Quiros Does Seve Proud Fantastic Par Save & Maintain Five-Shot Rocco Forte Sicily Lead … Video.

7 years ago by Comments Off on Quiros Does Seve Proud Fantastic Par Save & Maintain Five-Shot Rocco Forte Sicily Lead … Video.

Alvaro Quiros did the memory of the late, great Seve Ballasteros proud with a remarkable par save at the final hole to maintain a five-shot lead heading to the final round of the Rocco Forte Open in Sicily.

After finding a fairway bunker down the left side at the 18th Quiros got a flyer in the bright but very windy conditions and with his ball landing well left off the green and coming to rest on a unpaved gritty pathway close to the scorers hut and not far from going out-of-bounds.

The Spaniard was first unsure if his ball was in bounds and then after confirmation it was, Quiros paced out the distance from his ball to the green but needing to send his chip shot high over a TV tower on the edge of the green.

“Obviously I had a lot of luck at the end to end up on the car path, not in the bush behind the green”, he said.  “But once I was there, the lie was very clean – even if it was on a path, solid rock – but the possible relief was a little uncertain, when you drop you never know what lie you’re going to have.

“I thought, ‘hey, it’s into the wind and it could be possible to finish six or seven metres past the hole and I can two-putt for a bogey five and we move on’. Luckily enough I made a very good contact and I finished half a metre from the hole.”

Quiros, who is looking to return to the main Tour after last year losing his card, then pulled off the shot of the tournament in clearing the TV tower and landing ball some four-feet from the flag and then calmly rolling in the par putt in a round of a one-under par 7o for a 16-under total.

The 34-year old Quiros heroics at the last has the six-time Tour winner poised to end a near six-year Tour victory drought that would also see the very affable Spaniard regain full Tour membership and be exempt to the end of 2o18.

“Today was the worst golfing day for me,” he said. “From the tee I was more irregular than normal but I played with the same intentions, trying to fight until the final hole and I’ve been putting well too.

“Today it was really difficult to putt, the wind was blowing crazy strong and on the greens the perception was always changing with the intensity of this wind. I’m happy with where I am right now.

“Golf is a very difficult game, you never know what’s around the corner. I’ve been very lucky this week. If I’m not mistaken, I haven’t had a single unplayable ball and that’s a very lucky thing in these windy conditions. If my game stays more or less where it is and I keep putting like I am, I’m going to have chances up until the end.”



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