LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD

Being born in La Línea and now resident in Cádiz makes it a bit of a stretch claiming Álvaro Quirós as a local lad, but it’s worth the effort, since he is the most watchable European golfer since Seve Ballesteros. This “lad” (he’s 26 years old) weighs in at 13 stone and stands 6 ft 3 inches tall and definitely punches his weight, averaging 314 yards off the tee at last week’s Qatar Open, even though he often drives with a 3 wood. Álvaro is the character fans have been waiting for, uninhibited in the way he dresses and the way he plays golf. He is also supremely talented and supremely confident, as he demonstrated in winning his third European Title last weekend in the Qatar Masters. Despite faltering over the front nine on Sunday and surrendering a substantial lead, he covered the last nine holes in four-under-par to win by a convincing three shots.   His game plan is to hit his tee shots as far as possible, relying on his short game and his powers of recovery to get him out of the inevitable occasional problem, à la Ballesteros.

Álvaro qualified for the European Tour via the 2006 Challenge Tour and succeeded at his first attempt, winning the 2007 Alfred Dunhill Championship. After missing several months through injury, he came back to win the 2008 Portugal Masters. His victory in Qatar takes his winnings since last October to just under one million euros and there is sure to be more where that came from. If he wins a Major this year, it should surprise no-one. His game seems to be tailor made to deal with the toughest test, which is exactly what he will be faced with in the near future. Remember the name!

Tags: Alfred Dunhill Championship, Alvaro Quiros, Cadiz, Challenge Tour, European Tour, La Linea, Portugal Master, Qatar Open, Seve Ballesteros