BMW International Open 2015: Cabrera-Bello defends his lead – Early end for Kaymer.

Munich. A Spaniard on top, all change elsewhere on the leaderboard, and a disappointed Martin Kaymer: round two of the BMW International Open offered the 16,500 spectators at Golfclub München Eichenried not only high-class golf, but also a dramatic finale.

The outright leader after 36 holes is Rafa Cabrera-Bello (-12). The 31-year-old continued an impressive run at the BMW International Open: Cabrera-Bello has finished at the top of the leaderboard after the last six rounds at the tournament. Last year he narrowly missed out on victory at Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof, losing out to Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay, -2) in a spectacular play-off. “I am exactly where I want to be, and my game is in good shape,” said Cabrera-Bello. “I have the feeling that things are going my way. However, there is still a long way to go.” The leader’s closest rival is James Morrison (England), who shot up the leaderboard courtesy of a round of 66.

Martin Kaymer (-1) ensured that there was also plenty of drama further down the field. Having put his tee shot on the 18th into the water, the 2008 BMW International Open winner was involved in lengthy discussions to establish exactly where to drop the ball for his third shot. A missed putt resulted in a dropped shot and the two-time major winner missing the cut. “I fought back well and played a lot of good shots. Unfortunately I made too few putts. The 18th was obviously a bitter way to end. It is very disappointing, particularly here in Germany,” said Kaymer.

The best-placed German is Marcel Schneider. The 25-year-old followed up his impressive opening round of 68 with a steady 70 on Friday and now goes into the weekend tied in 13th place on six under par. “I have been hitting the ball really well so far,” said Schneider. “That obviously gives you a lot of confidence. For a change I opted not to take a week’s break before the BMW International Open this year. Instead I played another tournament. That seems to have had a positive effect. I feel fantastic going into the weekend, and the big crowds are giving me plenty of motivation.”

Local favourite Florian Fritsch (-4) also made it through to the weekend in 38th place, while Max Kieffer (-3) improved after a difficult opening round to book his ticket for rounds three and four. The BMW Golfsport Ambassador said: “It is always nice to finish with a birdie. I am not unhappy so far. Yesterday I did not really play my best golf, but there were a lot of good shots in there today. I am pleased to be around for the weekend. The pressure is off now, and I can enjoy the tournament even more.”

German fans at Golfclub München Eichenried can also look forward to seeing Marcel Siem (-3) and Anton Kirstein (-3) on Saturday and Sunday. “I have made my first cut of the year on the European Tour. I don’t care about anything else – and will really go for it tomorrow.”

In stark contrast, the tournament is already over after two days for a number of the big names in the field. Camilo Villegas (+3, Colombia) is among those to have missed the cut, as did Y.E. Yang (+7, South Korea) Nicolas Colsaerts (-2, Belgium), Zanotti and Matteo Manassero (+6, Italy). BMW Golfsport Ambassador Dominic Foos (+2) and Stephan Jäger (+8) also saw their tournament come to a premature end after just two rounds.