Álvaro Velasco (golfer)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Velasco and the second or maternal family name is Roca.
Álvaro Velasco
Personal information
Full nameÁlvaro Velasco Roca
NicknameVeli
Born (1981-05-15) 15 May 1981 (age 43)
Barcelona, Spain
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb)
Sporting nationality Spain
ResidenceBarcelona, Spain
Spouse
Marta
​
(m. 2009)​
Career
CollegeCoastal Carolina University
Turned professional2005
Current tour(s)Challenge Tour
Former tour(s)European Tour
Professional wins3
Number of wins by tour
Challenge Tour3
Achievements and awards
Challenge Tour
Rankings winner		2010
Medal record
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Tarragona Men's team

Álvaro Velasco Roca (born 15 May 1981) is a Spanish professional golfer.

Velasco was born in Barcelona and attended Coastal Carolina University on a golf scholarship where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration. He turned professional in 2005 and worked his way through the ranks graduating to the top level European Tour in 2008.

Velasco finished 100th on the Order of Merit in 2008, but fell back to the second tier Challenge Tour in 2010 having finished 189th in the Race to Dubai rankings in 2009. He recorded the biggest win of his career at the 2010 Fred Olsen Challenge de España,[1] before trumping this by winning the Kazakhstan Open,[2] the Challenge Tour's biggest event. He would also win the Challenge Tour Rankings, to secure a return to the main tour.

At the 2018 Mediterranean Games, Velasco won a gold medal in the men's team competition.

Amateur wins

  • 2001 Italian International Amateur Championship
  • 2005 Spanish Amateur Closed Championship, Biarritz Cup

Professional wins (3)

Challenge Tour wins (3)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 27 Jun 2010 Fred Olsen Challenge de España −18 (70-63-68-65=266) 2 strokes Scotland Elliot Saltman
2 12 Sep 2010 Kazakhstan Open −21 (67-66-65-69=267) 5 strokes Italy Federico Colombo, Scotland Scott Jamieson,
Argentina Julio Zapata
3 4 Sep 2016 Cordon Golf Open −12 (68-68-70-62=268) 1 stroke Germany Alexander Knappe, Sweden Oscar Stark

Challenge Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2012 Norwegian Challenge Sweden Kristoffer Broberg Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Team appearances

Amateur

See also

References

  1. ^ Dempster, Martin; Rodger, Nick (28 June 2010). "Elliot Saltman falls short in title bid as Alvaro Velasco surges to 65". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  2. ^ 2010 Kazakhstan Open