Three Spaniards are aiming for victory in the Challenge at Le Vaudreuil. Joel Moscatel (-6), Quim Vidal (-6) and Javier Sainz (-5) finish the second day held at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil well in the fight for something big. No Spaniard has won this event and it could be a great opportunity to turn the tables.
Quim Vidal took to the field after having signed the best round of his entire career on the first day. These hangovers are never easy and the Catalan has fought hard not to lose ground. The bogey on hole 12 placed him with a +4 on the day, but two birdies in the final stretch keep him in the fight for everything. In Catalan he faces the third day tied in fifth place. The moving day will be vital for the Spanish player to try to get closer to the result of the leaders who are currently Jeffrey Guan, Will Besseling and, another week more, Wilco Nienaber (-10).
Along with Quim is Joel Moscatel and just one stroke behind is Javi Sainz. Two players eager to sign a great result this week, but for very different reasons.
If Moscatel were to win, it would be his second of the season and he would definitely secure one of the twenty cards that give access to the DP World Tour next season. The same path that John Parry and Rasmus Neergard-Pettersen have already taken. With a round of 67 strokes, he has handed in the third-best card of the day and that even a double bogey on hole 5 has prevented him from finishing even closer to the head.
Ninth in the table appears Javi Sainz. Today he has sealed a round three under par that was immaculate until the last flag of the day and where he made the only bogey of the day. For several weeks now, the Biscayan has been knocking on the door of a great result. The Spaniard who has been more than two months with a regularity that scares. With today’s Sainz surpasses his ninth consecutive cut on the tour. He is playing very solid and his best result is a top 10 in Emirates, but he needs more. Especially since he knows he has it within reach. He is 73rd in the Road to Mallorca and wants to climb the table as soon as possible.
To do this, he must overcome the next screen, a test that is becoming uphill and where his pending subject is: the weekends. In the last eight tournaments, he has solved his two first days with very good results that have positioned him very well, but the weekend ends up being long. If one reviews the accumulated of Sainz between the first two days of these eight tournaments with the last two days, we find an abysmal difference. In the first two he accumulates a spectacular -30. An average that is close to two under par in each of the 16 rounds. Nothing, but nothing bad. This data contrasts with the accumulated PAR in the second 16. A difference of 30 strokes. It is true that the weekend is always more difficult, the field gets complicated and the pressure increases, but Sainz must continue fighting to reduce that gap as soon as possible. As soon as he does, the good results will fall from his hands. Hopefully, this will be this same week in France.
One of the tournament leaders, as previously mentioned, is the Australian Jeffrey Guan. Take note. An Australian of just 19 years old who is facing his third tournament on the circuit thanks to an invitation. Today he has been the best of the day with a card of 63 strokes and two eagles included.
Guan has been a professional for just seven months and in his amateur career, he was the world’s number 5 with five victories in his bag. Among his triumphs is the The Junior Players Championship in 2022. We will have to see if the Australian can maintain the pace all weekend.
Of the rest of the Spaniards, Borja Virto (-2) and Lucas Vacarisas (-1) stand out, who have made the cut and will want to score as many points as possible to stay within the top 45 of the Road to Mallorca. On the contrary, Alejandro Aguilera (+2), Alejandro Cañizares (+3) and Víctor Pastor (+9) have said goodbye earlier than expected from the tournament held in France.
