Andrea Pavan (-11) has taken advantage of the good playing conditions, and a somewhat lighter version of the Royal Golf Club of Bahrain (some tees moved forward, for example, and the greens at 11 on the stimpmeter), to seize the lead of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship after 36 holes, with a card of 65 strokes, seven under par for the day, although the Italian could still argue that his side of the draw, those who played in the morning today, had it tougher. Indeed, it was windier than yesterday in the early hours of play and, apparently, it won’t be as windy in the afternoon. Nonetheless, these are debates, complaints, or comparisons that lead nowhere. That’s golf, and we’ll have to see what Brandon Robinson Thompson, the guy with the 61, does in the afternoon session. No one should bet their entire fortune that this tournament will be won by a player from the lucky draw, especially if a player as unpredictable and brilliant as Pablo Larrazábal is in the mix…
That’s right, because Larrazábal (-10) and, especially, Iván Cantero (-7, round of 64, eight under) have also taken advantage of the good playing conditions, after the little wind hell they endured yesterday, although the Barcelona native managed it with a fabulous round of six under, the best of the afternoon session. Pablo started today very focused on the 10th hole, but not quite sharp on the greens, because his score could have been better. Then, he reactivated his round in the most atypical way possible, with a hole-in-one on the 2nd. The things geniuses do. The fact is, he ended up signing a notable 68 that takes him directly to the last matches on Saturday.
Cantero, on the other hand, holed practically everything possible on the greens to deliver the best result of the morning, including some putts of three or four metres to save pars. The Asturian completed an excellent round of eight under without bogeys on the card, although he curiously missed the tee shot on three of the four par 5s (holes 9, 13, and 14), where his power from the tee would have left him very short irons to reach the green in two. For example, something like a 9-iron on the 9th hole and an 8-iron on the 14th hole… It wasn’t to be, and he had to settle for pars on those three stops on the course.
In any case, after saving a decent card of 73 strokes yesterday, on a day when he precisely missed several putts to strengthen his position under par, Cantero maintains the good form from last week and should be considered for the weekend with all due respect. Despite missing those tee shots on the par 5s, his game has indeed been orderly once again.
Also in the mix on Saturday will be David Puig (-3) and Joel Moscatel after signing cards of 72 and 70 strokes. Puig suffered some physical problems today (stomach pain) and, given the circumstances, saved the day with professionalism, although he might regret not taking advantage as others did. Knowing the situation, he will still have space and time to make an impact over the weekend, especially if those stomach issues that truly limited him today subside. Moscatel, on the other hand, left some very good chances on the course and is still on the hunt for that big round to boost his chances, but he has also found a much more stable line of play and results in recent times, which in itself already places him on the launchpad. It’s a matter of time and patience.
Ángel Hidalgo (PAR) has missed the weekend, closing the round on the 9th hole, a par 5, with a painful bogey, when he actually needed a birdie to ensure the cut. Neither will Álex del Rey (+3), Nacho Elvira (+4), and Ángel Ayora (+5) be there. Del Rey sought the comeback with determination, establishing a good partial of two under halfway through the course, but a double bogey on the 5th hole (having started on the 10th) left him out of play.
