David Borda could hardly have imagined that his two rounds of 68 strokes (-4) for a total of 136 strokes (-8) would be enough to become the third winner of the III Bizkaia PGAe Open, the fourth tournament of the TUMI Spain Golf Tour.
Once again, adverse weather played an unwelcome role in the third round of the tournament, with rain, wind, and especially fog that made playing golf impossible. Attempts were made to resume play, albeit with several delays, but the fog persisted, and around 2:00 PM the technical committee decided to end the tournament, declaring David Borda the winner. Since two full rounds had been completed, the tournament will count towards the national ranking.
“It’s not the ending I wanted, certainly, but I’m happy with the result,” Borda commented. “It’s been an unusual situation, and the weather hasn’t cooperated. But overall, I’m satisfied with my game. I completed two rounds with 68 strokes. I’d been playing very well, with a fifth-place finish at the Challenge last week, and this was the perfect ending,” the champion declared.
David Borda adds his name to the list of winners, presided over by another Navarrese, Asier Aguirre (2022), and followed by Borja Martín (2023), the defending champion who did not make the cut on this demanding Meaztegi Golf course, designed by Seve Ballesteros.
The awards ceremony was attended by Carlos Alzaga, the Provincial Deputy for Infrastructure and Territorial Development of Bizkaia; and Leixuri Arrizabalaga, the Deputy for Basque Language, Culture and Sport, who highlighted the importance of holding events of this level in a public field like Maeztegi and guaranteed the continuity of the tournament, which this year had a record participation of 140 registered players, with international presence.
Fans who came to the La Arboleda course were unable to enjoy seeing a third round from José María Olazábal, double winner of the Masters of Augusta (1994 and 1999), who after a hard-fought second round managed to make the cut.
The tournament had other winners as well, Ignacio Gómez Osuna and Agustí Quinquilla who shared the Grupo San Pablo prize for the two best Under-25 players, and Luis Claverie, who was the Senior winner by finishing in tenth position.
Finally, the best amateur player on the list was Joseba Torres Olazába, who finished in 14th place.
SOURCE: PGA of Spain
