Carlos Ortiz grabbed the clubhouse lead during the Friday morning wave at the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany, after carding his second consecutive 5-under-par 67.
The performance brought Ortiz to 10-under overall through two rounds at Golfclub München Eichenried, placing him ahead of a 156-player field that features 10 LIV Golf competitors.
First-Round Leaders
South Africans Jayden Schaper and Hennie du Plessis had previously established the early tournament pace by shooting matching, bogey-free rounds of 8-under-par 64 to share the first-round lead on Thursday.
Schaper, who recorded two chip-ins during his opening round, expressed comfort with the German layout after putting himself in position to potentially become the first three-time winner on the 2026 Race to Dubai.
"I think just coming into the event, I know the course, I'm comfortable with it," said Schaper. "I've been here a couple of years now.
I love the area, love the city, so it's always a week that I enjoy coming to."
Schaper noted that his early start on Thursday provided an advantage before the greens became more heavily trafficked later in the day.
"It was a very solid round, and it's always nice to get off to such a good start in a tournament.
The conditions this morning were just perfect and definitely allowed for a score like that," he added.
Du Plessis joined Schaper at the top of the leaderboard on Thursday following a round that featured six birdies and an eagle, bouncing back from a tough debut at the U.
S. Open.
"Bummed that I didn't birdie the 18th, well the ninth, but it was a good, solid round," said du Plessis.
"Very happy with it. I think the experience [at Shinnecock] made me a better golfer for this week."
Garcia Recovers Despite Wasp Sting
Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia recovered from a double-bogey on his 16th hole during Thursday's opening round to shoot a 1-under 71 despite being stung by a wasp.
"I started well, hit a couple of nice shots on the tenth to start with and almost made birdie," said Garcia.
"I hit a couple of really nice shots on 11 and made a very weak three-putt. Then, I almost birdied 12.
But from then on, you know, I just struggled to commit to anything I was doing."
Garcia managed five birdies later in his round to pull himself back into red numbers after his slow start.
"I guess I was lucky enough to make a few birdies coming in and kind of keep it decent," he stated.
"But it's a shame, because the course was there for the taking today with the soft conditions and ball in hand, not a lot of wind.
And unfortunately, I didn't really take advantage of that."
The Spaniard had previously suffered from illness during a qualifying event in England earlier in the week.
"That was a little bit unfortunate, but it only lasted probably nine or ten holes. Unfortunately, it took me out of the possibility of qualifying for The Open.
But the good thing is that later that afternoon it felt fine. It's okay now," explained Garcia.
Garcia also confirmed that he met with management regarding the future structure of his competitive schedule for subsequent seasons.
"It's not an if, it's how [LIV] is going to look," insisted Garcia. "It's just going to look different.
But it is going to happen."
He indicated that he plans to evaluate his future playing options before finalizing any upcoming commitments.
"And, you know, I'm looking forward to seeing my options and then make, obviously, the best decision possible.
So, you know, I think I like a lot of the things that LIV can provide going forward.
But we'll make a decision as the summer goes on," added Garcia.
The veteran competitor remains focused on his current tournament schedule as the season progresses.
"I mean, it's not final, but obviously it's something that I'm interested in, like I have been the last four years.
As the summer goes along, we'll be able to make a decision on it," said Garcia.
Local favorite Marcel Siem finished his opening round at even-par and expressed a strong desire to claim a victory in his home country.
"The BMW International Open is the most important week of my year.
I'll keep coming back until I win this tournament – even if I have to do it with a walking stick.
Now it's straight to the driving range until my fingers are sore, and then I'll come out tomorrow ready to attack," said Siem.
Matti Schmid also carded a 3-under 73 on Thursday and hoped to utilize cleaner morning conditions during his second round.
"I got off to a really good start, but the bogey on the fifth knocked me out of my rhythm.
I found it again on the back nine.
The greens were very soft, and once 100 players have already been through, they become a bit more challenging.
Tomorrow morning, with fresh greens, I'm looking to make a move," said Schmid.
Behind Ortiz on Friday, Adrian Meronk shot a 3-under 69 to reach 8-under overall, while Joaquin Niemann and Abraham Ancer sat at 6-under overall.
Tournament organizers also announced that 25 eagles were converted on Thursday, generating 25,000 euros for the Philipp Lahm Foundation via the Eagles for Education initiative.
"Together with the BMW Group, we are working to empower children for the future and for their lives.
Children have their whole lives ahead of them – and they are our future," said Philipp Lahm, foundation founder.
"Our aim is to provide them with support in three areas: physical activity, healthy eating and personal development."
Second-round play will conclude on Friday afternoon as the remaining half of the field finishes their rounds in Munich.
