If Open qualifier Luis Masaveu feels nervous at Royal Troon this week – which you assume he will be at some point – he’ll be able to count on his caddie for some comforting words and advice.
The Spaniard, who came through a tense three-for-one playoff at Royal Cinque Ports, has his coach on the bag, a man who just happens to have won seven times on the DP World Tour.
That man is fellow countryman, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, who coaches Masaveu as part of the Spanish national team set-up.
Masaveu, who is one of 12 amateurs in The Open field this week, claimed the final spot on offer at Final Qualifying after sinking a 20-footer for birdie at the second playoff hole, which denied South Africa’s Branden Grace a space.
It was an incredible achievement, especially given that he was playing with an old set of clubs and was without his 3-wood after his back got lost following a tournament in Denmark.
The 21-year-old has represented Spain in the last two Eisenhower Trophy World Championships and lifted the Portuguese Amateur title this year, as well as reaching the final of the Spanish Amateur.
Two years ago, the Madrid golfer finished 34th at the Spanish Open, and he clearly has a bright future, one that Fernández-Castaño hopes to be able to shape in some form.
Fernández-Castaño, a former Italian Open and British Masters champion, last won on the DP World Tour at the BMW Masters in 2013, but the 43-year-old remains as competitive as ever.
The Madrid man’s best ever Open finish came at The Open in 2009, whilst his best Major Championship finish is tied tenth, which he recorded at the 2013 US Open.
With some 336 DP World Tour appearances to his name, ‘Gonzo’, who co-hosts a YouTube show called Golf sin Etiquetas, is sure to be a big help to a player who’s making his debut in golf’s oldest Major Championship.
Masaveu, who finished joint runner-up in last season's Lytham Trophy, is currently ranked 34th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The final men's Major of the season gets underway at Royal Troon in South Ayrshire on Thursday.
