Ángel Ayora leads Spaniards in second round of Open de España
Young Málaga golfer Ángel Ayora emerged as the top Spaniard with -6 after the second round of the Open de España, three shots behind leader Marco Penge of England. Jon Rahm mounted a comeback with a solid -5 round to reach -4 overall, though he regretted misses on short putts. Other Spaniards like David Puig and Rafa Cabrera-Bello also progressed in the standings.
In the second round of the Open de España at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, 21-year-old Málaga native Ángel Ayora impressed with his maturity, placing as the top Spaniard at -6 total, three shots behind leader Marco Penge (-9). Other contenders at -8 include Dane Jeff Winther, Swiss Joel Girrbach, and Canadian Aaron Cockerill. Ayora shone with a birdie from the pinaza on hole 7 and a up-and-down putt on 8 that sparked crowd ovation. "No estoy acostumbrado a este griterío", said the young player, who eyes not just the title but qualification for the Masters and Open Championship, plus a PGA Tour card. His agent, Javier Ballesteros—Seve's son—praised him: "Tiene algo intangible". Ayora reflected: "Ha sido una vuelta rara porque no estoy acostumbrado a fallar más desde el tee y estar más fino con el putt pero ha sido así. Me ha costado coger más calles", staying calm despite two consecutive bogeys.
Jon Rahm delivered a strong -5 round, with birdies on holes 12, 16, and 18, ending at -4 total and tied for 18th. "He jugado muy, muy bien. He gozado muchísimo. Una pena no estar mejor en los greens. Duele fallar tantos putts seguidos. Son greens tan pequeños y tan duros que es difícil darse oportunidades y he estado muy cerca de bandera", the Basque explained, hampered by short putt misses on holes 9, 10, 14, and 15. Tied with Rahm at -4 are David Puig, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, and Luis Masaveu. Sergio García held on at -1 total, though he self-criticized for "golpes muy malos, que no parecen de profesional", aided by a strong finish. Nine Spaniards made the cut, while Shane Lowry was eliminated at +1 and defending champion Ángel Hidalgo at +3. Joaquin Niemann scraped through at even par.
Note: Sources differ on Ayora's gap to the leader (three shots per EL PAÍS, six per EL MUNDO), but the former aligns with total scores.