Lucía Cortezo (Las Palmas) from the Canary Islands and Xabier Errea (Public University of Navarre) from Navarre have each won their respective titles at the 2009 Spanish University Championship, which concluded at the León Golf Club after three days of competition. Both players started the day with a comfortable four-stroke lead and lived up to expectations.
Lucía Cortezo, who adds her second title after the one achieved in 2007, did so with relative ease, since her immediate pursuer, Tatiana Morató (Málaga), went up to 81 strokes to leave the path clear for her; Xabier Errea found a serious rival in Manuel Gil (San Pablo-CEU), who signed a final round of 69 strokes, but managed to retain the lead with another of 75.
The team victory went to the University of Malaga, who relied on Ángel Acha and Tatiana Morató herself to nullify the efforts of the University of Cantabria, second, and the University of Las Palmas, third.
The two champions are by no means unknowns on the Spanish amateur golf scene. Lucía Cortezo was the Spanish Pitch & Putt Champion in 2007, and is –along with Paola González– the current runner-up in the Doubles competition for this golf discipline. For his part, Xabier Errea, among other successes, won the Navarre Doubles Championship last year with Pedro Erice.
Both succeed Madrid natives Antonio Hortal (European University) and Bárbara Perera (Navarra), brilliant champions last year at Antequera Golf (Málaga) who this time had different fortunes: the former had chances of victory until the end, while the latter could not keep up with an unstoppable Lucía Cortezo.
RESULTS TABLE
Men's competition
1.- ERREA MAYO, XABIER 218 (75+68+75)
2.- GIL CASTRO, MANUEL 219 (74+76+69)
3.- GOYENECHE TORICES, ALEXANDER 222 (75+77+70)
Women's competition
1.- CORTEZO CASTILLO, LUCIA 221 (70+74+77)
2.- MORATO BELTRAN, TATIANA 229 (75+73+81)
3.- BEDIA BUENO, GEMMA 233 (80+77+76)
