The leaderboard of the Genesis Championship is akin to the queue at a fish market at the start of the month. You have to elbow your way in. No fewer than seven men share the top spot in the DP World Tour tournament held at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in South Korea. All with -6. Among them is the Spaniard Nacho Elvira, who secured his position with a great finish marked by an eagle on the 5th hole, hitting a sublime second shot over 235 metres. He left it less than a metre away.
Alongside Elvira, sharing the top spot are the Chinese Haotong Li (-6), who at times seemed the most serious contender for the solo lead, although he ultimately fell short, the Koreans Jeunghwan Lee, Sungjae Im, and Minhyuk Song, the Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick, and the Frenchman Tom Vaillant. The main congestion is at the top, but it’s not the only one. There is a seven-shot difference between the lead and the last player to make the cut, meaning anything can still happen in the remaining 36 holes.
Elvira only had a rough patch in his round today. It was on holes 16 and 17, with two consecutive bogeys, both times after encountering bunkers, although on the 17th the problem was more with the tee shot than the second shot. In any case, the most important thing is that it didn’t affect him. He lifted his head and moved forward, despite having dropped to two under par at that moment and being justified in looking both at the lead and the cut. Nacho opted for the former.
The Cantabrian player secured a great birdie on the 1st, playing a textbook hole, followed with the aforementioned eagle on the 5th, and finished the job with another very good birdie on the 8th, the last par 5 of the day. This is the sixth time Nacho has led a DP World Tour tournament after the second round. In his two victories on the circuit, Wales and Belgium, he was leading precisely after the second day. In fact, the last time was at the Soudal Open last year, a tournament where he precisely secured his second victory. Obviously, with this performance in Korea, he remains on track for the Abu Dhabi qualification.
Ángel Ayora (-4) has also taken a giant step in the tournament. If we say that all those who made the cut still have a chance to win, even more so the higher they are ranked. The Malagueño, with a round of 67 today, including five birdies and an eagle, has positioned himself in 15th place, with his chances of victory intact. He has also positioned himself well to continue earning points in his battle for the PGA Tour card.
Ayora displayed great golf today and managed to respond to each bogey with an immediate birdie, except on the last hole, obviously, because there was no more room. He was very brilliant from the tee and, above all, with the irons to the green. Very sharp. Another Spanish contender presented, just like Eugenio Chacarra (-2). He is a bit further back, but he can still make a significant impact. He has signed two rounds of 70. Very solid.
Completing the list of Spaniards who made the cut are Rafa Cabrera Bello (-1), Alex del Rey (PAR), and Jorge Campillo (+1). A bad day for Del Rey, who couldn’t continue the great round from yesterday that placed him third alone, and a magnificent finish for Jorge, who somehow shakes off the bad taste left by Friday at the Open de España.
On the other hand, Ángel Hidalgo, Alfredo García Heredia, Pablo Larrazábal, Iván Cantero, and Manu Elvira missed the cut.
Beyond the Spaniards, Matsuyama (-1), a strong favourite for the win, managed to stay alive with a good round of 68 and will still have a chance over the weekend. Si Woo Kim (-2) also has chances, despite a very strange socket he hit on the 5th, or Sungjae Im (-6). Among the main favourites, Thriston Lawrence (+3) and Byeong Hun An (+2), the defending champion, missed the cut.
