Run Angel Run!
Angel Hidalgo delivers awesome celebration after 18th-hole dart to make the cut at the Hero Indian Open
No golfer wants to fly all the way to India just to miss the cut. That’s a lot of time zones to traverse—and a lot of culture differences to adjust to—just to go home empty handed. Unfortunately, that was the reality facing many DP World Tour pros who found themselves on the bubble at Hero Indian Open on Friday.
Angel Hidalgo was one of them, sitting on the number at +7 and staring down an intimidating approach on the 624-yard par-5 18th. Instead of crumbling under the pressure or playing it safe, however, the spicy Spainard pulled out his fairway metal and went right at the pin, pulling off one of the shots of the tournament to make the weekend. Hidtalgo knew it as soon as the ball left his clubface too, running after his shot, crouching down at the edge of a ravine and hanging on for dear life as his ball landed 10 yard short of the pin, took a mighty hop and bumpered off the fringe for a quality eagle look. RUN ANGEL RUN!
After his shot finally settled, Hidalgo delivered a fist pump and ran over to his caddie for a hip bump, knowing that he only needed to two-putt for birdie to guarantee himself a paycheck (which he did).
Although making the cut is largely a money-making endeavor for pros, you get the feeling, especially at one of the toughest venues on the DP World Tour, that Hidalgo’s reaction was not about the bottom line. Instead, this was the celebration of a golfer hitting a pure golf shot when they needed it most. Pro or hack, India or Indiana, we can all relate to that.