Stormy. That’s how the day has risen on the southern coast of Mauritius. The wind blows strongly, hurricane at times, and there is no choice but to activate survival mode. Good results are still being achieved at the AfrAsia Bank Open because the Heritage La Reserve at Bel Ombre allows itself to be handled, but it’s not like yesterday. In the morning round of the second day, 23 cards under par have been handed in. Yesterday all day there were 36 of 68 strokes or less. The scenario has radically changed.
With the stage set, we can now say that the round of Ángel Hidalgo (-1) of 69 strokes has enormous value. So much so, that only four players have signed a lower result going out at dawn. Therefore, the Malaga native, who came from a tough two over par handed in on Thursday, has opened a door to be able to pass the cut, provisionally established yesterday at -2. It is not certain that one under par will be enough, but at least he has hopes. First he submitted to the hurricane and now crosses his fingers so that it does not decline. Coffee for everyone.
Hidalgo started his round this Friday like a rocket. Four consecutive birdies between holes 2 and 5 and one more on 8. Spectacular. Not only did he get inside the cut, but he earned the license to dream of something more. But of course, the hurricane is always there waiting, especially on some holes and with more than spicy flags. That’s how Uncle Paco arrived with the discounts and he got three consecutive bogeys: 9, 10 and 11. Again the coast was moving away. He reacted with one more birdie on 13 and at least gave himself an option. Some more could fall to be calm, like on 15, which made him tie from three meters, or on 16, from six after hitting a sensational iron 4 of second… It was not easy to leave them closer. “On the 18th, with a hurricane against, I hit drive, iron 5 and iron 7 of third and I left it seven meters away”, Hidalgo tells Ten Golf so that we get an idea of how the conditions are.
We will see if the one under par ends up entering, meanwhile, the head has not moved. Sebastian Soderberg (-10) has reached the same record with which Antoine Rozner went to bed yesterday as leader. The Swede has handed in the card of the day, 65 strokes, and has taken a two-stroke advantage over Paul Waring, who played over par today, and Steven Brown. Also in the lead are names to watch like Louis Oosthuizen (-7), who comes from winning in South Africa, or Wilco Nienaber (-7).
