Robin Sciot Siegrist (-11) has taken the lead after the second round of the Abu Dhabi Challenge being held at the Al Ain Equestrian. The French golfer delivered a great round of 65 strokes this Friday and has taken command. However, the news from the Spanish players remains really good. Sebastián García Rodríguez (-10) and Alberto Boneta (-8) remain at the top, Adri Arnaus (-4) maintains the good feelings from last week, and Joseba Torres (-3) shows sensational flair in his debut on the HotelPlanner Tour.
Sebas has achieved something that is not easy in golf. The Madrid native delivered his lowest card in the last two and a half years yesterday. The day after is usually not easy to digest, yet he has managed to give it solid continuity. He scored 67 strokes (the course is par 70), with four birdies and a single bogey. The most important part came at the end. After a whole day weathering the storm, without things going so smoothly, Sebas finished his round with three consecutive birdies from 7 to 9 to cling on to the stellar match of the moving day. A magnificent exercise in resilience and, above all, a clear message to himself: I can achieve results without everything going completely in my favour.
Boneta is also keeping his eye on the tournament. Today he scored 68 strokes and, like Sebas, saved the best of his repertoire for the end. He finished his working day with a superb eagle on the 18th hole to remind everyone that he still has a lot to say this week and that his goal is to give himself a chance of victory in the last nine holes on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Arnaus has presented another under-par card. It is the second consecutive one in Abu Dhabi and the eighth in a row if we count the last two in India, the four from last week, and the two from this Thursday and Friday. This can now be said to be a trend, a dynamic. Arnaus is regaining a solidity in his game that could allow him to be at the top of the leaderboard every week. He needed to prove it to himself, and he is doing so.
Meanwhile, Joseba Torres is the refreshing news of this mini-tour in the United Arab Emirates. The Basque player finished in the top 20 last week in his debut on the HotelPlanner Tour and has now made the cut again without major upsets. He scored 66 strokes, with five birdies and a single bogey, and is just four strokes away from the top 10. He is showing that he has a lot of birdies in him and that his good performance at the DP World Tour School last year was no fluke. Two tournaments played and two cuts made. Sensational 100%.
Additionally, Borja Virto (-2), Quim Vidal (-2), and Eduard Rousaud (-1) have made the cut.
