Al Houara Classic Round 2

Ireland's Alex Maguire and England's Joseph Pagdin emerged from a grueling Friday in Tangier as co-leaders, sitting at 6-under-par heading into the final round. Maguire, who grew up playing in similar blustery conditions on the Irish coast, displayed remarkable grit to card a 1-under 71 despite the 40 km/h gusts.

His "boring but effective" approach—aiming for the centers of greens and limiting mistakes—allowed him to maintain his position at the summit after a round that featured two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine. Joining him at the top is Pagdin, who showed immense composure to navigate the wind-swept back nine and remain in a share of the lead.

The duo holds a slender one-shot advantage over former Ryder Cup star Chris Wood, whose experience in difficult conditions was evident as he moved to 5-under. Fellow Irishman Mark Power remains a major threat after posting a second consecutive 70 to sit just two strokes back at 4-under.

The cut was eventually made at 10-over par, a testament to the brutal scoring conditions that saw even seasoned professionals struggle to keep their ball in play.