Veteran professional Pablo Larrazabal offered a frank view into the pressures of tour life, admitting he was “shaking” during his second round at the KLM Open. Facing a potential ninth consecutive missed cut, the Spaniard cited the stress of his poor run of form and the need to provide for his family.
Larrazabal’s round began in exceptional form as he moved to three-under par through 11 holes, a performance he ranked among the best of his career. The round unraveled with a double bogey on the par-5 3rd hole after his third shot found the water. This was followed by another double bogey on the 5th, where he four-putted from 18 feet, including two misses from inside two feet.
“It’s not easy to not think about the cut. The last cut I made was in Qatar, the first week of February,” Larrazabal stated. “I’m coming here with eight missed cuts in a row and suddenly it doesn’t matter how many golf tournaments you’ve played in your career, I started shaking.”
The 43-year-old explained that external factors magnify the on-course difficulties, a rare admission in professional sports. “I have a family to support and I have a kid to take care of,” he said. “Out of 480 tournaments in my career, probably the first five tournaments of my career and the last five I’ve been thinking about money, and that’s not easy to play.”
He stressed that the mental challenge is constant. “And it’s tough. This game is all about grinding. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to miss the cut by four or by six, it’s all about hanging in there and fight and that’s what I try to do today, but the nerves let me down on the last five holes.”
After finishing with a two-over 73 to sit at two-over for the tournament, Larrazabal’s weekend fate is uncertain as the second round was suspended due to weather. He remains outside the projected cut line but holds out hope. “It’s all about keep fighting and hope for tomorrow morning the wind blows a little bit and allows me to play the weekend.”
