Ayora hits front as List keeps within striking distance
Angel Ayora has shot a bogey-free round of 65 to put himself top of the leaderboard after day two of the Italian Open while Australia's Danny List remains firmly in contention.
Englishman Dan Bradbury held the clubhouse lead heading into the second day, but he sits a shot behind in a tie for second despite going two under par for the day.
Ghana-born List, meanwhile, who is in his first year on the tour, followed up an opening-round 68 with a 67 on Friday to leave himself four shots off the lead.
Ayora was two shots behind the leader coming into the second day in Monte Argentario and after the 20-year-old started with eight straight pars, he holed four successive birdies from the ninth to reach nine under.
Bradbury's day got off to the worst possible start as he double bogeyed the first, but he recovered with five birdies, along with another dropped shot, to remain in contention.
Sitting in second alongside Bradbury at eight under were the trio of Martin Couvra, Andreas Halvorsen and Marcel Schneider.
Frenchman Couvra fired the lowest round of the day, hitting eight birdies and a bogey in his 63 to sit in the chasing pack behind Ayora.
Adrien Saddier is alone in sixth after he produced his lowest round of season so far with a six-under 64 to catapult his way into contention for a maiden DP World Tour win.
Spanish pair Ivan Cantero and Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, and Italian Francesco Laporta are all tied in seventh on six under par.
Australia's David Micheluzzi carded a 69 to be three under and six shots off the front. Elvis Smylie is two over and Jason Scrivener a further shot adrift.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Couvra ready to take the heat as List's hopes wilt
Martin Couvra is planning to stay cool and retain his Italian Open lead despite soaring temperatures after he finished the third round at the Argentario Golf Club with a one-shot lead. The Turkish Airlines Open champion, who finished with a birdie for a round of 67, ended Saturday on 11 under par, a shot clear of Argentina's Eugenio Chacarra. Australia's Danny List has faded from contention. Going into the day just four shots off the lead, he carded an unhelpful 70 to fall six shots behind. Couvra found himself two off the pace after 11 holes in Tuscany but clawed his way back to the summit after his partner, Spain's Angel Ayora, stuttered to a 70. "I'm really proud about my 18th, because I was really tired on the last few holes. It's quite difficult with the heat," the Frenchman said. "The course is so tough, so we needed to be very concentrated. I'm happy about the 18th. "There's a lot of great players here, so you have to keep going. (The lead is) only one shot. I'll try to do my best on the last 18, and that's it. "It's going to be a great experience because it's my first time being in this position. I'm really proud to be in this position and I hope to be there tomorrow." Scotland's Calum Hill moved to within three shots of the lead after a third-round 64, with England's Alex Fitzpatrick alongside him on eight under. Another Australian, David Micheluzzi, who started six shots adrift of the lead, hit a 71 to slip nine in arrears. Martin Couvra is planning to stay cool and retain his Italian Open lead despite soaring temperatures after he finished the third round at the Argentario Golf Club with a one-shot lead. The Turkish Airlines Open champion, who finished with a birdie for a round of 67, ended Saturday on 11 under par, a shot clear of Argentina's Eugenio Chacarra. Australia's Danny List has faded from contention. Going into the day just four shots off the lead, he carded an unhelpful 70 to fall six shots behind. Couvra found himself two off the pace after 11 holes in Tuscany but clawed his way back to the summit after his partner, Spain's Angel Ayora, stuttered to a 70. "I'm really proud about my 18th, because I was really tired on the last few holes. It's quite difficult with the heat," the Frenchman said. "The course is so tough, so we needed to be very concentrated. I'm happy about the 18th. "There's a lot of great players here, so you have to keep going. (The lead is) only one shot. I'll try to do my best on the last 18, and that's it. "It's going to be a great experience because it's my first time being in this position. I'm really proud to be in this position and I hope to be there tomorrow." Scotland's Calum Hill moved to within three shots of the lead after a third-round 64, with England's Alex Fitzpatrick alongside him on eight under. Another