Spanish golfer Nacho Elvira claimed the top spot at the Soudal Open with an impressive second round, repeating yesterday’s -7 performance and soaring to a total of -14 in the DP World Tour event, now geographically back in Europe.
It was an ideal day for golf in Belgium, with numerous birdies and plenty of excitement to thrill the local spectators. Five Italians made the cut, with Guido Migliozzi and Matteo Manassero leading the pack, tied for 25th place with a total of -6.
Soudal Open, results
Elvira teed off from the tenth and carded seven birdies (four in his first nine and three in the second) to complete a dream day on the course. After thirty-six holes, the Spanish golfer still has a clean scorecard with no bogeys, although several players are close behind him.
In second place at -13 is Ross Fisher, who posted the best score of the day with his 63 (-8). The Englishman also had a flawless round, closing with birdies on the eighth and ninth holes to narrow the gap on Elvira and surpass the third-place contender.
A two-shot difference leads to Frenchman Romain Langasque in third place alone at -11 after a second round where he carded four birdies without any mistakes. At the Rinkven International Golf Course in Antwerp, a quartet shares fourth place, composed of Andrew Wilson and Niklas Norgaard, both with rounds of 68 on Friday, Joe Dean (65), and Sam Jones (70), with the rookie leader from the first eighteen holes unable to replicate yesterday’s stellar performance.
Leading the locals is Thomas Pieters, tied for 8th place at -9 with Matthew Baldwin and Aaron Cockerill. Just outside the top-10 in Flanders, a large group sits in 11th place at -8: Matthew Jordan (70), Frederic Lacroix (66), Sebastian Garcia (64), Mike Lorenzo Vera (65), Paul Waring (66), and Alex Fitzpatrick (68).
Six Italians made the cut, with Migliozzi and Manassero leading the charge. Migliozzi had a very positive day, climbing 43 positions with a -5, while Veronese native Manassero maintained his consistency with a -3, securing a steady week.
Edoardo Molinari sits in 34th place, ascending the leaderboard with three birdies from the 12th to the 18th holes for a total of -5. Filippo Celli and Andrea Pavan will also play the weekend, tied for 46th place at -4, along with Francesco Laporta, who despite a round at even par, makes the cut with a total of -3. However, both Lorenzo Scalise and Renato Paratore missed the cut.