The fans Felipe Álvarez and Santiago Leal became this Friday the two new Colombian golfers classified for the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard.
This was the competition prior to the start of the Korn Ferry Tour competition, which will be held from February 8 to 11 at the Country Club of Bogotá.
Álvarez and Leal dominated the actions on a cloudy Friday at the Fundadores field, the traditional venue of the tournament, which has been played in the capital since 2010.
Álvarez was first with a great round of 67 strokes (-5). For his part, Leal made a long birdie on the third playoff hole against Joaquín Cabrera and Gabriel Cadena, to take the last spot for the Colombians in the tournament.
Both will make their debut on the American alternative tour starting this Thursday, February 8. They join Marcelo Rozo and Daniel Faccini from Bogotá and Ricardo Celia from Barranquilla in the group of golfers who will represent national golf in this fourth stop of the Korn Ferry Tour in the 2024 season.
Daniel Faccini, Colombian golfer.
Álvarez, a player who recently concluded his time in American university golf at Barry University, took advantage of his powerful shot on his final holes, reaching the green on the 16th and 17th holes and leaving a comfortable shot to the flag on the 18th with which closed with three successes in a row, marking the best number of the day.
“Very happy with the result, since I have been preparing for this. I gave my best, which at the end of the day is what matters. Patience and my mind were decisive to play, endure and obtain this achievement,” says Álvarez.
Leal, for his part, will experience a special week by playing this championship against his team at just 16 years old, on the course where he started playing golf more than a decade ago.
Santiago, who came out in the first group of the day, recovered from bogey on 17 with a providential birdie, hitting a great second shot on the second playoff hole to stay alive and put it within 25 feet on the next one.
“A very interesting day. I felt very comfortable going out in the first group. There were a lot of nerves in the play-off. I tried to do my best, and in the end the putt went in. Now, enjoy,” says Leal.
With this result, the group of participants who will be in action next week at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard was ready, which will award a prize pool of one million dollars, the highest for this type of competition in the country.
Players such as the Americans Harry Highs, Erik Compton and Sam Bennett stand out in the group of confirmed players, as does the Australian Rhein Gibson, winner of the 2023 edition.
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With information from the press office
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