Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello ended a four-year win drought with a victory on home soil Sunday at the Acciona Open de Espana, beating fellow Spaniard Adri Arnaus in a playoff at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
The 37-year-old Cabrera Bello, who last won at the 2017 Scottish Open, said prior to his start in Madrid that he felt “good scores are right around the corner,” and he followed up his prediction with four straight rounds in the 60s to finish at 19-under 265, tied with Arnaus at the end of regulation. Cabrera Bello’s week was highlighted by bogey-free scores of 65-64 in the second and third rounds, respectively, while Arnaus moved himself into contention with two eagles on the final day to combat two bogeys. Cabrera won with a birdie on the first extra hole of sudden death. “I came here in a pretty bad place with scores being not what I expect them to be, and to be able to get momentum and turn it around and to walk out of here with a win means a lot to me,” he said. “Hopefully I can keep going and get back to the player I know I can be.” Cabrera Bello was making his 17th appearance in the Spanish Open, where his previous best career finish was solo second in 2019. The four-time European Tour winner moved to No. 34 in the world rankings following his 2019 result, but since dropped to No. 231. He moved up to No. 133 with the victory and also vaulted to 30th in the in the Race to Dubai. On the season, he’s made eight cuts in 10 starts. Cabrera Bello will look to keep the momentum rolling in Spain this week at the Andalucia Masters at Real Club Valderrama.