There’s no other option but to step on the board at the Volvo China Open to be at the top. The pace of birdies is infernal at the Hidden Grace Golf Club. It’s not that it’s an easy course, but the conditions, with the rain fallen in recent days and the total absence of wind, are perfect for these players. They are throwing darts, the greens hold up well, the ball rolls immaculate and the hits fall by punishment. It could almost be said that par is two or three under par.
In short, it is paradise for those who drop birdies from their pockets. For this reason, no one can be surprised that the provisional leader of the tournament, once the morning shift of the second round is over, is Sebastian Soderberg (-16), the player with the best birdie average (4.86) of the DP World Tour this season. The Nordic golfer, who is going through a sweet moment of play, with two consecutive second places, seems willing to climb the last step this very week.
Soderberg has handed in a card of 65 strokes in the second round, adds 17 birdies in two days and has put land in between in the classification. He has a three-stroke lead over the second-placed, the tireless Paul Waring (-13) and six are already Zander Lombard (-10), another birdieman (average of 4.48) and Lloyd Jefferson Go (-10), Filipino golfer who brings the exotic touch to the head of the tournament. He entered through the Chinese national ranking and is playing his second tournament on the European circuit.
Of course, if we talk about the birdie friends club, one of the honorary members is Alejandro del Rey (-7). Today he has shown it again. The Madrid golfer has made 66 strokes, with seven birdies and a single bogey, and has so far placed himself at the gates of the top 10, far from Soderberg, but three strokes from third place. Great move by Alex, one of those golfers who doesn’t mind at all stepping on the accelerator to the max during the 18 holes. In fact, that’s what he likes the most.
Del Rey was last year the third player of the DP World Tour with the best birdie average, only behind Rory McIlroy and Nicolai Hojgaard, and this year he is again up, in the thirteenth position with an average of 4.32 birdies per round. His round of 66 is meritorious because it is not a course where Alex can let go as he likes. Let’s say he’s going half gas. In the first nine holes today you can hardly hit the driver, so in a way you always have the feeling of being tied up. Even so, today he has putted very well and has hit some very quality irons.
In addition to Alex, Nacho Elvira (-5) has secured the cut in his return to the European circuit after several weeks with a round of 70 strokes. The pace of birdies of the Cantabrian is also very good, although in his case, both yesterday and today, he has fallen more errors than necessary to be closer to the head. If he maintains the pace of hits and avoids those errors, he will also give war at the weekend.
On the other hand, Iván Cantero (-3) will have to wait until the last hour to know if he passes the cut. If the pace of birdies and good conditions continue in the afternoon, it gives the feeling that it will go to -4, but still has possibilities. Who will not be at the weekend is Adri Arnaus (+5), although at least he has removed a little the thorn of yesterday with a round of 70.
