The Punter's De-Brief: Pablo in seventh heaven

Steven Rawlings
25 April 2022
4 min read

Pablo Larrazabal with trophy number seven

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Pablo Larrazabal has won his seventh DP World Tour event and Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele have cruised to victory in New Orleans. Steve looks back at the two events here...

"It would be impossible to think that Larrazabal could match the incredible achievements of Jimenez in the twilight of his career but he’s clearly carefree and confident and more victories could easily follow."

Good friends, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, kicked off the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a spectacular 59 on Thursday and they were never headed after that.

They followed Thursday's 13-under-par in the fourball format with a very respectable four-under-par 68 in the foursomes format on Friday to maintain their advantage by a stroke, before kicking clear with another low fourball round on Saturday.

The well-fancied pre-event second favourites eased five clear with a 12-under-par 60 on Saturday and although the winning margin was only two in the end, defeat was never really on the cards.

Sam Burns and Billy Horschel were matched at a low of 3.185/40 after they'd raced to five-under-par through 11 holes on Sunday but the pair stalled after that, playing the last seven holes in one-over-par and Cantlay and Schauffele won by two despite a bogey six at the last.

Thanks for all the messages! Thanks to @patrick_cantlay for the great energy & teamwork. Thanks to @zurich_classic for an awesome event! pic.twitter.com/nfaZaN4CN0
? Xander Schauffele (@XSchauffele) April 25, 2022

Over on the DP World Tour, the ISPS Handa Championship in Spain produced a far more exciting finale.

Poor weather had disrupted the tournament throughout the week and when play was suspended on Saturday evening, the leaders still had two thirds of their third rounds to play.

At the completion of round three on Sunday morning, pre-event 220.0219/1 chance, Arron Cockerill, and 75.074/1 shots, Adrian Otaegui and Hennie Du Plessis, were tied for the lead on ten-under-par and through 13 holes of round four the trio were still tied at the top, but they'd been joined by pre-event 50.049/1 chance, Pablo Larrazabal, who birdied five holes in-a-row around the turn.

Cockerill came out of the gates the fastest and he was matched at a low of 2.942/1 after he'd birdied his first three holes of round four but a bogey at four applied the brakes and a double-bogey at the 10th looked to have derailed the Canadian. To his credit, he rallied with another run of three straight birdies from the 11th but he parred his way in after that.

Otaegui was matched at a low of 1.910/11 after he'd played the first five holes in three-under-par but the birdies dried up after that and Du Plessis was matched at a low of 3.185/40 in-running after a good run around the turn, but it was my in-play 20/1 pick, Pablo that put in the decisive kick with a long range birdie at the 16th after his only dropped shot of the day at 15.

WHAT a time to do that! @plarrazabal breaks free of the group on -13 to regain the lead on his own.#ISPSHandaChampionship pic.twitter.com/yH3UvNN9Tp
? DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 24, 2022

Larrazabal then birdied the 18th to ease two clear and when Otaegui missed his eagle at the closing hole to tie, the 38-year-old was left holding his seventh DP World Tour trophy.

Pablo's 62 was the best round of the day by fully three strokes but he knew it was coming.

"What a day. But I knew that my golf was there.

"I couldn't make any putts the first three days but I told my girlfriend last night that she had to choose the clothing for the (winning) pictures!

"I knew that I had a low one in my bag and that's what I did. Today I holed putts and that was key. I mean, to shoot 62 in windy conditions with the flags out there, it was good."

This was Pablo's second win in four starts, having won just one title in the last seven years (the Alfred Dunhill Championship in 2019), and it was his first victory in his homeland.

Pablo's a great character and almost as popular as fellow Spaniard, Miguel Angel Jimenez, who enjoyed much success in the latter stages of his career.

The Mechanic won 14 times after turning 40 and he set the record for being the oldest winner on the DP World Tour three times! Winning his last event at the age of 50 years and 133 days at the Open de Espana in 2014.

It would be impossible to think that Larrazabal could match the incredible achievements of Jimenez in the twilight of his career but he's clearly carefree and confident and more victories could easily follow.

Larrazabal is back in action in his homeland this week with the inaugural staging of the Catalunya Championship and we've got a new event on the PGA Tour too - the Mexico Open at Vidanta. I'll be back tomorrow with the previews.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter