Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño has already put that uncertain first round of golf of the year behind him. It was at the Human Challenge, on the Palmer Private course at La Quinta, in California. All in all, a good outcome. The Spanish golfer landed a 69 and currently stands in 56th place.
The vibes were even better than the tournament scoreboard reflects. It was a bright beginning, with five birdies on the first fifteen holes. The dark clouds only passed over toward the end momentarily, when he made two bogeys in a row on the 7th and the 8th, leaving somewhat of a bitter taste in his mouth. Even so, he had good options to save the putt on both occasions within two and three meters, respectively.
His long game was firm and solid. In fact, he recovered shots from the rest of the golfers from tee to green. As far as the putt, it worked out quite well for him. He only managed to land one long one, but he was not at all out of tune from three meters down, except for the two bumps in the road at the end.
Thus, the first round of the Human Challenge was great for Gonzalo to clear up all doubts, keeping in mind that he was unable to practice between the end of December and the start of January due to back problems. Additionally, he's beginning to work with a new coach, Randy Smith, which always generates a certain level of doubt, logically, in the first few tournaments. At the moment, many more good points than bad points.
Gonzalo will play the second round, starting at 8.30 am, local time, on the La Quinta course. The Human Challenge is a Pro Am format tournament, played on three different courses at the same time. After the third round, the cut will be established, allowing the first seventy players and ties to pass through.
