Carlos Ortiz took control of the Bmw International Open 2026 on Friday, carding a second consecutive 5-under 67 and reaching 10-under overall after two rounds in Munich. He held the lead once the morning wave was complete, leaving the afternoon groups to try to catch him.
The chase had plenty of familiar names in it. Adrian Meronk was 8-under overall after a 3-under 69 in Round 2, while Joaquin Niemann and Abraham Ancer sat at 6-under through two rounds after matching rounds of 2-under 70 and 4-under 68. Victor Perez was 5-under overall after a 5-under 67, and Sebastian Munoz and Josele Ballester both remained inside the top 50 after even-par 72s.
That depth is why the lead was still fragile when Ortiz finished. Ten LIV Golf stars were in the field this week at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried in Germany, and several had already posted under-par work on Thursday before Ortiz separated himself with six birdies and one bogey. He and Meronk had started the tournament tied for 12th after matching 67s on Thursday, two shots off the lead, which shows how quickly the board has moved in two days.
But the picture was not fully settled. Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia were still on the course in the afternoon wave and both were well down the leaderboard, so the final shape of the top of the board still depended on how that side of the draw held up. Byeong Hun An, meanwhile, was 1-over overall after a 1-under 71 and would miss the cut.
The day also ran through another LIV Golf name in a different event. Ian Poulter, making his senior major debut at the U.S. Senior Open in Columbus, shot an even-par 70 in the first round and was scheduled to tee off at 2:09 p.m. ET on Friday for Round 2. For Ortiz, the number that mattered most was already on the board. The afternoon wave had one job left: prove it could reach him.
