Ewen Ferguson (-11) is the undisputed leader of the Soudal Open after two rounds, with a three-shot lead over his closest pursuer, Marco Penge (-8). The Scotsman was not at the PGA Championship last week and also chose not to play the US Open qualifier last Monday, the third Major of the year in which he obviously won’t be participating either, as he would need to be among the top sixty in the world by June 9 to achieve that, which seems a bit complicated, considering he is currently ranked Number 186. Not even winning this week in Belgium and next week in Austria would achieve it. In fact, Ferguson, now 28 years old, has only played two majors in his career, the Open in 2023 and 2024…
Anyone would say so watching him this Thursday and Friday at the Rinkven International Golf Club. He is the only player present who has completed 36 holes without a single bogey. And the fact is, he hasn’t displayed the best game he’s known for; he has simply been sharp and timely in all areas of the game just when needed, as the best players in the world regularly do. That’s what Ferguson seemed like today in Belgian lands: one of the best in the world. Only they, the best, can sign a card of 64 strokes, seven under for the day, without a blemish, having hit only half of the greens in regulation.
The ceiling for Ferguson in the world ranking has been Number 99, a position he held for barely two or three weeks last year in 2024. Anyone would say so watching him today (and yesterday) at the Soudal Open. The quirks of golf. It only remains to be seen how and where he finishes on Sunday. Then, perhaps, just perhaps, we might find some explanation. Maybe Ewen Ferguson is one of the best in the world and he doesn’t know it yet, or doesn’t believe it. Or maybe the explanation for everything is the simplest of all: Ferguson, like so many others, is capable of playing golf this way, with full control of the situation, only a few days a year. That’s probably it.
Ángel Ayora (-4) is also on that impossible mission, that of consistency in excellence. If on Thursday everything went perfectly for him, in this second round he has struggled more than expected. He started with a birdie on the 1st hole and, from there, couldn’t find a way to play a whole hole as the manuals dictate. Little by little, the Andalusian was squandering his ample reserve of birdies and it even seemed that his weekend presence could be in jeopardy after going into the water off the tee on holes 13 and 14. However, the young Spaniard has enough courage and, even in bad times, or desperately, managed to get back into the tournament with birdies on holes 16 and 17. These nightmare rounds (errors from the centre of the fairway, three-putts, balls in the water…) with a hopeful ending can be the announcement of something important. That’s golf. No one understands it. Ask Ferguson, who wasn’t at the PGA nor will be at the US Open. Ask Ayora, who surely couldn’t believe so many missed shots today.
