Five players share the lead after the second round of the HotelPlanner Tour Final in Alcanada. Daniel Young, Lars Van Meijel, Felix Mory, Stefano Mazzoli and Euan Walker are at the top of the leaderboard with eight under par. The tournament has reached its halfway point with everything to play for, and another Scot, David Law, is lurking just one shot behind (-7) in a weekend that promises high emotions.
Among the Spaniards, the standout name is once again Rocco Repetto Taylor (-6). A regular in the last six months of competition on the circuit. The player from Málaga continues his love affair with good golf and has signed another card of 67 strokes. And we say “another” because he has now done so in eight consecutive tournaments and in eleven of the last twelve, where he has at least one round reaching that score. Rocco manages to fly very low for a long time, a sign of consistency and confidence that few can achieve. It no longer seems like a simple streak, but a way of being.
To put it in context by comparing, for example, with the other four Spaniards present in Mallorca, Sebas García has managed to link five consecutive tournaments with rounds of 67 or less, Quim Vidal, four, Adri in three (on two occasions) and Víctor Pastor, two. It doesn’t speak less of the rest, it highlights how spectacular Rocco is. Eight consecutive tournaments and eleven out of twelve, wow.
In the opening round, the Spaniard had not finished entirely satisfied. He acknowledged that nerves had made him somewhat inaccurate from the tee, a handicap on a course that punishes any slip from the start. This Friday the story was different. “I was much more solid from the tee and that allowed me to hit better second shots,” he explained at the end. Said and done: 17 greens in regulation, no blemishes on the card and the feeling that the weekend could be beautiful for him. Only two putts, on holes 17 and 18 —one less than two metres and another that kissed the edge of the hole—, prevented him from sharing the lead. For his play and consistency, Repetto is already dining at the same table as the favourites, although he still lacks a dish in the standings.
For the rest of the Armada, the day moved in shades of grey. What seemed like a black day was saved with dignity. None have lost the thread of the tournament and all maintain, to a greater or lesser extent, chances to fight over the weekend.
The most notable case is that of Quim Vidal (-4). The Catalan started with an eagle on the 1st hole that suggested a great day, but soon lost pace and was brought to a halt. However, in the last four holes, he signed three birdies that allow him to breathe and climb thirty positions in the standings. Four shots off the lead, he has re-entered the conversation with a championship finish. “It was important not to disconnect,” he admitted. He has achieved it and faces Saturday with all options open.
Víctor Pastor (-3) had a more eventful round. He started with good feelings and was under par by the 6th hole, but three holes later he had conceded two bogeys and a double bogey that sent him downhill. Despite the emotional blow, the player from Córdoba recovered in the second half with two birdies that keep him in the tournament. He signed over par, yes, but only five shots off the leaders. In such a tight tournament and with Alcanada ready to set traps, that is still nothing. “There’s a lot ahead,” he repeated at the end, aware that the important thing is to stay standing when Sunday comes.
Sebas García (-2) had a similar day. Two double bogeys and another error between the 9th and 15th seemed to condemn him, but he finished with character: birdie on the 17th, the hardest hole of the day, and another on the 18th to close with -2. He has lost some ground compared to the leading group, but remains within the top-20 and with room for a comeback if Saturday brings out the Hangzhou champion version.
And then there’s Adri Arnaus (PAR), clinging to the tournament with nails and birdies. He reached the 13th hole with +4 overall and barely any room to breathe, but reacted with four consecutive birdies that brought him back into the fight. The Catalan knows he needs an almost perfect Saturday, but he’s not the first to have a “moving day” in Alcanada change his fate.
Five leaders, a Spaniard on the rise, and a pack ready for anything. The HotelPlanner Tour couldn’t have a more open script to face its conclusion. Let’s see who holds out the longest. By the way, among the top twenty of the year, there would only be one change in the overall projection. Lars Van Meijel (-8) would oust Jamie Rutherford.
