Rafa Nadal finished sixth in the Balearic Championship for golf professionals, tied with two other players. His debut in a tournament with 'real fire' ended with a return of 77 shots (+4), worse than the 74 he scored the previous two days. His total card was 225 hits (+9), 10 behind the champion of the contest, Sebastian Garcia. 23 professionals and 37 amateurs participated. Ahead of the 20 Grand Slams champion, fifth, she qualified Nuria Iturrioz, a professional who participates in the European Tour and the LPGA, where he has won four tournaments.
Nadal was the protagonist at the Maioris Golf Club, where he wanted to prove himself with one of his passions in a level tournament after having made many appearances in social and amateur championships. He himself organizes a charity with Chema Olazábal. His handicap is +0.3, an almost professional level. Another hypercompetitive monster like Michael Jordan reached handicap 1.2. The tennis player beats him at that.
Nadal (34 years old) has a passion for golf. But would you dare to take it more seriously when you quit tennis? Big words … There have already been transfers between the two sports. There are the cases of Ellsworth Vines, Wimbledon champion and two-time US Open champion in the 1930s, who switched to golf in 1942 to win three PGA tournaments. Frank Conner, in the late sixties, is the the only athlete who has played the US Open in tennis and golf. And the australian Scott Drapper, 42nd in the world in 1999 and winner of Queens, who made his living on the greens between 2005 and 2008. Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former number one, also has the poison in his body.
The number two in the world, who also played a tournament the previous weekend, will take up the racket again to play the 1,000 Masters in Paris-Bercy this week, tournament that he has never won.