Pablo Larrazábal reflected with pride at what he described as his best round since becoming a father after navigating the toughest of the conditions on the opening day of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship.
With the wind picking up significantly for the afternoon starters at Royal Golf Club, the Spaniard’s vast experience on the DP World Tour was put to good use as he posted an impressive six-under-par 66.
Larrazábal, who became a father for the first time last April, was one over through his opening four holes but from there on in was faultless as he carded seven birdies to sit five shots adrift of early pacesetter Brandon Robinson Thompson.
"I played great, I like to play in the wind," he said.
"I’ve got patience, I had a bogey on four, birdied the fifth and had a good run through eight and nine. I took care of the par fives and I took care of 18.
"It’s been a while since I played this kind of golf. Probably the best round I’ve played as a dad. It’s all about getting used to it."
Larrazábal is a nine-time DP World Tour winner with the most recent of those titles coming at the KLM Open in the 2023 season when he won twice in quick succession.
And at 41, there are few on golf’s global tour with a wealth of knowledge like his – an attribute that helped him be unfazed by starting his round already 11 shots off the clubhouse lead held by England's Robinson Thompson, who earlier threatened to record the DP World Tour's second 59.
He added: "It’s one of those things, but I know how to play 72-hole tournaments. This is not how fast you run at the beginning, this is a marathon. In the marathon, who cares about the first 10km it’s all about the 42km.
"It’s about staying patient, it’s still reachable. Try to start fast tomorrow to catch up. If not, we know this place can be windy in the afternoon so try to take care of the first holes with not as much wind.
"It’s been a while since I’ve made seven birdies in 18 holes. Let’s enjoy it because it’s an early one (tomorrow), the alarm will go before 4am. Time to talk to my wife and baby. I’m a little bit used to it (early rises with a baby), but I love to wake up early with him."
