Staff WriterIf the GAC Rosa Challenge Tour wanted fireworks to kick off its week in Poland, it didn’t take long for John Gough to light the fuse. The Englishman rattled off a sparkling six-under 64 at Rosa Golf Club, only to find himself joined late in the clubhouse by Spaniard Sebastian Garcia and Welshman Toby Hunt, who both decided that sharing was caring at the top of the leaderboard.
Gough’s round was a healthy stew of seven birdies and just the one bogey — a dish Garcia happily ordered for himself, while Hunt went the gluten-free route and kept his scorecard bogey-free.
The trio sit one shot clear of a chasing pack of six, all of whom are wondering what they need to spike their morning coffee with tomorrow.
Gough Riding a Hot Streak
For Gough, Poland feels less like a new start and more like the latest page in a purple patch. The Englishman has posted three top-five finishes in his last eight starts, including a fourth last week at the Dormy Open. Momentum like that tends to show up on a Thursday.
“There’s a lot of golf to play but all you can do on day one is go out there and try to get yourself into the tournament,” he said. “It’ll be hard to maintain that for four rounds but it’s day one and hopefully I can build off that.”
He added: “I had a good finish last week and it’s been a few rounds under par now, so it was nice to keep it going. I got a bit fortunate on the last hole, but apart from that I wedged it pretty well today, and I think around here you can take advantage of that.
We’re getting into the important part of the season now. Hopefully I can keep it going to the end of the season all the way through to the Rolex Grand Final. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Garcia Finds His Putter
Garcia, who sits 43rd in the season-long Rankings, arrived in Konopiska knowing his putter had been sleepwalking for weeks. On Thursday, it finally woke up.
“I played very solid,” he said. “The last few weeks off the tee and to the green I played well, but the putter was cold. Today the putter was working and this was my score. I’m very happy.”
The Spaniard also had some friendly intel from last year’s Rosa winner, Angel Ayora. “I spoke with Angel Ayora who won here last year, and he told me it’s perfect, the conditions of the golf course are great and I like it. The greens are a bit soft but very good.”
With a spot in China and the final event of the season still dangling like a carrot, Garcia knows what’s at stake. “I need to win a tournament or play a few tournaments well over the next few weeks to get to China, and then into the final event of the season, so that’s the aim.”
Hunt’s Confidence Climb
As for Toby Hunt, he turned up in Poland riding a quiet surge of form. After cracking a tie for 33rd at the Betfred British Masters on the DP World Tour and following it with a top-15 at the Dormy Open, the Welshman is suddenly playing with a strut.
“It’s a golf course that quite suits me,” Hunt said. “It suits my eye going into the greens and I enjoyed it. I’m not the shortest hitter but I’m not the longest hitter either, so a lot of the doglegs I’m able to hit a little cut driver into places where I’m not running out, but I’m carrying the bunkers.”
He admitted that brushing shoulders with Europe’s elite last month was a big moment. “The result on the DP World Tour was massive for me. Something I’ve always wanted to do in my whole career was to see if I’m good enough at DP World Tour level, so making the cut on the number and then beating both of my playing partners over the weekend before finishing 33rd was a massive confidence booster and huge for belief. I played solid again last week. I’ve brought that here to Poland with me which is nice.”
The Chase Pack
Lurking one shot back on five-under are six hungry names: Italians Gregorio de Leo and Stefano Mazzoli, Spaniard Rocco Repetto Taylor, American Nicholas Infanti, Frenchman Oihan Guillamoundeguy and Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg.
Consider them the vultures waiting to pounce should the leading trio cough up anything tomorrow.
The second round of the GAC Rosa Challenge Tour resumes Friday at 7:15 am local time. Gough goes out at 1:15 pm, Garcia at 8:45 am, and Hunt at 9:15 am.
After day one, the script is already written: Poland’s about to see who can keep their nerve, and whose putter goes back into hibernation.
