Ricardo Gouveia posted an impressive seven under par round of 63 at the Challenge de España to join brother Tomas at the top of the leaderboard on day two.
The Portuguese brothers reached seven under par at Club de Golf Playa Serena alongside Italian Andrea Pavan, England’s Jack Senior, Switzerland’s Benjamin Rusch and overnight leader Kristoffer Broberg.
Ricardo Gouveia, a six-time Challenge Tour winner, carded seven birdies in his blemish free second round and he was delighted to see his brother alongside him at the top of the leaderboard.
“I played really well today,” he said. “I was very solid from the beginning. I made just a few mistakes and when I did, I managed to recover well.
“I haven’t played well over the last few weeks, but my golf is coming back to me, and I hope it goes well for the weekend.
“Last year my brother had Challenge Tour category, but I played on the DP World Tour, so we didn’t have the chances that we are having this season to play together.
“It is great to play with him like we used to do when we were kids. It is great to both be up there on the leaderboard”.
Five-time Challenge Tour winner Pavan maintained his strong form in 2023, currently sitting in tenth position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, and he was pleased to see the putts drop at Club de Golf Playa Serena.
“I’m very pleased with my round today,” he said. “Six under par is a great score anywhere and I was delighted to see the putts go in today. My approach play was good today and I actually holed out with a wedge from 65 yards on the first which was a nice bonus.
“You have to be patient out there and take your chances when they come which is easier said than done. I’ve played pretty well over the two days and my accuracy off the tee has been key. I’ve worked hard on my driver a lot over the last few years and my misses are now in play.
“I’m also striving for better, but I feel like I am on the right path. I’m in a great position heading into the weekend and I’m going to keep doing my own thing and hopefully I am in contention come Sunday.”
Three-time DP World Tour winner Brandon Stone occupies seventh position on six under par alongside France’s Benjamin Hébert, Swede Joakim Wikström and Englishman Sam Hutsby.
The third round will get under way at 8:00am local time tomorrow, with Ricardo Gouevia teeing it up alongside Senior and Pavan at 9:50am.
