The leader of the Italian Open after the second round, the American Gunner Wiebe (-9), was until today better known for being the son of Mark Wiebe, a player of some success on the PGA Tour (two victories on this circuit) and winner of a British Senior in 2013, which he snatched from Bernhard Langer after five playoff holes at Royal Birkdale…
Mind you, Gunner Wiebe has also done his bit in the professional world. For example, securing playing rights on the European circuit through the School in 2022. Or finishing last year in second position at the British Masters, a result that allowed him to maintain his playing rights, as that was actually his only great performance. His case is atypical, no matter how you look at it. He turned 35 last January and in thirteen years as a professional he has only played 87 tournaments valid for the world ranking and has missed more than fifty cuts. However, as you can see, he does not despair, always in search of that great week in the few stretches of his professional career in which he has been able to compete at the highest level. Last year he finished it at the aforementioned British Masters, climbing more than twenty places with a great Sunday round to finish second. And this year…
Well, this year he still has 36 holes to deal with at the Adriatic Golf Club Cervia (Milano Marittima, Ravenna, Italy), but he has earned every right to be considered a candidate for the final victory. Mainly because in these first two rounds he has played very orderly golf on a course that has much more to it than it seemed and it can’t even be said that he has been sublime on the greens: he has made ten birdies in the first 36 holes and the longest putt he holed to convert them was just over three metres…
Wiebe leads a classification that, right now, is a very timely reflection of the essence of the DP World Tour: the top eight are from eight different nationalities (USA, Germany, Denmark, South Africa, Sweden, Spain, India and Canada). And within the 22 players that make up the top ten we still find another six nationalities (France, Scotland, Italy, England, Switzerland and Finland). What a melting pot. If this circuit is not essential, let God come and see…
Two Spanish players, by the way, are within that top ten, Adrián Otaegui (-7), who will start tomorrow just two strokes behind the leader in the penultimate match, and Adri Arnaus (-5), who today has handed in a card at par, but who has actually saved a day that was getting complicated at times, especially due to the irregularity shown from the tee. Just outside the top ten is Gonzalo Fernández Castaño (-4), who has got over the black Friday he suffered last week in Holland with a superb end to the round (three birdies in the last four holes), which could have been even better, as on the 16th hole he was about to hole from the fairway for an eagle…
Once again, the performance of Ángel Ayora (-3) must be valued. The young Andalusian today signed a 72, one over par, but he has already made the cut in five of the six European circuit tournaments he has played. Serious stuff at just 19 years old. Also playing at the weekend will be Manu Elvira (-2), Ángel Hidalgo (-1) and Pablo Larrazábal (-1), who will still have something to say in Italian lands if they really get moving this Saturday, as the difference with the lead (eight strokes), and especially with the top ten (four strokes), is not insurmountable.
