Filippo Celli will work with Honor to take a lead on the weekend of Cell C Cape Town after staying at the top of the rankings the next day.
The Italian made the second round with one shot, moving under 11 after hitting five fives and fives, 11 ahead of the Spanish Porjavel racing car.
The 24-year-old is pleased to take advantage of benign early morning conditions at the historic Royal Cape Golf Club, but he was not taken away by two rounds and still left two rounds in Cape Town.
“I’m very happy because today I’m having a solid game,” he said. “Hopefully I will continue to go into the weekend with the same mindset and be patient throughout the weekend.
“Yesterday was tough, but this morning was a clear day. It was a perfect morning for golf and I did a great job. I only played two rounds, so of course I didn't finish the job. I have other ones. Two rounds, I had to focus on myself and then look at where Sunday ended.
“This week’s course is different and you have to be very accurate because it’s tight.”
Celli, who won the silver medal in the 2022 Open Championship, is pleased to see his game move in the right direction again after losing the DP World Tour last season.
“My game is good now and I feel very confident,” he said. “Golf is hard because it doesn’t always do the way you plan, and you can quickly find your form negative impact.
“I'm trying to stay here and play through the tournament. If I can continue playing like this, I think I'll be heading to the top of Mallorca's ranking at the end of the year.”
Daniel Van Tonder scored five games under five shots with 67, with his brother-in-law Malcolm Mitchell ( Malcolm Mitchell) entered third place together. Van Tonder won the opening two games of the 2025 road to Mallorca, and he will automatically be promoted to the DP World Tour, winning his third straight victory this week.
Frenchman Sébastien Gros set a new course record with a sensational 12 below 60, an incredible 20-shot difference from his 80-round opening round, now he ranks below the fourth time No. 27.