Australian, David Micheluzzi, who started six shots adrift of the lead, hit a 71 to slip nine in arrears. Martin Couvra is planning to stay cool and retain his Italian Open lead despite soaring temperatures after he finished the third round at the Argentario Golf Club with a one-shot lead. The Turkish Airlines Open champion, who finished with a birdie for a round of 67, ended Saturday on 11 under par, a shot clear of Argentina's Eugenio Chacarra. Australia's Danny List has faded from contention. Going into the day just four shots off the lead, he carded an unhelpful 70 to fall six shots behind. Couvra found himself two off the pace after 11 holes in Tuscany but clawed his way back to the summit after his partner, Spain's Angel Ayora, stuttered to a 70. "I'm really proud about my 18th, because I was really tired on the last few holes. It's quite difficult with the heat," the Frenchman said. "The course is so tough, so we needed to be very concentrated. I'm happy about the 18th. "There's a lot of great players here, so you have to keep going. (The lead is) only one shot. I'll try to do my best on the last 18, and that's it. "It's going to be a great experience because it's my first time being in this position. I'm really proud to be in this position and I hope to be there tomorrow." Scotland's Calum Hill moved to within three shots of the lead after a third-round 64, with England's Alex Fitzpatrick alongside him on eight under. Another Australian, David Micheluzzi, who started six shots adrift of the lead, hit a 71 to slip nine in arrears. Martin Couvra is planning to stay cool and retain his Italian Open lead despite soaring temperatures after he finished the third round at the Argentario Golf Club with a one-shot lead. The Turkish Airlines Open champion, who finished with a birdie for a round of 67, ended Saturday on 11 under par, a shot clear of Argentina's Eugenio Chacarra. Australia's Danny List has faded from contention. Going into the day just four shots off the lead, he carded an unhelpful 70 to fall six shots behind. Couvra found himself two off the pace after 11 holes in Tuscany but clawed his way back to the summit after his partner, Spain's Angel Ayora, stuttered to a 70. "I'm really proud about my 18th, because I was really tired on the last few holes. It's quite difficult with the heat," the Frenchman said. "The course is so tough, so we needed to be very concentrated. I'm happy about the 18th. "There's a lot of great players here, so you have to keep going. (The lead is) only one shot. I'll try to do my best on the last 18, and that's it. "It's going to be a great experience because it's my first time being in this position. I'm really proud to be in this position and I hope to be there tomorrow." Scotland's Calum Hill moved to within three shots of the lead after a third-round 64, with England's Alex Fitzpatrick alongside him on eight under. Another Australian, David Micheluzzi, who started six shots adrift of the lead, hit a 71 to slip nine in arrears.
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Perth Now
Couvra ready to take the heat as List's hopes wilt
Martin Couvra is planning to stay cool and retain his Italian Open lead despite soaring temperatures after he finished the third round at the Argentario Golf Club with a one-shot lead. The Turkish Airlines Open champion, who finished with a birdie for a round of 67, ended Saturday on 11 under par, a shot clear of Argentina's Eugenio Chacarra. Australia's Danny List has faded from contention. Going into the day just four shots off the lead, he carded an unhelpful 70 to fall six shots behind. Couvra found himself two off the pace after 11 holes in Tuscany but clawed his way back to the summit after his partner, Spain's Angel Ayora, stuttered to a 70. "I'm really proud about my 18th, because I was really tired on the last few holes. It's quite difficult with the heat," the Frenchman said. "The course is so tough, so we needed to be very concentrated. I'm happy about the 18th. "There's a lot of great players here, so you have to keep going. (The lead is) only one shot. I'll try to do my best on the last 18, and that's it. "It's going to be a great experience because it's my first time being in this position. I'm really proud to be in this position and I hope to be there tomorrow." Scotland's Calum Hill moved to within three shots of the lead after a third-round 64, with England's Alex Fitzpatrick alongside him on eight under. Another Australian, David Micheluzzi, who started six shots adrift of the lead, hit a 71 to slip nine in arrears.
