David GonzalezHennie du Plessis took a one-shot lead into the weekend at the BMW International Open after holing a sensational 17-foot eagle putt on the 18th at Golfclub München Eichenried, turning a difficult DP World Tour Friday into something rather more useful than respectable survival.
Du Plessis Finds The Finish Munich Was Waiting For
The South African signed for a three-under-par 69 to reach 11 under, one clear of countryman Michael Hollick, Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz and England’s Jack Senior.
It was not a round that purred from the first tee and gave everyone the day off by lunchtime. Far from it. For much of the front nine, it had all the elegance of a man trying to assemble flat-pack furniture in a breeze.
Du Plessis began the second round sharing the lead with Jayden Schaper, but seven straight pars followed by a bogey at the eighth left him drifting backwards rather than stamping authority on proceedings. At the turn, he was one over for the day and in need of either a spark or a stern conversation with himself.
He found the spark on the back nine. Birdies at the 11th and 13th repaired the damage, before a dropped shot at the 15th threatened to turn the round back into a mild nuisance. Instead, Du Plessis birdied the 16th and then delivered the shot of the day at the par-five 18th, rolling in an eagle in front of the grandstand to grab the outright lead.
It was exactly the sort of finish that changes the mood of a tournament. On Thursday evening, he was a co-leader. By Friday evening, he was the man everyone else had to chase.
A Career-Best Season Still Has Room To Grow
Du Plessis is already on course for the best DP World Tour season of his career, having finished inside the top five in three consecutive starts on his home continent from late February to early March. Now he has put himself in position to become the tenth first-time winner on the DP World Tour this season.
There is a difference, of course, between being in form and being comfortable. Du Plessis sounds like a man who knows that distinction rather well. Golfclub München Eichenried is not handing out birdies with a clipboard and a smile. It asks for accuracy, patience and the sort of driving that does not require a search party.
Du Plessis said: My caddie gave me the perfect yardage, and we sort of agreed on a line, middle green, but I mean I told him you can’t give me a perfect number and not expect me to have a little go at it. So, I’m very pleased with the way I’ve been playing and what a great way to finish that tough day as well.
It’s hard to say. The wind blew a little bit more, so that’s obviously one of the factors, but I think the greens were a little different, good flags, so I don’t know. I mean, it’s hard to follow up a great round yesterday with another one. I think it was just tough out there.
I mean, you said it, it’s patience. That’s the name of the game. It was tough. I mean, I gave myself a lot of good looks. I had a couple of good up and downs early on. It’s tough to feel like you’re hitting the ball well and not really getting rewarded.
You need to keep hitting a good shot, so that’s where patience come in. You have to believe that somewhere along the line you’re going to start making a few putts and hitting a few good shots. I think I did that very well.
Why Driving Could Decide The BMW International Open
The BMW International Open has tightened into the sort of weekend contest where one loose tee shot can sour a scorecard and one brave swing can suddenly look heroic. Du Plessis was clear about the demand from the tee, especially with longer par fours becoming more manageable for those able to drive it both long and straight.
Off the tee, it has to be one of your strengths, because I think you do have a very large advantage if you hit it quite long and you manage to hit a few fairways, because the longer par fours become gettable with short irons, wedges. I think if you drive it well, then keep giving yourself putting opportunities. I think that’s pretty much what it is.
The important detail there is not simply power. It is power with manners. The fairways are narrow enough to punish optimism, and the pin positions are demanding enough to turn a missed fairway into a negotiation rather than an attack.
Du Plessis added: I think I’m comfortable with my game. I don’t necessarily say I’m comfortable around this golf course. I think it’s very demanding. As I said, you need to drive it well. Obviously putt well, so I don’t know. It’s hard to say that I’m feeling comfortable. I think I’m just comfortable with my game at the moment.
That is the right kind of confidence: not swaggering, not daft, and not pretending the course has become an obedient pet. He knows he is playing well. He also knows the weekend has teeth.
It’s fun. I haven’t been in contention since Joburg Open and SA Open, so it’s been a good nine to ten weeks since that. I’m very excited, very excited to be in the mix. It’s a pleasure to be in the mix on the DP World Tour, so I’m very happy and grateful.
Ortiz, Hollick And Senior Keep The Pressure On
Du Plessis has the lead, but not much room to breathe. Michael Hollick, Carlos Ortiz and Jack Senior sit only one shot back at ten under, which is less a cushion than a polite suggestion.
Ortiz, in particular, appears well placed for the weekend. The Mexican spoke warmly about Munich and the golf course, while also making clear that conditions have not been especially gentle.
Ortiz said: It feels good. I’m very happy to be here. Munich has been an unbelievable place to be. It’s been windy all day and the wind is a little bit stronger than yesterday.
You must be patient, take advantage of the par fives, and try to make some 20-footers. I think it probably will play a little bit harder this afternoon just because the greens get bumpier, but the golf course setup has been great. Honestly, everything has been great this week.
His assessment of the course echoed the leader’s: drive it well, find the fairways, and accept that the flags are not there for decorative purposes.
I think you have to do a little bit of everything around this golf course. You have to drive it well, it’s narrow fairways. It’s kind of narrow to hit the fairway, and if you’re not in the fairway it’s hard to be precise, and you have to be precise because the pin positions are tough. I think obviously you have to get close, but putting from 20 feet, 15 feet is going to be important this week.
That last line may well prove decisive. If the weekend turns into a contest of 15- and 20-footers, the leaderboard could move like a nervous waiter carrying soup.
Brad Dalke Adds A Curious Subplot
There is also a rather intriguing name at nine under. YouTube star Brad Dalke followed an opening 69 with a 66 on Friday to move into a tie for fifth alongside Paul Waring, Frederic Lacroix and Joe Dean.
Dalke is not merely an online curiosity being dropped into a leaderboard for colour. He was the U.S. Amateur runner-up in 2016 and appeared in both the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open in 2017. This week marks his first appearance in a world-ranked tournament since playing on the Korn Ferry Tour six years ago.
That makes him one of the weekend’s more watchable stories. Golf has become increasingly comfortable mixing traditional competitive pathways with modern media profiles, but the scorecard remains brutally old-fashioned. It does not care how many subscribers you have. It wants numbers. Dalke, so far, has provided them.
European Swing And Open Spots Add Extra Bite
The BMW International Open is also the sixth and final event of the DP World Tour’s European Swing, which gives the weekend more than ordinary leaderboard tension. The leading available Member not otherwise exempt from the European Swing Rankings will earn exemption into next week’s Genesis Scottish Open.
There is also Open Championship significance. The first five DP World Tour members, and any DP World Tour members tying for fifth place, not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings after the BMW International Open will qualify for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale.
That is the sort of background pressure that can make a Saturday feel heavier than the score alone suggests. For some, this is about chasing a first DP World Tour win. For others, it is about playing their way into bigger rooms.
For Du Plessis, the equation is simpler and far more difficult: keep driving it well, keep accepting the course’s demands, and keep the putter warm enough to worry everyone else.
The eagle at the last gave him the lead. The weekend will tell us whether it gave him something even more valuable: belief with a pulse.
