Jordi Saborit celebrates his first international open triumph

Jordi Saborit, Catalonia

The joy Jordi Saborit felt after his first international open triumph still lingered when he spoke to Martin Whitelaw. "I was thrilled. To win such a Championship is always hugely gratifying", was the experienced Catalan's verdict a few weeks after his Catalan Open success at Teia.

The win clearly meant a lot to Jordi but he was realistic enough to know that the class field in the VIII Catalonia Open in March could have been even stronger "Every victory, whether as a member of a team or as an individual is very special. I have to admit though that at this international event, a number of crack players did not take part."

When asked about turning points, the Catalan picks a couple. I guess there were two special moments; firstly, the start of my round - carding 7 under after ten holes. Then, the difficult holed putt on the first hole of the tie-breaker for par."

Jordi is magnanimous in victory. "I told Jordi (Serra) that he should be proud of having won the qualifying competition and his magnificent result in the Open itself. I had not met Kieran Earls before, but I did play the second round with him and he strikes me as being a very solid player."

Jordi has represented Catalonia and still has ambitions in this regard. "I would love to play in the Euro Championship in Andorra, but I have to earn my place on the team during the Trials. I hope all goes well."

He is bullish about the champions prospects of retaining their title. "I'm sure the Catalans will have a chance. It is a course we know well, and our standard of play is up to the challenge."

Saborit clearly feels that Teia truly was a festival of all that's good in our sport. "Yes, the atmosphere out on the course was terrific. It was a super weekend."

"Individually, I'm not so sure, but I hope as team we can pull it off."

Jordi is upbeat about Pitch and Putt's future. "Perhaps the growth in the sport's popularity has stagnated a bit, but the standard of play is increasing all the time."

Interestingly, Jordi is a fan of the international form of the sport. "I prefer the EPPA distances."