EUROPEAN LEGENDS CUP BY JOSÉ MARÍA OLAZÑABAL 2025 (Basozábal, September 5-7)

See results below, in the Related Content section.

Scott Hend, number 1 on the Legends Tour, has presented an impeccable card of 63 strokes to set a new record at the Real Nuevo Club de San Sebastián, Basozábal, and take sole command heading into the final day of the European Legends Cup, where the host has brought excitement to the event.

The second day was expected to be tough, with high temperatures and humidity; what was not expected was that the wind would come into play to turn the standings upside down on moving day and leave a spectacular final for tomorrow: the number 1 of the Legends Tour, Scott Hend, the defending champion, Adilson da Silva, and the captain of the Junior Ryder Cup, Stephen Gallacher, sharing the star match.

Scott Hend, who made an eagle on the 3rd hole in the first round, today achieved the feat of carding three more eagles, on the 8th, 11th, and 17th, completing all the par 5s with an eagle in two days of play. He also recorded four birdies and a bogey for a 63 and a total of 11 under par. “I can’t believe it myself,” the Australian said. “A couple of good shots, I sank a couple of putts… I putted it in from outside on the 8th for eagle, and that was the key. From the 8th to the 14th, I played really well. I was quite disappointed on those holes yesterday, and today I wanted to do better. I concentrated more, I stepped up my game, and I was more accurate. Now I’m going to rest a bit and see if tomorrow goes well.”.

In second place is Brazilian Adilson da Silva, the defending champion, who shot a 66 for a total of 8 under: «I played pretty well today, my putting was pretty good. The times I missed on the greens, I managed well with chip and putt, which makes a big difference, and I sank one chip. I think I just found my rhythm. I only had one bad tee shot on the 15th hole, and I think that was because the wind took the ball off course. I’m happy because I’m thinking a bit better, managing myself better on the course. The course is very good, a great test, especially with the wind we had today; the greens are beautiful. It was a pretty good round; tomorrow I have to keep working hard, try to hit my ball, and stay focused.»

Stephen Gallacher, captain of the Junior Ryder Cup, is in third position with a total of 7 under par after signing a card of 69 strokes, in which, as in the first round, he has concentrated all the birdies on the first 9 holes: “I find them much more accessible, the second ones are costing me more so I am looking for my opportunities on the first ones.”.

José María Olazábal's comeback

Especially noteworthy was the comeback made by the host, José María Olazábal, with a score of 68 strokes, five birdies and one bogey, which allowed him to climb to the middle of the leaderboard, feeling the affection of all his people who were accompanying him, especially his parents.

“I managed to put together a good round, 4 under par is very good, and my shoulder is holding up. It's bothering me a little, obviously that's not going to be fixed in 2 or 3 days. Perhaps my weak point today was my drive. It's true that I didn't put myself in extremely difficult situations, but it's the area where I need to improve the most. I think the best thing was how I played on the course. In the end, I know the course well, I know where to make mistakes, so in that sense it's perhaps easier for me, but my short game was good, my irons quite good. When we got to the 13th hole, the wind calmed down, but until then it blew quite strongly, which made the game difficult. We're not used to this heat, especially at this time of year, but it's been an extremely hot summer, with significant heat waves, which means we have to be careful on the course, stay well hydrated, and keep those details in mind.”.

Playing with my family is wonderful; you know everyone. It's true that my parents have only seen me play a few times, so having them here at home has been a joy. It's been ages since they last saw me play, so many years. I think the last time they saw me on a golf course might have been at one of the Masters tournaments; we're talking about many years ago.

SOURCE: Test organizers