Benjamin Hebert (-13) has put some distance at the Magical Kenya Open. The Frenchman has capitalised on the great round of 63 he shot on Thursday afternoon with another notable performance this Friday morning. He shot 66, five under, and for now, he already has a five-shot lead over the second player who played in the same time slot. He has made only one bogey and has already accumulated eleven birdies and an eagle in 36 holes. He is the standout of the week, at least for the first two days. We will see what happens this afternoon and where his lead really ends up and how he performs over the weekend. He has experience to spare, at 38 holes and six victories on the Challenge Tour, although he has yet to open his account on the DP World Tour.
Hebert was one of the best in the morning, just like Jorge Campillo (-5). The Spaniard also shot 66 and has moved closer to the top. It’s Friday. Nothing surprising in this 2025 when talking about Jorge. He is the king of second rounds. He has now gone four consecutive Fridays without making a bogey, with a cumulative score of 17 under par. It’s said quickly. No joke.
The last bogey he made in a second round was at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, curiously on his last hole, the 9th at the Emirates Golf Club. Since then, he has been spotless. He shot 70 in Ras al Khaimah with 16 pars and two birdies, recorded scores of 66 in Bahrain and Qatar, with six birdies and twelve pars, and now he has finished this virtual Friday tournament with another 66, with five birdies and thirteen pars. The Muthaiga Golf Club is a par 71. It’s not for drawing big conclusions, beyond the curious anecdote. In fact, Campillo himself points out to TenGolf. “Great Fridays this year, yes, because last year on the PGA Tour they were mostly Black Fridays,” he notes with humour. Throughout his career, Friday is Campillo’s second-best day. Moreover, his statistical figures indicate that he improves as each championship progresses: his historical average on the DP World Tour on Thursdays is -113, on Fridays he is -212, he has scored -251 on Saturdays, and on Sundays, his best day, he has a total of -264.
The morning was not as pleasant as Thursday’s. More or less from the second hour of play, the wind picked up, and conditions became more challenging. The greens, moreover, are getting harder by the minute, and it’s not easy to score low. Campillo played very solid golf on the first nine and more than steady until the 6th hole, the fifteenth of his round. From there, he managed to hold on well to the course and finish without errors.
The best moments of the round were the easy birdie to start on the 10th hole, reaching the green in two; a great shot on the 15th to leave it a metre and a half away, although the putt was delicate; a great shot on the 1st to four metres, although the birdie didn’t drop; a mega putt of about 13 metres on the 2nd, the bonus of the day, and the recoveries on holes 13, 5, 7, 8, and 9, especially on the 7th, with a great 5-iron second shot out of position under the trees. Today he played perhaps a bit less solidly than yesterday, but he putted better. The only downside was a very short birdie putt that he missed on the 17th. It was less than a metre.
The other two Spaniards who played on Friday morning had mixed fortunes. Santi Tarrio (-1) should make the cut after playing under par. If the wind forecasts hold, it’s likely to be between -1 and even PAR. In contrast, Ángel Hidalgo (+1) missed out with a round of 73, with a painful finish of double bogey and bogey in the last three holes.
