The second day of the BMW PGA Championship could not be completed due to lack of light, due to the suspension of play due to an electrical storm that occurred in the morning. But the main lines for the weekend are already well drawn, with the leader, Matthew Baldwin (-13) as a reference and rival to beat, after matching the best record of the first two days in the history of the tournament. Let’s remember: Paul McGinley, in 2008, also reached that -13 record after 36 holes, although the victory would finally go to a Spaniard, a certain Miguel Ángel Jiménez…
It doesn’t seem like the story will repeat itself in 2024. And it doesn’t seem so because the best Spaniards in the classification, Jorge Campillo (-4), Ángel Hidalgo (-4) and Adrián Otaegui (-4), are far from the lead and even from the top ten. Let’s say they don’t have faith in the cabal of numbers and coincidences, even though none of them probably know anything about what happened with McGinley and Jiménez over fifteen years ago.
But let’s at least let Saturday’s round pass, to see if anyone is able to follow the path marked by Baldwin or Antoine Rozner (-10), who have both signed cards of 65 strokes in the first two rounds. It can be done. And Jorge Campillo, in fact, was not so far from such a score today (he handed in a 67, one of the best records of the day). In addition, Alejandro del Rey (-3) still has four holes to play in this second round, with the two par fives at the end, holes 17 and 18, ‘ready’ to relaunch him. It is well known that at Wentworth these two holes are not a guarantee of anything, they are very treacherous, but they are still recovery holes.
Adri Arnaus (-3), who has also signed a splendid 67, just like Campillo, must also be included in the same fight and situation. And even Nacho Elvira (-2) and Rafa Cabrera Bello (-2), who close the list of Spaniards who have made the cut. There is ammunition, of course, but it has to be fired from a long distance.
The big question for Saturday is the following: is Baldwin really going to be able to maintain even a half as constant and solid pace, thus closing the most important week of his career? Just in case, you can now make a list of five more names as possible (and even probable) alternatives to the Englishman in the framework of the winner’s photo on Sunday. Namely: Nikas Norgaard (-11), Antoine Rozner (-10), Matteo Manassero (-9), Rory McIlroy (-9) and Billy Horschel (-8). Okay, okay: let’s not lose sight of Tommy Fleetwood (-7) and Robert MacIntyre (-7). The Spanish cabal or carom would be nothing short of a little miracle, let’s be frank. After all, Jiménez went out on Saturday in 2008 ‘only’ six strokes from the lead, while Campillo and company will do it nine, unless Del Rey says otherwise in the four holes he has left.
