The Muscles from Bruxelles, Maxime Tanghe, Belgium, demonstrates how to “throw a long drive” on a short hole, by going standstill with a putter.
Open de España IV went down on the hills of Oviedo, Spain, last weekend for the fourth consecutive year. This year’s incarnation was the first to feature three days with a golf start, an expanded field cap of 108 players, and the addition of a Pro Masters 40+ division.
The battle for the MPO win truly emphasized the nature of the term “Open,” as it quickly escalated into a heads up match between two players eligible for age protected divisions. At 16-years-old, Icelander Blær Örn Ásgeirsson turned in his first showing as a pro, and at more than twice that age, American Toad McReynolds was saddled in the Open division instead of Masters.
Despite McReynolds’ strong performance, it’s difficult for any player to defeat an opponent who goes bogey-free from hole 12 during round 1 through hole 13 on round 3. Ásgeirsson — who is now 1-for-1 when accepting cash — joins the ranks of Spanish Open winners including Jerome Braun, KJ Nybo, and a little known Californian exchange student by the name of James Proctor, who somehow managed to best the field of the inaugural tournament by a whopping 14 strokes.
The winners of Open Women, Pro Masters 40+, and Advanced were Natalie Holoköi, Tournament Director Carlos Rio, and Toni Kariniemi, respectively. As the photos might betray, the Parque Purificación Tómas is a stunning course, and I know you, the reader, will contribute to a massive waiting list next year.
Kaspar Kallas, Estonia, trying anything to make one stick on a near vertical fairway at Parque Purificación Tómas. Photo: Bogi BjarnasonThis wise man was busy polling people about what to do on the quadruple mando hole.Train like you play, play like you train. Blær Örn, Iceland, runs at death on hole 15 both for fun and for reals.With 300 feet of utter destruction behind the basket, Kaspar Kallas threads the line between bad luck, and complete disaster.Blær Örn Ásgeirsson performs the traditional Asturian side pour, where half the spirit goes to waste.The argument has finally been settled. Santa Claus is from Finland, and his name is St. Joni Toumiranta. Photo: Bogi BjarnasonSt. Joni Toumiranta downs an unidentified quart of liquid to celebrate a miraculous drop-in eagle on Hole 8. Photo: Bogi BjarnasonLiis Päid, Estonia, reads the wind on the iconic hole 15. Photo: Bogi BjarnasonMarching through the morning mist on hole 1. Photo: Bogi BjarnasonYours truly enjoying his moment in the sun on hole 1. Photo: Bogi Bjarnason
Bogi Bjarnason is a failed personal trainer from Reykjavík, Iceland.
He’s the manager of Team Innova Iceland and Blær Örn Ásgeirsson, and the only player in the world with a sanctioned MPO win in Nicaragua.
Reach out to him at [email protected] if you strongly disagree with his opinions, or go look at all the pretty pictures if you don’t: www.bogibjarnason.com/gallery.
