May 19, 2014 – At the end of the 2014 Open of Spain we must applaud and congratulate the new champion, Miguel Angel Jimenez, as the best of the 162 participating players. But from MyGolfway.com we would also like to applaud and congratulate all golfers who have played their first tournament of the European Tour. Indeed, Pisha has fulfilled his dream of winning his first Open of Spain, like those debutants who, despite going almost unnoticed, have successfully travelled through an essential chapter of their golfing careers.

It just so happens that both the first and the last Spanish players on the leaderboard have something in common, the Guadalhorce Club de Golf (Malaga, Spain). The ‘second home’ of Miguel Angel Jimenez is also the lifelong club of Gonzalo Gancedo Onieva. There are 25 years which separate them: the champion takes away another cup at 50, and the newcomer takes away an unforgettable experience at 25. Pisha receives his well-deserved honours, and we talk with Gonzalo on the putting green of the PGA Catalunya Resort.

“I have come here to learn and enjoy myself,” says Gonzalo Gancedo. “I’ve been fortunate to play two practice rounds, one with Jimenez, who is from my club and for me the best player out there on the field, and the second with Matteo Manassero.” Then he played the first and second rounds with the Swedish player Patrik Sjoland and the French golfer François Calmels, without the possibility of making the cut. In his case the result was not important, as his prize was to play his first European Tour event, and the experience of rubbing shoulders with the best golfers in the Tour is something that, in his short life as a professional golfer, is priceless.

An extraordinary opportunity
“This, my first time on the European Tour, has been a truly fantastic opportunity, and I have to give thanks for it to Reale Seguros, and especially its golf director, Javier Pérez-Ximénez, for this week I’ve had”. In 2011 he was granted a scholarship by the Neo-Pro Program of Real Federación Andaluza de Golf and Reale Seguros Company, which supports young Andalusian golfers who are promising and, above all, have a great desire to succeed. Then in 2013 he played the Fred Olsen Challange of Spain, at Golf Tecina, within the Challenge Tour, and now he has debuted in the European Tour with this Open of Spain, won by his Guadalhorce colleague.

The curious story behind Gonzalo Gancedo is that when he was younger he was world champion of padel three times. “My family has always been involved in padel and I began playing when I was a child. I’ve been three times padel world champion and five times champion of Spain, but there came a time when I lost the passion that one needs for that sport. My father played golf a lot and I decided to try it.” Two completely different sports, as padel requires fast reflexes and movements, while golf is more mental.

“I think of myself as a good sportsman,” says Gonzalo Gancedo. “I really liked it and I went to study a course in Management and Administration of Golf Courses in the U.S. There I was training all day, with lots of courses to play. Then my friends and other players encouraged me to train much more, as they saw that it suited me well, and that’s why I’m here.”

Unlike the traditional route, his golf trajectory has been rapid. After only having played two amateur championships, one Spanish and another Andalusia, he has already spent three years as a professional. With support like Reale Seguros, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf and companies like Holiday Golf, which has provided apparel and Ecco BIOM Hybrid golf shoes, everything is getting easier for him.

No doubt this has been the most important event of his career, in which he shared the course with the champion Miguel Angel Jimenez. Exciting… However, it doesn’t end here. Gonzalo Gancedo plans to carry on working as hard as now, training and training to go to the championships full of confidence, and the results will come by themselves. In his sights, several tournaments of the Alps Tour, keep on training and the European Tour Qualifying School. Go for it!

Pictures: www.sinnombre.com and MyGolfway.com.

Por REDACCIÓN