The third day of the Castilla La Mancha Men's Championship 2024 was completed with an exciting head-to-head between Marcel Fonseca and Arian Rodríguez, resolved in favor of the former although both players ended with the same last card: 68 strokes (-4), and identical overall result: 212 strokes (-2).
Marcel Fonseca sank a great chip on the 18th hole to take the victory, while Arian Rodriguez, who had a five-meter putt to win, has earned the Under 18 and Under 16 titles.
The player from Real Club de Golf El Prat started his round very well, with two consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, and in the final stretch, specifically on holes 17 and 18, he once again beat the course. Those four birdies without bogeys gave him a 68 (-4), enough to win the championship.
As for Arian Rodriguez, he reached the 11th hole at even par, after signing two birdies and two bogeys, but it was in the last part of his round when he achieved the four birdies (13, 14, 16 and 17) that gave him 68 strokes (-4).
The Andalusian player also finished in second place in the overall standings, while Yago Horno completed the podium.
Jorge Hao, first leader
The 2024 Castilla La Mancha Men's Championship kicked off at the Layos Golf course in Toledo with the first day of competition, in which Jorge Hao was the most inspired player.
The Madrid golfer completed his first 18 holes with a scorecard of 70 strokes (-2), in which there were almost all possible results: birdies, six; eagle, one; bogeys, five; and double bogey, one.
Jorge Hao did not start his round well, with two bogeys on holes 1 and 3, but he quickly recovered with two birdies on holes 4 and 5. However, bogeys reappeared on his scorecard before finishing the first part of the round, specifically on holes 7 and 9.
Then, in the second half, Jorge Hao scored a birdie on the 11th hole, before posting a magnificent sequence of three birdies and an eagle from the 14th to the 17th hole, marred by an untimely double bogey on the 18th hole,
In second position, just one stroke behind the leader, was Iván Enguita, with a round of 71 strokes (-1), thanks to four birdies and three bogeys.
These two golfers were the only ones who beat the course, as behind them were three players sharing third place with cards of 72 strokes, at even par for the course.
The golfers who completed the podium of the provisional classification, two strokes behind the leader, were Raúl Gómez, Benjamin van Braak and Bruno Marqués.
Benjamin van Braak takes command
The second day of the 2024 Castilla La Mancha Men's Championship was completed with notable changes in the standings, mainly in the lead, which passed into the hands of Benjamin van Braak.
The player from Malaga was one of the most accurate in that second round, with a card of 69 strokes (-3), and with a total of 141 strokes (-3), he reached first place in the classification with one stroke less than Raúl Gómez, who signed 70 strokes (-2), for a total of 140 strokes (-2).
Arian Rodríguez completed the provisional podium of the tournament, after also signing the best card of the day with 69 strokes (-3), and with a total of 144 strokes, at even par, he was four strokes from the lead.
Benjamin van Braak started his match very well, with two consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, a streak that he could not continue on hole 3, where he gave up his first bogey, which was followed by a spectacular eagle on hole 4.
From that moment on, successes and errors followed one another in equal parts, four birdies and four bogeys, to complete those 69 strokes (-3), which are worth a lead.
This tournament has brought together a total of 117 players at Golf Layos and is a qualifying event for the World Ranking and the sixth event valid for the National Absolute and Under 18 Male Rankings.
Final results
1. Marcel Fonseca (73, 71, 68) 212 strokes
2. Arian Rodriguez (75, 69, 68) 212 strokes
3. Yago Horno (72, 72, 72) 216 strokes
See the full results and photo gallery below, in the Related Links section.
