JC Ritchie takes one-shot lead at German Challenge after ten-birdie second round. He surged to the top of the leaderboard at the German Challenge powered by VcG with a dazzling display of shot-making on day two at Wittelsbacher Golfclub, carding ten birdies en route to a second-round 66.
The South African’s roller-coaster round, featuring ten birdies and four bogeys, moved him to 11-under-par for the week—just one stroke clear of England’s Tom Lewis and Italy’s Enrico Di Nitto, who share second heading into the weekend.
Ritchie made an electric start, firing six birdies in his opening seven holes to seize control of the leaderboard. Now eyeing his fifth HotelPlanner Tour title—and his first since 2022—the 31-year-old credited both confidence and composure for his standout performance.
“I’m chuffed with that round,” Ritchie said post-round. “It was a bit of a roller coaster, but mostly good. I came out confident this morning and absolutely pinned it on the front nine. To keep it hot like that is always fun.”
Despite cooling slightly on the back nine, Ritchie remained composed, managing three birdies and three bogeys over his final stretch to maintain his slim advantage.
“It’s tricky when you’ve got a roud like that going, dealing with the nerves. You want to win it now—but that’s the beauty of this game. I’m proud of how I handled myself coming in.”
Ritchie’s form has been building throughout the season. With four top-10 finishes already and a current ranking of sixth in the Road to Mallorca Standings, the South African appears to be reaping the rewards of hard work and persistence.
“The past two years were tough—losing my DP World Tour card, and not reclaiming it last year,” he admitted. “But I put my head down and worked hard through December and into the new season. Now, it feels like everything’s starting to settle in.”
Behind him, France’s overnight leader Julien Quesne dropped to a share of fourth at nine-under, joining Spain’s Luis Masaveu and New Zealand’s Sam Jones. A tightly packed leaderboard sees Englishmen Chris Paisley and Joshua Berry, along with France’s Oihan Guillamoundeguy, sitting one stroke further back at eight-under-par.
The third round tees off Saturday at 8:00 a.m. local time, with Ritchie set to play in the final group alongside Lewis and Di Nitto at 11:48 a.m. Local fans and international viewers alike will be watching closely as the race for the title intensifies in Bavaria.
About the HotelPlanner Tour
The HotelPlanner Tour, formerly the Challenge Tour, had its first official season in 1989, and has developed into a proven training ground, where the champions-in-waiting compete across the globe for a place on the DP World Tour.
Many players who have progressed from the HotelPlanner Tour have gone on to become Major Champions – including Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooks Koepka – and Ryder Cup stars, such as Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Nicolai Højgaard and Tyrrell Hatton.
Using its vast international schedule and relationships with golf federations and PGAs, the HotelPlanner Tour is widely accessible to professionals from across the globe, giving players from developing golfing nations the opportunity to test their skill amongst some of the most talented up and coming stars in world golf.
HotelPlanner, a leading travel technology company, has been the title partner of the HotelPlanner Tour since the start of the 2025 season.
About the European Tour group
The European Tour group administers the DP World Tour, the HotelPlanner Tour, the Legends Tour and the G4D Tour and, as the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe LLP, stages golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup, in partnership with the PGA of America.
The European Tour group has Strategic Partnerships with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, the China Golf Association (CGA), the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA), and the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India. These partnerships provide global pathways for players from across the world to compete internationally on the DP World Tour, the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group which was established in 1972, as well as the HotelPlanner Tour.
