Ignacio Arcaya and Javier Calles Roman Share Lead After Day One at 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand.
Aravell, June 26th, 2025 – After the first round of the 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand, the leaderboard is tightly packed with exciting contenders. France’s Ignacio Arcaya and Spain’s Javier Calles Roman share the lead, both carding an impressive 8-under-par 63. In solo third place is Spain’s Javier Sainz at 7-under. Just one stroke back, a two-way tie for fourth place features fellow Spaniards Ruben Pardo Rodriguez and Manuel Morugan, keeping the competition fierce early on.
The first round of the 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand teed off this morning at 8:00 a.m. local time at Aravell Golf & Country Club, near Aravell in Lleida, Spain. Players began from both the 1st and 10th tees under mostly sunny skies; however, a persistent wind picked up during the afternoon, making conditions significantly more challenging.
This year marks the 4th edition of the tournament, originally created to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Aravell Golf & Country Club, the host venue designed by two-time Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazábal.
Round 1 Player Quotes
France’s Ignacio Arcaya, 24, who is still seeking his first victory on the Alps Tour despite multiple top-10 finishes, co-leads after the opening round of the 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand with an impressive 8-under-par 63. His standout round included an eagle on the par-5 4th hole, eight birdies on holes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, and 18, and a single bogey on the 15th hole. Reflecting on his performance, Arcaya said, “It was a very solid round. I made a couple of long putts at the beginning which got the round going in the right direction. From there it was about executing the game plan and staying aggressive.” He highlighted his birdie on the 9th — “a long par 3” —as a key moment, adding, “Making a 10-meter putt for birdie there was a bonus.” Arcaya credited his all-around performance and comfort with course conditions: “Today every part of the game was solid, so I will try to keep doing what I am doing. The conditions were ideal today. I found the greens to be a bit faster than during the previous days, so had to adjust for that.” Looking ahead, he noted, “My main focus for the next few days is to commit to my shots and my strategy.”
Javier Calles Roman, 23, from Spain, co-leads the 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand after posting a fabulous 8-under-par 63 in the opening round. The young Spaniard, who secured his first professional title earlier this year at the 2025 Lacanau Alps Open, made 10 birdies and just two bogeys on the challenging, windy afternoon — bogeying holes 5 and 9. Calles Roman turned professional in May 2024 and has quickly made his mark on the tour. Reflecting on his opening round, he said, “It was a really great performance tee to green today. I left myself plenty of chances, which was the key.” Despite the challenging conditions, he remained confident: “The wind picked up a lot, which changed the strategy on some holes for me, but I stayed aggressive and didn’t let the situation affect me.”Looking ahead, Calles Roman emphasized the importance of maintaining focus. “It’s obviously very nice to be on top early. It sets the goal for the rest of the week. My focus for the rest of the week will be to keep focusing on myself and my strategy and be ready to adapt if situations or conditions change.” He added, “I have it in my mind all the time to try and win a second tournament this season. That’s all I think about—it helps me focus and play aggressively. Let’s see what happens this week. It’s a great start.”
Round 1 co-leader at the 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand, Spain’s Javier Calles Roman. Photo Credits: Alps Tour Golf / Raffaele Canepa
Javier Sainz, 32, of Spain, holds third place after an opening round of 7-under-par 64. Starting on the 1st hole, Sainzcarded five birdies on the front nine. After making the turn, he added three more birdies and a single bogey to close out an impressive first round. “It was a solid game tee to green,” Sainz said. “I’m happy to put a low score in the wind this afternoon. The highlight of the day may have been the good birdie I made on Hole 8 from 192 meters,” he said. “I hit a bad drive left, but after that, I hit the best shot of the day.” A former Alps Tour member, for several years before moving up to the HotelPlanner Tour, formerly known as the Challenge Tour. Sainz has won the 2024 Spanish Professionals Championship and the 2023 II?Barcelona Open by Pablo Larrazábal. He also claimed his first HotelPlanner Tour victory at the 2022 Farmfoods Scottish Challenge. Looking ahead, Sainz plans to stick to his process. “For the next two days, I’ll just focus on every shot and keep playing my own game,” he said. “Every week for me is the same no matter what tour I’m competing on, but maybe the experience I have helps me to be calmer in certain situations.” He added: “Being back in contention is amazing for me because I needed a low round to believe more and more in my game.”
Spain’s Ruben Pardo Rodriguez, 23, sits in a two-way tie for fourth place after firing a 6-under-par, 65 in the opening round of the 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand. His round featured an eagle on the par-5 4th hole, seven birdies on holes 2, 3, 5, 7, 13, 14, and 18, and three bogeys on holes 1, 9, and 15. “It was a really good round, solid from the tee and I stayed patient with the putter,” Pardo Rodriguez said. He pointed to a hot stretch between holes 2 and 7, where he went to six under par, as the highlight of the day, especially with the eagle on the 4th. “The truth is that I’m very happy with my tee shots, I think it’s the most important part of my game on this course,” he noted. “Today’s performance gives me confidence going into the next rounds. The key now is to play with the same belief I had today and give myself a chance on Saturday.”
Alongside Pardo Rodriguez, in the two-way tie for 4th place with a first-round score of 6-under-par 65, is fellow Spanish player Manuel Morugan, 34. During his opening round, he made five birdies on the front nine and added two more birdies and a single bogey on the back nine to close out his day. Morugan, a past winner on the Alps Tour, reflected positively on his performance: “It was a good round! My game was very solid in all aspects, and having my mental coach here with me this week helped a lot.” Focused more on process than the position, he added, “For me, it’s not important to be at the top, what matters is doing things correctly and following my process. If that leads to being on top or close to the top of the leaderboard, then that’s even better.” He emphasized that everything felt in sync today: “Everything was perfect today, and the focus now is to maintain that same mindset and keep working on the things I’ve been practicing.”
Christos Pantazidis, 22, from Greece, is in a 6-way tie for 6th place after the first round of the 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand. He shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 66, making two birdies on the front nine and three more on the back. “Today the conditions were great, and I played flawless golf,” said Pantazidis. “I hit 18 out of 18 greens in regulation and missed only two fairways.” He highlighted his second shot on the par-5 18th, an accurate 3-wood that set up an easy two-putt birdie, as the standout moment of the round. Looking ahead, he emphasized the importance of his early momentum: “Putting yourself on top of the leaderboard early is important, it gives you confidence and makes it easier to stay there.” As for his strategy, Pantazidis plans to “focus on playing steady golf, giving myself birdie opportunities, and staying in the present which is also key.” He also noted that the layout of Aravell Golf & Country Club suits his game: “This course demands accuracy off the tee, and that’s one of my strengths.”
Joining Pantazidis in the 6-way tie for 6th place at 5-under-par 66: Italy’s Luca Cavalli and Davide Buchi, France’s Augustin Holé and Baptiste Achard as well as Jerry Ji from the Netherlands.
The 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand is contested over 54 holes of stroke play. A cut will be made after 36 holes to the top 40 professionals and ties, along with any amateurs within the cut line. In the event of a tie at the end of the final round, the winner will be decided by a sudden-death playoff.
The tournament offers a total prize fund of €42,500 and 45,000 Order of Merit points. The 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand winner will take home €6,200 and earn 6,525 points toward the Order of Merit standings.
Tournament Promoter
The 2025 Aravell Golf Andorra Open by Creand is promoted by former DP World Tour winner, Spain’s José Manuel Lara.
The economic promoter of the tournament is Aravell Golf & Country Club and the title sponsorship of this week’s event belongs to Creand, which was previously named Crèdit Andorrà.
Alps Tour Media Contact- Alice Barbieri: [email protected]
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