The La Cañada Golf Club, in Guadiaro (Cádiz), was the setting for the first qualifying round of LACOSTE PROMESAS 2005, where – thanks to the change in regulations in this second edition – players from Andalusia, Madrid, Extremadura, Galicia, etc. participated, with the locals prevailing after 36 holes of medal play.

Gervasio Cuquejo is 16 years old and plays at both La Cañada and Marbella Golf. He picked up his first club at the age of three and has just finished secondary school: “Today I made four birdies putting well, although I didn't hit the ball perfectly; yesterday, however, I played better but my putts weren't going in. I love golf and what I'm best at is approach shots and putting. I really like Olazábal's game, especially since I saw him on television when he won the Masters at Augusta in '99. Tiger Woods too, who wouldn't! And whenever he's come to Valderrama I've gone to watch him. I went to see them both when the Ryder Cup was played; I was little but I was already playing golf.”.

Oliver Mena, 15, also plays at La Cañada: “I started playing golf when I was nine. My uncles used to go to the course, and one day I asked them to take me and let me hit balls. I taught myself more or less, then I started taking lessons at 12 with Diego Morito, and now Bartolo Quirós teaches me. I played well because yesterday I hit 16 greens and today 17. My favorite players are Sergio, Tiger, and Gossen.”.

Rocío Lobato, from Guadalmina, is 12 years old and has just finished sixth grade. Besides golf, she likes riding her bike and painting plaster figures: “My mother works at Los Naranjos, and when I was eight, I used to go with her to the club and I started playing. My best skill is my long game; I hit it really hard, almost always straight, although… sometimes I miss. Yesterday I played the first nine holes really well, but then I got a little confused with a triple bogey on the 10th. Today I played better, going birdie-bogey, birdie-bogey, and I made six birdies.”.

Rosa Ana Rivas, from La Cañada, will turn 13 next Saturday and has passed her first year of secondary school. She loves watching golf on television, and her favorite player is Annika Sörenstam: “I started playing very little, ten years ago, and I’ve been competing since I was six. Rocío and I are very good friends, and we’re going to have a great time at the Final. The tournament has been great; today I made three birdies and sank a five-meter putt on the eighth hole.”.

These four winners, along with the other 16 from the four remaining tests, will compete in the LACOSTE PROMESAS Final in La Manga in November, where they will be able to practice and learn alongside champions Miguel Ángel Jiménez, José María Olazábal and Nacho Garrido.

Men's Classification
1.- Gervasio Cuquejo 69-72=141 strokes
2.- Oliver Mena 74-72=146
Women's Classification
1. Rocío Lobato 80-76=156
2.- Rosa Ana Rivas 77-80=157

LACOSTE PROMISES CALENDAR 2005
August 23-24 (played), La Cañada Golf Club, Guadiaro (Cadiz)
September 10th and 11th, Mondariz Spa Golf Club (Pontevedra)
September 17th and 18th, Señorío de Zuasti Golf Club (Navarra)
September 24th and 25th, Golf Sant Joan, Rubí (Barcelona)
October 1st and 2nd, Las Pinaíllas Golf Club (Albacete)
FINAL: November 5th and 6th, La Manga Club (Murcia)