– What Rocco Repetto Taylor (-11) is doing is simply not normal. His ability to shoot very low is not something common in golf, far from it. This Friday, he made yet another demonstration at the Italian Challenge Open to get into the leading positions. He is currently second after a spectacular round of 64 strokes, eight under par, and that’s despite having a double bogey along the way. Leading provisionally is JC Ritchie (-12), who continues to be in great form after his victory in Portugal just five days ago.
– The Andalusian has played 54 rounds at HotelPlanner, and 35 have been under par. Up to that point, it’s a good statistic that speaks to the young golfer’s solidity, but if we dig deeper, you’ll see that 27 of those are below 70 strokes. That statistic starts to draw more attention. However, the statistic that completely breaks the mould is that 13 of those 54 rounds have been 66 strokes or less. Practically one in every four rounds is below 67 strokes. One per tournament.
– To that ability to shoot low, you must add great solidity on the other days. Thirteen consecutive cuts made and practically with the DP World Tour card in his pocket. Chapeau. Another week fighting for big things. He doesn’t understand timing.
– Another player who took an important step this Friday is Borja Virto (-10). He arrived needing to make the cut to get into the China tour and has done so with flying colours. He gets into the fight for the win thanks to a card of 66 strokes that places him provisionally in fourth position with 36 holes ahead. The next goal on the table is to get into the top 45 who qualify for the Final of the Road to Mallorca. He can achieve a 2×1 at Golf Nazionale if he keeps the putter hot.
– Indeed, the key to the two great first rounds for the Navarrese has been the putter: “I’ve been playing really well for weeks, but I wasn’t putting well at all, these first two days all the work is finally paying off, from two to five metres I’m being very solid.” He also acknowledges that he is minimising mistakes: “In the last tournaments, I would have had four three-putts easily, this week I’ve only had one. That logically is giving me that extra I needed.”
– Virto also left one of the shots of the day in the memory. Hole 14 at Golf Nazionale, par five. Second shot, 170 metres to the flag after a great driver that left him in the centre of the fairway: “The flag was at the back, and I remembered that green was very hard. I hit a 7-iron with everything, it bounced and hit the hole, I almost had an albatross, I had a three-metre putt and made it. It was a great hole.”
– The afternoon is going to be long for Luis Masaveu (-2). He needs to make the cut to fight to save his card and get into the China tour, and at the time of writing these lines, he is tied for 54th. The top 61 and ties will make the cut. It’s tough with the entire afternoon session ahead. However, the two final birdies to cling to that slim chance demonstrate the grit of the young Madrid golfer.
– Among the rest of the Spaniards playing in the morning, Victor García Broto (-7) also stood out, sneaking to the edge of the top ten after a round of 68 strokes, the same score achieved by Víctor Pastor (-6) with whom Sebas García is tied.
