With three straight top 15 finishes, Pablo Larrazábal is in top form as he prepares to tee it up at GolfSixes alongside Jorge Campillo. Before kicking off the new format event, the Spaniard took some time to write this week's Player Blog discussing his recent form, a road trip through America and his friendship with a Barcelona football star.
I'm really looking forward to this week and GolfSixes.The idea of playing team events is great. As amateurs we played a lot of team golf, representing our country many times. Golf has to change and adopt more ideas like this and I’m excited to play this week with Jorge Campillo, someone I know very well and is also coming off a good finish in China. Hopefully we can both continue our good form and make a run. It would be cool to be the first ever GolfSixes champions.
I'm really happy with the way I've been playing.Between the final two rounds in Shenzhen and the first two rounds at the Volvo China I was Twenty-five under and without a bogey, playing the best golf of my career. I’m excited about the possibility of winning golf tournaments now moving into the next few months of the season and challenging for trophies. It’s all about winning golf tournaments.
What a great day to go through #PebbleBeach ... #roadtrip @galaortin1 pic.twitter.com/2KJYxzVJvl
— Pablo Larrazabal (@plarrazabal) March 9, 2017
When I'm not playing, I like to travel.My wife and I hadn’t travelled much on the West Coast of the United States so after the WGC in Mexico we decided to fly to San Francisco, hire a 1965 Cadillac convertible and begin a six day road trip visiting LA before finishing up in Las Vegas. It was an awesome trip. We try and travel as much as we can when out on Tour but of course it can be difficult at times.
Wherever I am in the world, I always keep up with FC Barcelona.We were flying from Shenzhen to Beijing and we arrived in the hotel at 2.15am in the morning just in time to watch them Osasuna. I'm glad we did as they won seven nil. It’s not been the best of seasons but I follow them religiously. I rarely miss a game.
I used to sit next to Andrés Iniesta at school.When I was 13 years old in a little school in Barcelona he was in my class and we became friends. It's just amazing what he has gone on to do. We’re still in contact now and we have been friends since. It's great when we get the chance to meet up and share stories from our different sports.
There is no question in my mind, Messi is the greatest footballer to ever live. What he has done at Barcelona is unbelievable. A small kid who earned his place in the team and hasn't looked back since. The way he plays the game, you can't take your eyes off him. Some of the goals he scores, they take your breath away. He's the greatest.
Barcelona is still very much home when I'm not on Tour.It's a great city to live in. There is nothing more I enjoy than long walks in the mountains with my dog, Roy who we love deeply. It’s very hard to see him sad whenever it’s time to leave again.
I owe a lot of who I am today to my father.When I was in my early twenties and eager to begin my professional my dad taught me the value of hard work, sending me off to a fish farm in the north of Spain. There, the weather was cold, the shifts very long. I would have to wake at 5am, be around fish for the whole morning and practice my golf in the afternoon. It was tough but a very valuable lesson at a time. Anytime I lose track of what I'm doing week-to-week, I remember those days and it helps me understand how lucky I am.
