Englishman Chris Wood looks to be the player to contend with heading to the weekend rounds of the Italian Challenge Open.
American Jhared Hack carded a bogey-free six under par round of 66 to maintain his four-stroke lead at Golf Nazionale and picking-up from where he left off on Thursday to reach 16 under for the week, four shots ahead of Wood, who had earlier set the clubhouse lead following an eight under par round of 64.
Hack came into the week knowing a top ten would see him through to next week’s Challenge de Catalunya on the Road to Mallorca but can now start to dream of the winners’ exemption that would come with a victory.
WOOD QUICKLY MAKES HIS PRESENCE FELT @HPlanner_Tour DEBUT …..
MENA TOUR No. 1⃣ Chris Wood shoots super 6⃣4⃣ to be second heading to closing two rounds Italian Challenge Open at Golf Nazionale
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— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) May 8, 2026
“I hung in there today,” Hack said. “I’m proud of myself for staying patient, sticking to my goals, and keeping it pretty stress free.”
“I hit a great shot into 17 that was playing 213 yards today, hit a good five iron to four feet, and hit a really nice shot into 18 too.”
“It’s always great when you can make five birdies in a row.”
Wood superbly muscled his way into lead after the morning wave, posting a stunning eight under 64 meaning he will enter his first weekend back on the HotelPlanner Tour at 12 under par.
Wood will be hoping to put the pressure on Hack, with the pair in the final group in tomorrow’s third round alongside England’s
imself.
“It was nice to give myself a lot of chances today, but I’ve got a long road ahead of me to get back to where I want to be playing, and how I want to be playing,” he said.
Brown sits in a tie for third alongside Scotsman Will Porter on 11 under par, one stroke ahead of American Nick Carlson and Englishman Alfie Plant, who share fifth position.
Italian Alessandro Nodari, Englishman Will Enefer, Frenchman Pierre Pineau, Portuguese
The third round of the Italian Challenge Open gets under way on Saturday at 08:00am local time, with Hack teeing off alongside Wood and Brown at 12:15pm.
FOOTNOTE ON WOOD’S RETURN ….
The former Ryder Cup player and BMW PGA Championship winner earned his spot on the Road to Mallorca following three wins on the MENA Tour, good enough to capture the No. 1 Order of Merit title.
The Englishman, who has tasted victory three times on Golf’s Global Tour, expressed his gratitude at the opportunity presented by the MENA Tour to take the step up so quickly.
“I only entered because I needed somewhere to play and wanted to play which is a big difference from the last few years of actually not wanting to play to a degree,” said Wood.
“I really enjoyed it. I played six events and won three, but I just enjoyed the overall feel of the Tour.
“I won the order or merit early and knew that I could plan for the rest of the year, so for me it was amazing. I’m proud of myself for going down to play but also grateful to the Tour for the work they put in to create the pathway.”
Wood missed the cut at Final Stage DP World Tour Q-School last year by a single shot, but although he takes assurance from his recent performances, he said he never lost belief in his ability to win.
“I don’t think you ever lose that winning feeling, or that want to win. It’s very nice to win events at whatever level. You can gain confidence from that,” he added.
“I felt at times that my mind got me over the line in those wins more so than my actual game, so I was proud of myself for winning that way as well.”
This week’s Italian Challenge Open marks the start of ten straight HotelPlanner Tour events in Europe, following four tournaments in South Africa and one in India to start the year.
Scores after round two:
128 J HACK (USA) 62 66,
132 C WOOD (ENG) 68 64,
133 B BROWN (ENG) 67 66, W PORTER (SCO) 70 63,
134 N CARLSON (USA) 69 65, A PLANT (ENG) 67 67,
135 H BROWN (DEN) 68 67, A NODARI (ITA) 67 68, W ENEFER (ENG) 69 66, P PINEAU (FRA) 66 69, T GOUVEIA (POR) 68 67,
136 L MEMEO (ITA) 68 68, J VECCHI FOSSA (ITA) 68 68, S FRIEDRICHSEN (DEN) 67 69, P FIGUEIREDO (POR) 66 70, J AGERSCHOU (DEN) 70 66,
