Carlos Pigem and Ayora, two strokes behind, maintain their options in the Challenge of Cadiz that is being played at the Iberostar Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri where the German Hammer and the Swedish Lemke are leading with 7 strokes under par. With two rounds to go, and after the cut, only 7 strokes differentiate the first from the last classified so there are two days of great golf in Andalusia.
Second day of Challenge de Cádiz at the Iberostar Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti PetriA cool day, with some wind and moments of drizzle, and with complicated flag positions that have been reflected in the results; the best round of the day, 6 under par, was made by the Swede Mikael Lindberg to climb from 63rd to 11th place and give himself options for the weekend. However, it is a German, Marc Hammer (winner of the Euram Bank Open in 2022), who today made 67 strokes, and a Swede, Niclas Lemke, one of the oldest, 40 years old, who is looking for his first victory, who dominate with only one stroke of advantage in the classification before the stalking of the Spaniards, who are coming on strong.
Carlos Pigem has returned to the Asian Tour, where he was already competing for 4 seasons (2013-17) and where he won a tournament, and to which he has returned and has made a break to play the Challenge of Cadiz. Today he has started strong, with 3 birdies in the first 4 holes, bogey at the 10th solved ocn three consecutive birdies from 11 to 13 and has been able to sort the difficulties of the last holes of Santi Petri to sign a card of 65 strokes for a total of 6 under par: ” I started very well, with 3 birdies in the first 4 holes, I got a good run, then it is true that it cost me a little bit and I have been a little more stopped, a very silly bogey on the 10th with a very bad second shot to the right and from there I played very well on the 11th, 12th and 13th with three great birdies and at the end I had a birdie option but on the 18th I missed the shot and I made a very good approach and putt.
The season has been hard, traveling a lot, but it is great to play this week in this magnificent Challenge of Cadiz, to be with your friends, your family who support you, to be close to home is appreciated.
Tomorrow to hit the ball well, give yourself birdie opportunities and make putts, and above all, have a good attitude, which I think is the most important thing“.
Angel Ayora, member of the Pro Spain Team, recovered well from the start with a bogey and had a moment halfway through the round that kept him at the top of the leaderboard, but he has not had the dream finish and with 72 strokes he has been left with minus 5, only 2 behind the leaders.
“It has been a tough day, I started with a bogey on the 3rd, a difficult hole with the wind, I tried to leave myself opportunities, I made them and the beginning of the second round was the dream; I started with 4 birdies, and then the course took its toll, it has that, at the slightest carelessness, it punishes you. And so it has been, bogey, bogey and then double bogey, which was due to a bad drive to the right. But I’m looking forward to giving him a hard time tomorrow. Here two strokes is nothing, a hole for one and a hole for another, to keep fighting every shot with a cool head and see what happens.
When I played the PGA Tour tournament I realized with more reason that I want to dedicate myself to this, it is a very beautiful world, I learned a lot watching that category of players, the level was brutal, and seeing that makes you want to keep training, keep improving, keep learning to be able to get there someday. Tomorrow I will go very much in the present, very stroke by stroke, looking at the wind that today has taken its toll on me, which you know where it comes from, but in the second round, between pines it confuses a little bit; and leaving me birdie opportunities, which will come. “.
Today has been made the cut in the classification, which has remained at par and have passed a total of 75 players, including 11 Spaniards: Carlos Pigem (-6), Angel Ayora Pro Spain Team (-5), David Borda (-4), Borja Virto (-4), Scott Fernandez (-1), Javier Sainz Pro Spain (-1), Quim Vidal Pro Spain ( -1), Joel Moscatel Pro Spain (-1), Ignacio Sanchez Palencia (P), Asier Aguirre (P), Alfonso Buendia (P).
All of them will play the third day of the Cadiz Challenge which will start at 8.00 a.m. and the leaders’ match will start at 12.39 a.m., all from the 1st tee.
The Challenge de Cádiz is sponsored by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Diputación de Cádiz, the Challenge Tour, and the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation, as well as the Consejo Superior de Deportes, the Junta de Andalucía, the two Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, Kyocera (official printing services), Allianz, Mahou San Miguel, Solán de Cabras, AON, Halcón Viajes, Volvo, Titleist, Tag Heuer, Iberdrola, TOA Shoes, Farma Dorsch, Marqués de Arviza, Licor Mediterráneo and Viamed under the organization of JGolf.