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Marquez bags ninth sprint victory of season at Dutch GP
Ducati's Marc Marquez has brushed aside two practice crashes to storm to his ninth sprint victory of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix to extend his MotoGP championship lead despite starting fourth on the grid at Assen. Marquez finished ahead of his brother, Alex, of Gresini Racing and Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi claimed third place for his first sprint podium since 2023 . But pole sitter Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha crashed with four laps to go on Saturday. Marc extends his lead in the championship to 43 points over Alex going into Sunday's race while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia, third in the championship, could only manage fifth place behind VR46 Racing's Fabio Di Giannantonio. The victory will give Marc a significant psychological boost after he crashed twice in Friday's practice, as he seeks a first race win at 'The Cathedral of Speed' since 2018. "Today we breathe a lot ... because my body cannot accept another big crash like yesterday. Today I was just calm, trying to control the situations," Marc said. Quartararo had claimed his fourth pole position of the season in qualifying earlier on Saturday and the Frenchman led the pack into turn one when the lights went out. However, he had to elbow Marc out of the way into turn one after the Spaniard had a blistering start off the line, with the Ducati rider leaning so close to him that his right shoulder briefly touched Quartararo's boot. Although he led for most of lap one, Quartararo could not match the pace of the Ducati bikes as Marc eventually took the lead in the final chicane, before Alex and Bezzecchi also overtook the Frenchman. Bagnaia, meanwhile, had qualified second-fastest but he found himself going backwards when fellow Italian Di Giannantonio overtook him and moved up to fifth at the halfway mark of the sprint. Marc nearly surrendered first place when he made a rare mistake and went wide, giving Alex an opportunity to pass him, but the elder Marquez brother quickly slammed the door shut to retain the lead. Quartararo was on the limit as he pushed hard to stay with the lead group and the Yamaha rider's sprint came to an end with four laps to go when he lost his balance at turn 10 and crashed. Meanwhile Australia's Jack Miller was 14th aboard the Pramac Yamaha. Ducati's Marc Marquez has brushed aside two practice crashes to storm to his ninth sprint victory of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix to extend his MotoGP championship lead despite starting fourth on the grid at Assen. Marquez finished ahead of his brother, Alex, of Gresini Racing and Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi claimed third place for his first sprint podium since 2023 . But pole sitter Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha crashed with four laps to go on Saturday. Marc extends his lead in the championship to 43 points over Alex going into Sunday's race while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia, third in the championship, could only manage fifth place behind VR46 Racing's Fabio Di Giannantonio. The victory will give Marc a significant psychological boost after he crashed twice in Friday's practice, as he seeks a first race win at 'The Cathedral of Speed' since 2018. "Today we breathe a lot ... because my body cannot accept another big crash like yesterday. Today I was just calm, trying to control the situations," Marc said. Quartararo had claimed his fourth pole position of the season in qualifying earlier on Saturday and the Frenchman led the pack into turn one when the lights went out. However, he had to elbow Marc out of the way into turn one after the Spaniard had a blistering start off the line, with the Ducati rider leaning so close to him that his right shoulder briefly touched Quartararo's boot. Although he led for most of lap one, Quartararo could not match the pace of the Ducati bikes as Marc eventually took the lead in the final chicane, before Alex and Bezzecchi also overtook the Frenchman. Bagnaia, meanwhile, had qualified second-fastest but he found himself going backwards when fellow Italian Di Giannantonio overtook him and moved up to fifth at the halfway mark of the sprint. Marc nearly surrendered first place when he made a rare mistake and went wide, giving Alex an opportunity to pass him, but the elder Marquez brother quickly slammed the door shut to retain the lead. Quartararo was on the limit as he pushed hard to stay with the lead group and the Yamaha rider's sprint came to an end with four laps to go when he lost his balance at turn 10 and crashed. Meanwhile