Staff WriterSouth African JC Ritchie is once again making himself comfortable at the top of a leaderboard. The six-time HotelPlanner Tour winner fired a blistering nine-under-par 63 on Friday to take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Italian Challenge Open at Golf Nazionale.
Fresh off his victory in Portugal just last week, Ritchie is chasing back-to-back titles and the kind of momentum most players can only dream of. At 12-under for the week, he’s holding off a hungry chasing pack that includes Spaniards Rocco Repetto Taylor and Albert Boneta, Sweden’s Christofer Rahm, and England’s Will Enefer—all just a stroke behind.
Ritchie’s Round of Precision
Starting on the back nine, Ritchie looked like a man who’d brought a sledgehammer to a putting contest. Three birdies early on set the tone, before another six on the inward stretch turned his card into a work of art.
“That was close to perfect,” Ritchie said, hardly breaking a sweat. “I hit the ball super well. We’ve got an absolute perfect day out here, there’s no wind to talk about, it’s 30 degrees and sunny.
“I ripped it the first six holes and didn’t make anything. I made a crucial par putt on seven which got my day going, then made a couple of birdies around the turn. I made about a 90-foot putt up the hill on 13 and that really kick-started me making some putts.”
That monster roll on 13 wasn’t just a confidence boost—it was the golfing equivalent of slamming the door on his rivals.
The Road to Mallorca and Beyond
Ritchie’s season has been a study in momentum. His triumph at the German Challenge in July and last week’s win at the Open de Portugal have him sitting second in the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
Another win here in Italy would not only guarantee automatic promotion to the DP World Tour, but also catapult him to the top of the rankings.
“This is my third season with multiple wins so I’d like to get three, that would be really nice, but for now that’s not the goal,” he said. “I feel like the win last week did a lot for me. I didn’t realise until after the week how tough it actually was. It’s lifted my confidence this week with a few more putts going in which is always nice.
“It’s always nice to be in contention, but I’ll just keep doing my job.”
The Chasers
Overnight leader Lars van der Vight slipped back slightly but remains very much in the hunt at ten-under, joined by Swedish duo Tobias Jonsson and Robin Petersson, England’s George Bloor and Spaniard Borja Virto.
All know they’ll need something special on moving day if they’re to keep pace with the South African.
Moving Day Awaits
The third round of the Italian Challenge Open begins at 8:30 a.m. local time on Saturday. Ritchie will tee it up in the marquee group alongside Repetto Taylor and Enefer at 12:25 p.m., aiming to keep his foot firmly on the accelerator.
If he carries this form through the weekend, the only thing standing between JC Ritchie and the DP World Tour may just be the Italian sunshine.
