It seems as if there was no night in South Africa between Thursday and Friday. At least, for Joel Moscatel (-10). The Spanish golfer finished the first round of the SDC Open yesterday with a six-under-par on the last nine holes and continued this morning at the same pace. As if nothing. In the first nine, he was already five under par. That is, eleven under in 17 holes. Do the maths. It’s very easy. In fact, it’s a very fun plan. It’s about making more than one birdie every two holes. A hurricane of golf.
Moscatel delivered a card of 65 strokes this Friday and has placed himself in second position, just one stroke behind the leader, the young Frenchman Maxence Giboudot (-11). It had been a while since Moscatel found himself in a similar situation. We have to go back to September 2024, Challenge de Italia. He also placed second with 36 holes to go.
That week John Parry would win, today a player on the PGA Tour. If that Saturday in September at seven in the morning a bet had been opened on who would be on the PGA Tour in 2026, whether Parry or Moscatel, the Spaniard would have won by a landslide. That’s how unpredictable and wonderful this sport is. Who knows if in 2028 it’s Joel playing the Farmers Insurance Open. Of course, it’s a lot to say, but he has the skills and golf in abundance.
Moscatel made eight birdies and a solitary bogey today. It was the fourth-best round of the day at the Zebula Golf Estates. Tomorrow he will play in the star match. The Catalan player needed a joy of this calibre after months where things haven’t quite worked out for him. Today he has reconnected with the great player he is. Does this mean he will win on Sunday? Absolutely not, if only it were that easy, but if he maintains the level of the last 27 holes and continues to grow in confidence, it’s very likely he will be unstoppable. He has 14 birdies and an eagle in 36 holes. No one reaches these records.
Moscatel ties for second place with South African Martin Vorster (-10) and Welshman Rhys Enoch (-10), winner of this same tournament two years ago. South Africa continues to lead the standings, as expected, but much less so. Right now, of the top ten, five are locals and six are foreigners. Among them, besides Moscatel, is the Madrid native Pablo Ereño (-8). Today he scored 67 strokes. Another demonstration of consistency from the golfer who has shown in the short time he has been a professional much more golf than results. He also needs that stroke of luck he has more than deserved. Today he made eight birdies and three bogeys.
We must give a lot of credit to what Moscatel and Ereño have done so far. It’s not easy to start the year in South Africa, with the typical Bermuda grass of these parts, with heat, the ball flying a mile and coming from preparation in the rain and cold. You need adaptability and that’s what the two Spaniards have demonstrated so far.
Lucas Vacarisas (-6) also made the cut after delivering a second card of 69 strokes. Not only has he secured the weekend, but he is fully legitimised to dream of everything. He is four strokes from first place and just two from the top 10. It’s true that three out of nine is not a record to set off fireworks, in terms of the number of Spaniards who made the cut, but all three are in the fight to win.
Albert Boneta, Víctor Pastor, Adri Arnaus, Santi Tarrio, Asier Aguirre, and Javier Barcos have been left out. Of all of them, a special mention for Boneta. He missed the cut due to an accident. He made a quintuple bogey on hole 8. Allow us to do some simple calculations. If instead of eight strokes, he had made three on that same hole, or in other words, par, he would be tied with Vacarisas in twentieth position. That is, it should be seen as an accident and nothing more. The game is in place.
By the way, tomorrow is Maxence Giboudot’s birthday. He will be 22 years old. He turned professional in 2023 at just 19. He already has two years of experience on the Challenge Tour. Who knows if his time has come to make the leap.
