On a windy day in Spain, a Belgian rookie was one of the few players to learn that if you don’t play the wind, the wind is going to play you.
After hitting three bogeys early in the round, Belgian rookie Thomas Pieters rallied back to his second straight 69 to take a one-stroke lead at the Open de Espana being held at PGA Catalunya Resort.
Pieters is at 6-under 138 heading into Saturday’s play, putting him one stroke ahead of The Netherlands Joost Luiten, who shot a 69, and Englishman Eddie Pepperell, who hit a 71 on Friday.
Italy’s Francesco Molinari rode six birdies to a 5-under 67 and is two strokes off the lead.
Local favorite Sergio Garcia, ranked seventh in the world, struggled to a 2-over 74 with six bogeys and dropped to five strokes back from one.
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