulain entered the week ranked fifth and sixth in the Order of Merit, battling for the last spot among Los Cinco. If Villegas misses the cut, Etulain would need to finish at least in a two-way tie for third or better to finish among Los Cinco.
Bitter finish for Julio Zapata Playing in the afternoon, when conditions were considerably more windy than in the morning, Argentina’s Julio Zapata seemed to be on his way to the top of the leaderboard. He was at 5 under with two holes left to play, but closed with a double-bogey on No. 8 and a quadruple-bogey on the ninth for a 73.
Bogey- free rounds (4)
Ryan Blaum, USA (67), Rafael Echenique, Argentina (67), Miguel Carballo, Argentina (69), Sergio Acevedo, Argentina (70). There were no bogey free rounds in the afternoon.
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