David GonzalezThe English Open supported by HotelPlanner has reached that deliciously awkward stage where everyone near the top looks calm, nobody quite believes it, and one loose swing can turn a promising weekend into a long walk with a scorecard that bites back.
John Catlin and George Bloor will head into the weekend sharing the lead on ten under par after a second day that rewarded discipline, punished impatience, and reminded the field that golf has a fine sense of mischief.
Catlin, the American with three DP World Tour victories already in the bank, signed for a six under par 66. Bloor, flying the English flag with rather less fuss but plenty of resolve, joined him late in the day after a three under par 69.
Together, they sit two shots clear of Belgian Matthis Besard, who holds solo third on eight under, with German Dominic Foos, South African Justin Walters, Sweden’s Per Längfors and England’s Will Enefer one further back on seven under.
Catlin Finds Control When It Matters
Catlin began on the tenth and opened with a birdie, which is always a civilised way to start a round. The difficult par-three 11th then relieved him of a shot, but that proved to be his only blemish of the day.
Thereafter, the 35-year-old looked increasingly assured. A birdie at the 13th steadied things, another gain followed before the turn, and further progress came at the second before back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth pushed him clear at the top.
By the time he reached the par-five eighth, Catlin had gathered another birdie, his seventh of the day. A sharp up-and-down at the ninth sealed a day’s work that was tidy, efficient and largely free of unnecessary theatre — which, in professional golf, is usually how money is made.
“It was very solid today,” he said.
“I’ve been struggling a little bit with my ball striking, but that’s been very solid the first two rounds. It gave me a lot of opportunities, and I was able to hole some putts, which is always nice.
“That’s what we’re looking for. The combination results in good scores, and I’m looking to continue that.”
A DP World Tour Return Is Firmly In Catlin’s Sights
Catlin’s presence near the top of the English Open leaderboard carries a little extra weight. He is not merely chasing a trophy. He is chasing momentum, status and a route back to the DP World Tour, where he has already proved he can win.
After spending much of the past two years on the Asian Tour, where he topped the Order of Merit in 2024, Catlin is back on European soil and making his second appearance on the 2026 Road to Mallorca.
There is no mystery about his motivation. He has been there, won there, and would quite like another go.
“Obviously being here, I want to play well, and it would be nice to get my DP World Tour card back,” he added.
“I had six, seven great years out there and multiple wins and would love to add more to that. That’s definitely in the frame and something I’m focusing on.”
That is about as close as golfers get to saying the quiet bit loudly. Catlin knows exactly what is at stake. He also knows that knowing is the easy part.
Bloor Scraps His Way Into A Share Of The Lead
If Catlin’s round was polished, Bloor’s had a slightly more stubborn flavour. He began three shots behind Catlin’s clubhouse target and immediately chipped away with a birdie at his opening hole.
A dropped shot at the par-three fifth briefly checked his progress, but Bloor responded with two birdies before the turn. Another gain arrived at the 13th, only to be cancelled out two holes later, before he reached the par-five 16th in two and converted a routine birdie to pull level at ten under.
The final hole then supplied the sort of nuisance that tends to appear just when a player would rather sign the card and find a sandwich. Bloor found trouble at the 18th but produced a fine up-and-down, holing a ten-footer to stay alongside Catlin.
“It was nice to seal the day with that ten-foot putt at the end,” Bloor said.
“It was very rewarding. I think more than anything every shot counts out here. We play 72 holes and more than often there’s one shot in it at the end.
“The more you can hole and pick away at gives you a better shout come Sunday afternoon. Today was a much tougher day with the wind and with the greens getting firmer too. I had to minimise errors and play strategically. Fortunately, I played some nice golf coming in.”
Firmer Greens, More Wind, Less Room For Vanity
Bloor’s comments pointed to the changing complexion of the tournament. The wind was more of a factor on day two, while firmer greens demanded a sharper mind and a less heroic relationship with the flagstick.
That combination tends to separate the patient from the theatrical. It also explains why his closing par mattered. In a 72-hole tournament, momentum is not always built with birdies. Sometimes it is protected with a nerveless putt after a mild expedition into bother.
Catlin, too, will know the weekend is unlikely to be a simple exercise in fairways, greens and polite applause. Two rounds have put him exactly where he wants to be, but they have not given him anything permanent.
Bloor, meanwhile, has home interest, a share of the lead and the satisfaction of having already proved he can absorb a difficult day without being knocked sideways.
Besard Leads The Chase As Weekend Begins
Behind the leading pair, Matthis Besard sits alone in third on eight under, close enough to be dangerous and far enough back to avoid carrying the full glare of the lead.
Dominic Foos, Justin Walters, Per Längfors and Will Enefer are all on seven under, forming the kind of chasing pack that can make a leaderboard twitchy very quickly. One early run on Saturday and the tournament changes shape before lunch.
The third round of the English Open supported by HotelPlanner begins at 7:25am on Saturday, with Catlin and Bloor teeing off together at 12:45pm.
By then, the pleasantries will be largely over. Catlin has the pedigree, Bloor has the nerve, and the rest have just enough proximity to make life uncomfortable. Golf, being golf, will now spend two days pretending to be orderly before doing something faintly ridiculous.
