– The second round of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open has concluded and no one has moved Casey Jarvis (-12) from the top of the leaderboard, after the young South African signed a card of 65 strokes in the morning session. Although a rejuvenated Alex Levy (-10) was not far from doing so in the afternoon session, with a record of 66 strokes and a bogey-free card, one of only three so far in the first two rounds.
– And indeed, the course at Heritage La Reserve Golf Links (Bel Ombre, Mauritius) is not the most conducive place for signing flawless results, without any blemish. Only the aforementioned Levy, Italian Gregorio De Leo (-4), and Danish Jeff Winther (-3) have been able to finish a round without bogeys, and all three did so today. It’s nothing new, on the other hand, for Winther to excel when the wind blows. Him or another Danish player.
– A wind that will continue to blow, by the way, especially on Saturday. And on a course where mistakes can be very costly and ‘meetings’ of all the members of a match in search of a lost ball in areas of wild rough are common…
– Therefore, no one should be complacent: nothing should be taken for granted in Mauritius. Jarvis or Levy, for example, will still have to be very precise to claim victory. Also Manu Elvira (-9), of course, who has so far avoided big numbers and has positioned himself as a contender. The Spanish player has just started his third season on the DP World Tour and is playing his 66th tournament on that circuit, where he has yet to win. Tomorrow he tees off in the penultimate match alongside Brandon Stone (-8).
– It’s a very interesting scenario where, as we said, many things can happen and nothing should be taken for granted until the last breath. It is advisable to apply Simpson’s theorem at all times. Namely: young South African Samuel Simpson was leaving the green of the 11th hole today absolutely out of play with no chance of making the cut. Indeed, he wasn’t going to make it, because his total at that moment was +7, but he was still able to sign three eagles in the seven holes he had left (holes 12, 15, and 18)… It’s certainly not normal, and it may never happen again. But let the fact serve to underline that on this course, in a span of just a few holes, the difference in strokes between one player and another can be truly staggering. Or dramatic, depending on how you look at it.
– They are not going to have it easy, of course, but today’s movement by Ángel Ayora (-5), Eugenio Chacarra (-4), and Adri Arnaus (-4) still puts them in some winning equation. The young Andalusian delivered a card of 68 strokes with seven birdies and an excellent four-under-par on the back nine. The Madrid native, who seemed desperate at the midpoint of the round, found the path of birdies and will still be able to do interesting things, as will the Catalan, although he finished his round with bogeys on holes 7 and 9 when he was really peeking into the last matches on Saturday.
– Rocco Repetto (-2) has made the fourth consecutive cut in his debut on the European circuit. Outstanding news. He still has a lot of ground ahead to increase his points haul. Just like Quim Vidal (PAR), who in just three-quarters of an hour dropped nearly fifty places on the leaderboard after signing bogeys on holes 7 and 8, and a quadruple bogey on the 9th.
