Angel Ayora is heading into the weekend with a firm grip on the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final lead, supported by The R&A, after carding an impressive bogey-free 65 at Club de Golf Alcanada.
The Spaniard’s sharp play included seven birdies, boosting him to 17 under par—two shots clear of Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan, who posted an equally stellar 64.
Starting strong with a birdie at the par-five first hole, Ayora showed calm and consistency, racking up additional birdies on the fourth and seventh holes to go three under at the turn.
His birdie streak continued with gains on the 10th, 11th, 13th, and 15th holes, pushing his lead before play was temporarily halted due to lightning threats.
When the game resumed, Ayora stayed steady, parring his way in to retain the top leaderboard spot.
Currently sixth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, Ayora’s performance puts him in line to secure the top spot and become only the third Spaniard to claim the Challenge Tour Rankings title, following Carl Suneson (1999) and Alvaro Velasco (2010).
Angel Ayora: I’m very happy. I played very well just like I did yesterday and I hope to keep doing the same over the weekend.
The ball striking was important so as not to make any mistakes. I had one situation on the 12th but I made a very good chip to save it.
It’s amazing, being here in Spain, playing the last tournament of the Challenge Tour season. It’s very special.
I tried to be relaxed and playing comfortably. My game is very good, so I feel like I can do that.
You never know what can happen but I’m going to stay calm, stay patient and we’ll see what happens.
I have definitely thought about winning the Rankings at the start of the week, because it’s what I want.
Rasmus (Neergaard-Petersen) is a very good player though, and he could have a low one on Saturday or Sunday, but we’ll see what happens. He’s a very good player and it is motivation for me to play well.
Elsewhere, Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who entered the week ranked second, sits third at 12 under par, trailed by Finland’s Oliver Lindell at ten under. Frenchman Martin Couvra and Denmark’s Nicolai Kristensen share fifth at nine under, while Australian Hayden Hopewell, Hamish Brown from France, and Swedes Niklas Lemke and Björn Åkesson share seventh at seven under.
The third round will commence early at 8:33 a.m., with Ayora and Reitan teeing off in the final group at 12:45 p.m.
