The ISPS Handa Championship in Spain is the first of two consecutive tournaments in Spain as the DP World Tour returns to Europe in 2022.
Staged at Infinitum’s Lakes Course, in Tarragona, the venue previously hosted the Final Stage of Qualifying School from 2017 to 2019 and with the return of the revamped Fantasy DP World Tour, we profile who might be crowned champion in Spain this week.
Sign up now and submit your six-man team before Thursday’s first scheduled tee time: https://fantasy.dpworldtour.com/
The Favourite – Rasmus Højgaard
The DP World Tour’s first visit to Infinitum, previously known as Lumine Golf Club, should bring positive memories for Rasmus Højgaard.
At the 2019 Qualifying School Final Stage, the Dane shot 68 or better in his four rounds on the Lakes Course to finish fifth over the course of the six-round marathon to earn his card for the 2020 season.
Since that life-changing tournament, where he became the first player born in the 21st century to graduate from the Qualifying School, Højgaard has become a three-time DP World Tour winner with victories in Mauritius, England and Switzerland.
This week, Højgaard returns to Europe after two strong showings on the PGA TOUR where he finished sixth at the Corales Puntacana Championship and tied 18th at the Valero Texas Open.
Form Horse – Ewen Ferguson
The Scot won his maiden DP World Tour title at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters earlier this month. In blustery conditions at Doha Golf Club, the 25-year-old finished eagle-par-birdie to record a one-shot victory and rise to a career-high World Number 167 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Ferguson, a three-time Qualifying School Graduate, went close at the Magical Kenya Open last month and currently sits 15th on the DP World Tour Rankings after 11 events.
Wild Card – Adrian Otaegui
Among a host of Spanish players set to play on home soil this week, Otaegui has recorded two top-five finishes in his last five appearances on the DP World Tour.
Most recently, the three-time Tour winner finished tied fifth at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters while he was tied third at the Ras al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital in February.
Otaegui has also not missed a cut since the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the opening Rolex Series tournament of the season, and is 28th on Tour for ‘Average Putts Per Round’ and 18th for ‘Sand Saves’.
