Reigning EMC Challenge Open champion Ricardo Gouveia made a significant move in the second round at Olgiata GC, shooting a two under par 69 to climb ominously to joint second place.
The Portuguese, who claimed a maiden Challenge Tour victory when he won a play-off against Germany’s Florian Fritsch here 12 months ago, made five birdies in tough scoring conditions to lie four shots behind leader Matteo Delpodio.
The 24 year old has had nine top ten finishes in a remarkably consistent season, including victory at the AEGEAN Airlines Challenge Tour by Hartl Resort, and credited his putting for his excellent second round scoring.
“I played really well both days,” he said. “I holed a few more putts in the second round, important putts that kept the momentum going. I finished with a bad bogey on 18 but it’s still two solid rounds.
“It’s a tough course, especially with these conditions. It’s playing very soft after all the rain, and it’s so long and so demanding – if you’re not straight off the tee, you’re not going to score well.”
Gouveia had led the Road to Oman Rankings for most of the year before losing the top spot to Sebastien Gros after the Frenchman’s victory in the Kazakhstan Open.
Intriguingly, the pair were drawn together for the opening two rounds in Rome, and even though Gouveia came out on top, six shots ahead of his rival at the halfway stage, he insisted there is no animosity between the two friends.
“It was nice playing with Seb, it’s always good to play with him,” he said. “It’s fun that we are one and two in the Rankings, so we’re really trying to beat each other out on the course – it’s nice, it’s a good feeling.
“I’m not really focusing on his game though, it can be too distracting to be in a match play mind-set. I just try to shoot the best score I can because I’m here to try to win the event, not just beat Sebastien.”
