Adri Arnaus has risen through the ranks of tour golf at sensational speed. He won the Alps Tour Order of Merit in 2017, while still an amateur, after two victories including the tour’s season-ending grand final. He then repeated the feat by winning the Challenge Tour finale in Ras Al Khaimah in 2018 to take second place on the Rankings and gain promotion to the European Tour. His maiden campaign on the Race to Dubai was also a success after he secured a place at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship following three runner-up finishes throughout 2019.
It’s not very often that we, as tour professionals, get the luxury of a three-week break in the season but that’s what I had after the Saudi International.
It gave me a chance to rest and recharge my batteries in my new home city Dubai, which is pretty much all I did during the first week – in fact, I don’t think I moved off the couch much the whole week! It also allowed me to do some great work with my team, both on the golf course, and on the physical and mental aspects of the game.
Golf is known mainly as an individual sport. When you’re on the golf course, you’re out on your own but many spectators don’t realise how many people there are behind the golfer and, for me, the team is really important.
Teamwork
I’m the one that hits the shots but I couldn’t perform at the best of my ability if it wasn’t for all of the hard work of my team. I’m a team player and I like everyone to have their input. In my case, there is my technical coach, Ignacio Garrido – he won five times on the European Tour and played in the Ryder Cup, so his experience and knowledge of the game is crucial.
My caddie, Pello Iguaran, who was on Francesco Molinari’s bag throughout his incredible season in 2018, is a great asset and someone whose opinion I really trust out on the golf course. Then there’s my manager, Richard Rayment who always gives me great advice about how to handle life away from the golf course which can be a bit overwhelming so it’s great to have that part taken care of. As I’ve discussed before, the physical part is really important. It’s a long season on Tour and it’s vital to make sure that we have the physical condition to allow us to play at our best from the first tournament to the last. I’m working with a trainer in Dubai and it’s great for me to train with him as often as I can and stay in touch with him when I’m travelling to tournaments. I also take the mental aspect very seriously so I work with my cousin back home and we keep in contact through FaceTime.
Longest drives from last week 🚀#DrivenByPassion #ODDC pic.twitter.com/lqhkcstBnn
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 27, 2020
That is pretty much my team’s core and we work very well together – the goal is to enter tournaments feeling like I’m flowing and everything and don’t need to work too hard on anything during the week as all the hard work has been done the previous week. That’s how I’m feeling now. We did some great sessions in the gym during my break and some good work on the golf course and practice areas, going through drills and trying to hit the numbers we want to hit on the golf course.
It wasn’t all work though and it was really nice for my girlfriend and I to explore Dubai away from the golf course, which we’ve never had the time to do before. We managed to check out Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab, which were both spectacular, but I’ve also always wanted to see what Dubai is like away from the city and all the fantastic buildings. So we did a desert safari which we loved and it was nice to get a totally different perspective of Dubai – it really has got everything!
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Sometimes we need a little MAGIC ✨🏜🐫🕌 #OffRoading #DesertVibes #Dubai #MyDubai
Having a break was really nice but now I’m excited to get back on the golf course and as I write this column I’m preparing to play in the Oman Open at Al Mouj Golf. The course is a real test and one of the best on the European Tour schedule. We get treated really well when we visit the Sultanate and the people are so friendly and welcoming so it’s a tournament that I’ve been looking forward to for a while.
Unfortunately, there have been some changes in the European Tour schedule due to the coronavirus epidemic with the events in China and Malaysia being postponed. But one thing you have to be when playing on Tour is flexible. Your schedule can change several times throughout the season as good results might get you into WGCs and Majors, while if you don’t play so well for a while you may drop out of the qualification for these events too. Initially I was not planning on playing in India or Kenya, but with the changes I’ll now take part in these events and I’m especially looking forward to the Kenya Open where I finished tied second last year.
I’m feeling really good about this next stretch of the season. I think we are doing the right things, my team and I’ve worked hard, creating a solid base in all areas and it’s starting to pay off. My start to the season has been very positive and I’m excited to get back at it and keep going to hopefully get some really good results.
