Julien Guerrier (-10) has achieved what seemed impossible: improving the score signed by Daniel Brown (-9) in the morning. The afternoon offered better results. The wind blew, the same or more than in the first round, but the course dried out and surely played a bit shorter and, above all, easier from the rough. The proof is in the pudding. Of the six best scores of the day, five were delivered in the afternoon session.
One of them was by Jorge Campillo (-8). The player from Extremadura shot 64. It’s his best score under par since the Magical Kenya Open in 2023, 19 months ago. He did it on the third day and won the tournament that week. As an omen, it’s not bad at all. There’s still a long way to go to see if Jorge can win the tournament, but this round of golf is already his to keep. Few athletes are more demanding than a golfer, and the one from Cáceres found it really hard to make a bad swing this Thursday. “I think only the second shot on the 9th hole, although I think the ball had mud on it…”, he joked with laughter. But even then, he missed the green and holed it from off the green for a birdie. A perfect day.
In numbers, it’s Campillo’s best round in 2024, but in terms of feeling, nothing beats the 68 he shot on the second day at the Open Championship at Royal Troon. Not only did it help him make the cut, but he also signed the best round of the day. “Well, that was in a Major, to make my first cut in a major, and I’d say I could have shot even lower. It’s probably the best round of my life,” he confesses.
Jorge made eight birdies and zero bogeys, and most curiously, it was against all odds. At least, if we use logic. Today was Campillo’s 33rd round in the last 53 days. He has played nine consecutive tournaments and ten weeks out of eleven. Even so, it doesn’t weigh on him. “I could play 36 more holes right now. With a caddie, no problem,” he challenges right after finishing. The reality is that Jorge doesn’t get tired of playing golf. In fact, if everything goes as planned, it will be eleven consecutive weeks, as he plans to play in Korea and aims to be in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Watch out. To all this, we must add that he arrived on Tuesday night in Sotogrande and went out to play today with only the nine holes of the Pro Am behind him, as he received the award for the best athlete in Extremadura on Tuesday.
Campillo occupies third place alone, two shots behind Guerrier and one behind Brown. In fourth place is Johannes Veerman (-7), while Romain Langasque (-6) and Niklas Norgaard (-6) share fifth place.
As for the Spaniards who played in the afternoon, David Puig (-3) delivered an excellent scorecard and positioned himself among the top 25, despite finishing with two bogeys in the last three holes. Additionally, Nacho Elvira (-2) and Adri Arnaus (-1) managed to go under par. The provisional cut is currently set at one under par, although it is expected to move to two or three under tomorrow, as a less windy day is expected than today. On the other hand, the course will also be a bit firmer, so conditions in the afternoon could be tougher.