Australia's Jack Miller was 14th aboard the Pramac Yamaha. Ducati's Marc Marquez has brushed aside two practice crashes to storm to his ninth sprint victory of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix to extend his MotoGP championship lead despite starting fourth on the grid at Assen. Marquez finished ahead of his brother, Alex, of Gresini Racing and Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi claimed third place for his first sprint podium since 2023 . But pole sitter Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha crashed with four laps to go on Saturday. Marc extends his lead in the championship to 43 points over Alex going into Sunday's race while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia, third in the championship, could only manage fifth place behind VR46 Racing's Fabio Di Giannantonio. The victory will give Marc a significant psychological boost after he crashed twice in Friday's practice, as he seeks a first race win at 'The Cathedral of Speed' since 2018. "Today we breathe a lot ... because my body cannot accept another big crash like yesterday. Today I was just calm, trying to control the situations," Marc said. Quartararo had claimed his fourth pole position of the season in qualifying earlier on Saturday and the Frenchman led the pack into turn one when the lights went out. However, he had to elbow Marc out of the way into turn one after the Spaniard had a blistering start off the line, with the Ducati rider leaning so close to him that his right shoulder briefly touched Quartararo's boot. Although he led for most of lap one, Quartararo could not match the pace of the Ducati bikes as Marc eventually took the lead in the final chicane, before Alex and Bezzecchi also overtook the Frenchman. Bagnaia, meanwhile, had qualified second-fastest but he found himself going backwards when fellow Italian Di Giannantonio overtook him and moved up to fifth at the halfway mark of the sprint. Marc nearly surrendered first place when he made a rare mistake and went wide, giving Alex an opportunity to pass him, but the elder Marquez brother quickly slammed the door shut to retain the lead. Quartararo was on the limit as he pushed hard to stay with the lead group and the Yamaha rider's sprint came to an end with four laps to go when he lost his balance at turn 10 and crashed. Meanwhile Australia's Jack Miller was 14th aboard the Pramac Yamaha. Ducati's Marc Marquez has brushed aside two practice crashes to storm to his ninth sprint victory of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix to extend his MotoGP championship lead despite starting fourth on the grid at Assen. Marquez finished ahead of his brother, Alex, of Gresini Racing and Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi claimed third place for his first sprint podium since 2023 . But pole sitter Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha crashed with four laps to go on Saturday. Marc extends his lead in the championship to 43 points over Alex going into Sunday's race while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia, third in the championship, could only manage fifth place behind VR46 Racing's Fabio Di Giannantonio. The victory will give Marc a significant psychological boost after he crashed twice in Friday's practice, as he seeks a first race win at 'The Cathedral of Speed' since 2018. "Today we breathe a lot ... because my body cannot accept another big crash like yesterday. Today I was just calm, trying to control the situations," Marc said. Quartararo had claimed his fourth pole position of the season in qualifying earlier on Saturday and the Frenchman led the pack into turn one when the lights went out. However, he had to elbow Marc out of the way into turn one after the Spaniard had a blistering start off the line, with the Ducati rider leaning so close to him that his right shoulder briefly touched Quartararo's boot. Although he led for most of lap one, Quartararo could not match the pace of the Ducati bikes as Marc eventually took the lead in the final chicane, before Alex and Bezzecchi also overtook the Frenchman. Bagnaia, meanwhile, had qualified second-fastest but he found himself going backwards when fellow Italian Di Giannantonio overtook him and moved up to fifth at the halfway mark of the sprint. Marc nearly surrendered first place when he made a rare mistake and went wide, giving Alex an opportunity to pass him, but the elder Marquez brother quickly slammed the door shut to retain the lead. Quartararo was on the limit as he pushed hard to stay with the lead group and the Yamaha rider's sprint came to an end with four laps to go when he lost his balance at turn 10 and crashed. Meanwhile Australia's Jack Miller was 14th aboard the Pramac Yamaha.
