Sergio Garcia would love to win the Spanish Open in front of his home fans in Madrid after victory in his last start at the KLM Open, in Amsterdam. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

SERGIO Garcia hopes to bring his title-winning form from the KLM Open to this week’s Mutuactivos Open de España as he prepares to tee it up in his national Open for the first time since 2016.

The 39-year-old is also making his first appearance since returning to the winner’s circle last month at Holland’s KLM Open, securing his 16^th European Tour title and his fifth victory in a two-and-a-half year span.

Garcia, the winner of the 2002 Open de España, hopes to channel happy memories both from this tournament and playing in his home country, where he has won seven times in his 20-year professional career.

Garcia said: “It’s good to be a part of this event again – 2016 was the last time I played, at Valderrama.

“It’s a tournament I’ve won in the past, and I would love to renew that feeling here. It should be good fun here in Madrid.

“I did have a really nice week in Amsterdam a few weeks back. I’m excited to keep that momentum going. My game feels pretty good and hopefully we can have a great week.

“The course has changed a little bit with a few new tees, but the essence of the course is still the same.

“Small greens… you have to drive the ball well. If you miss fairways there are a lot of tricky shots. It looks really nice, at the end of the day it comes down to playing well and we’ll see how it turns out.”

Garcia is joined in the Spanish capital this week by Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who is searching for a first professional win on home soil.

Cabrera Bello, who made his Ryder Cup debut in Hazeltine three years ago, said: “I’m really looking forward to the Spanish Open this year, it’s always a pleasure to play in my home country.

“We feel the love and support from the crowds, promoters, organisers and everyone in the event.

“Of course we want to play our best and show off our best golf – sometimes that doesn’t happen, but it doesn’t matter,” added Cabrera-Bello, who played for Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup in 1999.

“If they see us trying our hardest they appreciate that, it’s the mentality we come with. We want to win and will give it our best shot, but it’s not always in our hands.

“I’ve played this tournament a lot and only had two top 10s, it hasn’t been my best event.

“But that can change in a week. I feel more mature now and can deal with pressure or expectation much better these days.

“Hopefully this year, with the way my game is at the moment, I can put on a good performance.”

The three-time European Tour winner’s most recent victory came at the 2017 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, when he beat Callum Shinkwin in a play-off.

Cabrera-Bello made his first appearance in this event as an amateur the same year that Garcia triumphed, finishing in a share of fourth place, in the Canaries.

The Open de España returns to Club de Campo Villa de Madrid for the first time since 1996 when Padraig Harrington won his first European Tour event.

It is also the same venue where the late, great Seve Ballesteros won his 50^th and final title on the European Tour the year prior.

The post Garcia aiming for back to back wins at Spanish Open which returns to Madrid appeared first on Golf North.

Moor Park’s Callum Shinkwin put his recent back problem behind him to lead after the first round in the 100th KLM Open, in Holland. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

MOOR Park’s Callum Shinkwin carded a superb six-under par 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the 100^th edition of the KLM Open.

The Hertfordshire player sits 126th in the Race to Dubai rankings and 446th in the Official World Golf Rankings – but belied his status to lead a large chasing pack at The International.

Shinkwin said: “My golf as of late has not been great, as has my health as well, but the golf… is still not there, still very uncomfortable – but I managed to turn it round and shoot a good round of 66.

“I caught food poisoning back in Sweden – it can happen anywhere – but I caught it there and couldn’t get up on that Friday morning

“And then I’ve had a bit of a bad back as well. My back went last week and I thought the best thing to do it to walk in and basically have the weekend off and recover.

The former Walker Cup player, who claimed the Hampshire Hog at North Hants GC, in 2012, and then took the Hampshire Salver a year later when he went on to face the USA at New York’s Long Island, revealed that despite the illness and injuries, he has been battling to get back to the form that saw him lose a play-off with Rafa Cabrera Bello at the 2017 Scottish Open.

Shinkwin said: “Just working hard really. Been down the range, working on what I needed to work on. I wasn’t hitting the ball very well, that’s probably why the back wasn’t great.

“But I’m just working hard and if I’m feeling uncomfortable then that means I’m doing the right things.”

The 26-year-old reached the turn in 32 courtesy of an eagle, three birdies and one dropped shot before a blemish free back nine – which included two gains – help him to the top of the leaderboard.

Malaysian Gavin Green made a trademark fast start to finish on five-under, with Shinkwin’s playing partner Swede Per Langfors carding 67 to sit alongside Scot Marc Warren, Dane Nicolai Højgaard, and Englishmen Chris Paisley, Sam Horsfield and Matthew Southgate at five-under.

The 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia led a group of eight players one shot further adrift at four-under after signing for a bogey-free 68 on a low scoring morning in the Netherlands.

Garcia said: “It was nice. Obviously, the conditions got a little bit trickier in the last six or seven holes with the wind picking up a little bit. Before that it was quite nice, so I am happy with that.

“The experience yesterday wasn’t very good in the pro-am with the rain and my neck was a little bit stiff, but we are playing through it and hopefully it won’t creep up on me throughout the week.

“The course is nice, the greens are very nice and rolling at a nice speed, so it is a good-looking golf course with big greens and a lot of movement.

“I need a little bit more of the same thing I did today. Just keep working on the confidence and keep working hard like I have been doing, and hopefully I will have a chance this week.”

Defending champion Wu Ashun was one of 10 players at three-under, including two-time KLM Open winner and playing partner Joost Luiten, who came home in a remarkable 30 after carding his opening front nine in three-over.

Luiten, who is going for a hat-trick of wins in his national Open during its centenary, said: “I felt like my mindset changed a little bit.

“I was three-over after nine and I thought alright, I am just going to go for every flag now, I can’t play safe anymore.

“I was playing a bit too safe on the front nine and that is where the mistakes came from and started to steer the ball a little bit away from the flags.

“Once you get the birdies going you get in the zone and then you don’t really realise what is going on around you.

“You just want to make more birdies, and it’s great that it happened. To make six, I created enough chances to make birdies and that is what you need to do on a course like this.”

•For live scoring in the KLM Open click here.

The post Shinkwin suffering from injury and illness but finds form at KLM Dutch Open appeared first on Golf North.