Jorge Campillo, a Spaniard who participates in both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, did not fall victim to bogeys in the first 36 holes of the Estrella Damm Andalucia Masters in Sotogrande, thus establishing a four-stroke lead for the weekend. As Jon Rahm, 14th in global rankings, had his fourth run on the European circuit to retain hopes for next year’s Ryder Cup and ended tied-sixth with a round two score of 66 for 136, it was 38-year-old Campillo who took centre stage, scoring 65 for an overall 15-under-par 129.
Campillo demonstrated prowess with five birdies and a remarkable eagle two on the 11th Par 4, granting him a four-stroke lead over England’s Dan Brown. Meanwhile, Tom McKibbin, the only Irish player, finished on 140 in tied-35th after a challenging round 73 marred by consecutive bogeys.
In spite of winning three DP World Tour events in Qatar, Morocco and the Kenya Open just last year, Campillo yet longs for a tournament win in Europe or his home country, Spain. Campillo, who has been playing consistently for nine consecutive weeks in Europe since joining the DP World Tour at the Danish Open after his American season, expressed a positive outlook towards the tournament.
Although reflective of his position after 36 holes at the KLM Open last year where he ended 29th, Campillo remains cautious about the abundant golf to be played over the weekend.
McKibbin, despite featuring in the top-10 six times this season and being on track for one of the 10 PGA Tour cards available for 2025, had a more difficult second day. His performance was hindered by initial bogeys that put him at a disadvantage.
A 21-year-old man from Belfast was initially successful, managing birdies on the fifth, sixth, and 14th holes, but ended on a low note with consecutive bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes.
From the Challenge Tour, Conor Purcell, a Dubliner, successfully built upon his first round 63, achieving a 69 in the subsequent round. This gave him a total of 10-under-par 132 at the halfway stage, placing him in tied-third place. He was just one shot behind the joint leading players, Wenyi Ding and Ben Schmidt, at the Hangzhou Open in China, which is the second-last event for the season.
As it stands, Purcell is ranked 12th in the Challenge Tour order of merit. However, after next month’s Rolex Grand Final, the top 20 players will all receive full DP World Tour cards. Targeting a strong finish over the weekend, Purcell hopes to ascend in the rankings.