The morning in Pedreña began with a gray sky, but the sun soon emerged over the Bay of Santander as the players prepared to face off on the first day of competition. Nerves were running high, all aware of the importance of the day, where only the top sixteen would advance to the next round of match play. The special format of the Santander Golf Tour held here in Pedreña always demands the best from the professionals, requiring a high capacity for adapting to different playing styles and strategic golf to navigate a truly technical course.
In the last match, Amaia Latorre, María Villanueva, and Jae Bowers promised a high-voltage clash after all three had finished in the top five just two weeks prior at the Izki Golf course in Álava. In the previous match, Marta Muñoz looked serious and focused, eager to achieve a good result in the week leading up to the LETAS tournament at Naturávila. The Ávila native, aware of the importance of playing such a prestigious tournament at home in front of her fans, knew that a strong performance in Pedreña would provide the necessary boost to travel with confidence to her home region.
However, the surprise of the morning came from England's Rebecca Earl, who quickly took the lead with five birdies on the front nine for a score of -4, two strokes ahead of her pursuers. In the second group, Russia's Nina Pegova kept a close eye on the lead, carding an eagle on the par-five sixth hole for a very solid front nine. Behind them, Spain's Amaia Latorre (-2), María Villanueva (-1), and Marta Muñoz (par) displayed good iron play as they tried to catch the Englishwoman. Latorre, from Álava, quickly established her candidacy with three birdies in the last four holes of the front nine.
In the second round, Nina Pegova (with a bogey-free day) and Rebecca Earl kept pace and were the first to turn in under-par scores, both at -4 with a total of 67 strokes. The Englishwoman, runner-up in the 2023 English Amateur Open, commented: «It was a very solid day. All my putts were falling on the front nine and I felt great. It’s true that the wind picked up a bit on the back nine and it was a little more challenging, but overall the feeling was good.».
Meanwhile, the Spanish players also showed a high level of play in the second round. Marta Muñoz and amateur Elena Melich finished tied for sixth place at +2 and will be looking to secure a spot among the top eight tomorrow. María Villanueva and Amaia Latorre finished at -3 with a score of 68, just one stroke off the lead. However, both indicated at the end of their round that a new tournament would begin for them tomorrow: "Match play changes everything; strokes no longer count, you go straight for your opponent. Everything changes, and at this level, you know everyone is going to perform well, so you have to bring out your best," commented Amaia. María was equally clear: "In match play, I try not to change my tactics much. I think if I maintain this level and trust my game, I can do very well.".
The round of 16 matches will begin tomorrow at 08:15, while the top eight will face off in the quarterfinals starting at 12:30.
SOURCE: Santander Golf Tour.
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