Jorge Campillo (-6) and Ángel Ayora (-4) have earned the right to think about victory after the second round of the Turkish Airlines Open. Campillo is just two shots off the provisional leader, China’s Haotong Li (-8), while Ayora is on the brink of the top 10, four shots off the lead. The official candidacy is presented. There are 36 holes ahead to finish the job, and it won’t be easy because many players are involved in the battle, but the opportunity is on the table.
Campillo has played consistently again, without making major mistakes and without doing anything extraordinary. He has delivered a scorecard of 68 strokes, which professionals describe as easy, although they are anything but easy. It’s the second consecutive 68 scored in the same manner. There have been four birdies and a solitary bogey. Perhaps the best thing Jorge is doing this week at the Regnum Carya in Antalya is his play around the green. He is recovering with reliability and effectiveness. Even in today’s only bogey, he made a very good approach, but a two-metre putt slipped away. It’s the first time in 2025 that he has strung together two consecutive rounds under 70 strokes.
If Ayora passed the first test on Thursday alongside Luke Donald, today, Friday, he has shown up to improve his score and has succeeded. He has signed an excellent result of 67 strokes, four under, and has entered the fight for the win. Only Haotong Li’s 65 and Dan Ericksson‘s 66 were better. He has once again displayed great golf from tee to green and has notably improved his performance with the putter. Mainly, he has understood the speed of the greens much better. He made four birdies, an eagle, and two bogeys. On both occasions, he even had the chance to save par, but two putts of three and two metres slipped away.
In any case, the Ryder Cup captain has already seen firsthand what type of player Ayora is. He has witnessed his precision and power from tee to green live. He is a reliable player, something fundamental when we talk about the fourball and, above all, foursome formats of this competition. It’s a pity about the four three-putts in the first round. Without them, he would be looking the leader in the eye. He has also demonstrated a magnificent attitude when things weren’t going smoothly. In Donald’s notebook, there are many good things marked in red, like that eagle on the 12th, right at the start, hitting a great drive, a splendid second shot, and sinking a magnificent five-metre putt.
The provisional tournament leaderboard, with the afternoon session still in play, is led by Li (-8), who has already won this year, with a one-shot lead over Robin Williams (-7) and two over five players: Campillo, Sordet, Migliozzi, Lindberg, and Ferguson.
As for the rest of the Spaniards, Nacho Elvira (-2), Santi Tarrio (-1), and Manu Elvira (-1) have secured the cut. Regarding the latter, only a major surprise that would raise the cut to -2 would leave them out, but it doesn’t seem likely. The course is playing more challenging than it might appear at first glance, mainly due to the pin positions.
It all points to -1 being the cut, but PAR shouldn’t be ruled out either. For that to happen, conditions would need to worsen this afternoon, with more wind. At the end of the morning session, it was out. Those who will certainly not continue in the tournament are Alex del Rey (+1), Joel Moscatel (+2), and Adri Arnaus (+2). It’s a pity about Arnaus’s finish, with a double bogey and bogey on holes 15 and 16 that left him out. Those two holes have cost him dearly at Moià. He has dropped no less than six shots over the two days. The Ryder Cup captain himself, Luke Donald (+3), is also out.
