Ewen Ferguson tied the course record with a bogey-free seven under par 64 to open a three stroke lead at the Soudal Open.
Related: Joost Luiten at home as he shares Soudal Open lead
The Scotsman used his knowledge and experience of windy conditions to his advantage as he moved to 11 under par at the halfway stage at Rinkven International, three ahead of Englishman Marco Penge on eight under.
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The three-time DP World Tour winner is yet to drop a shot through 36 holes in Antwerp and he subsequently holds the halfway advantage for the fourth time in his career, having previously converted two 36-hole leads at the 2022 ISPS HANDA World Invitational and the 2024 BMW International Open.
The 28-year-old got off to the perfect start with an opening birdie and quickly got to two under for the day on the third, before adding a third birdie of the day at the par four ninth to move within one of Penge’s early target.
The 2021 HotelPlanner Tour graduate picked up further gains at the 11th, 13th and 16th before getting a bonus on the par five 17th.
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After hitting his drive into the trees and narrowly avoiding the hazard, Ferguson punched out to the middle of the fairway and tried to cut a seven-wood into the tricky back-right pin, which ended right of the green. However, he pitched a perfect chip into the bank leading up to the green and watched it trickle into the hole for a seventh and final birdie of the day.
Hainan Classic winner Penge added a three under 68 to his opening 66, while six players share third place on seven under par including overnight co-leader Joost Luiten, Opening Swing winner John Parry and American Troy Merritt.
Player quotes
Ewen Ferguson: I was hitting it really well on the range before the round, and I knew it was going to be windy at the start, so my mindset was just fairways and greens — nothing too fancy. I’ve got a new putter in play this week, and it felt good in practice. I rolled a nice one on the first for birdie, which was a great way to start, and it kind of just flowed from there, really.
Don’t get me wrong, even my bad shots today still gave me something to work with. I managed to make something out of them, which was key. The game can kick you sometimes, so when you do get a good break here or there, it’s nice to take advantage of it.
I felt like I was really in control of my ball in the wind. I was holding shots up into the right-to-left breeze, hitting little draws into left pins — like on 9, where I made birdie. I think that’s so important in conditions like this. I was never standing over the ball thinking, ‘Oh no, this is going to get taken the wrong way by the wind.’ That control made a big difference.
Marco Penge: It was pretty similar to yesterday. I got off to a great start, beginning on the back nine — played really well through 10 and 11. It’s a bit of a shame to only finish my back nine at level par, because I felt like I played really solid tee to green, and my putting feels good. Overall, it was a solid performance.
Mindset and attitude are two of my biggest focuses. I try to stay on an even keel no matter how things are going, and I think that plays a big part in those consistency stats. Seeing that kind of stat again after last week is just a nice reminder that I’m doing the right things. And yeah, it’s always nice to bounce back with a birdie after a bogey.
