Marco Penge (-8) is the provisional leader of the Soudal Open once the morning session of the second day has concluded. The Englishman, who seems truly determined to make the ‘big leap’ (access to the world’s top 100 and then we’ll see) after his recent victory in China and his solid performance in the PGA (29th), signed a 68 this morning at the Rinkven International in Antwerp, showcasing his monstrous drive when circumstances allow on a short, narrow, and technical course. An example is his 330-metre drive on the 18th hole, today the ninth of his round…
One shot behind the Englishman are, among others, his compatriots John Parry (-7) and Brandon Robinson Thompson (-7), two regulars in the top ranks of the leaderboards this 2025 season.
Nacho Elvira (-3, today a round of 69) hasn’t reached such heights, but at least he has left himself a reasonable chance to defend this weekend the title he won a year ago in this tournament and on this course. The elder Elvira naturally overcame a rough start to the round on the 10th hole, where he hit a terrible left escape and paid the toll with a bogey. In general, aside from this slip, the Spaniard has shown confidence and hasn’t gotten into much more trouble.
Eugenio López Chacarra (-3), on the other hand, needed to wake up to ensure the cut first and then climb the leaderboard after Thursday’s insufficient round of 72. And not only did he wake up, but he also posted one of the best scores of his playing session (67), four under for the day, to also give himself a chance for the weekend. The Madrid native was aggressive and somewhat erratic, with no fear or respect, scoring up to eight birdies to bury a double bogey and two bogeys that he also had to mark on the card. Surely Francesco Molinari (-3) will have taken good note as Luke Donald’s advisor of the young Spaniard’s ability to score and respond with courage to adversity: after the double bogey he signed on the 17th hole, par 5, three consecutive birdies fell on holes 18, 1, and 2.
Not far behind are the Asturians Iván Cantero (-2) and Alfredo García Heredia (-2), after delivering well-worked cards of 70 and 69, respectively, with quite a few challenges. Ángel Hidalgo (-1), who struggled a lot from the tee today, and Rafa Cabrera Bello (-1) should also be there for the weekend, although they will have to wait a bit to confirm that their accumulated score is enough to make the cut. It seems likely, as the wind has picked up a bit more in the afternoon and the Belgian course is not exactly a ‘walk in the park’.
