ONLY THREE SCOTS MAKE ABU DHABI CUT
Only three Scots made the halfway cut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship today.
Paul Lawrie (68-73), Craig Lee (73-68) and David Drysdale (70-71) are T41 on three-under-par 141. Out went Richie Ramsay (74-69), Marc Warren (69-75), Scott Jamieson (70-75) and Chris Doak (76-75).
Martin Kaymer leads with 13-under-par 131
while Rory McIlroy has his first tour ace
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
US Open champion Martin Kaymer matched his 36-hole scoring record of 13 under par at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship to enter the final two rounds of this year’s event a stroke clear of Thomas Pieters on a day when World Number One Rory McIlroy had the first hole in one of his European Tour career.
The German’s 67 on day two saw him equal the mark he set back in 2008 en route to the first of three titles so far at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, and thanks to a flawless round of five birdies in the desert sunshine, he is in pole position to make it four this weekend.
Only 30 himself, Kaymer will be the elder statesman in the final group on Saturday when he tees it up alongside Pieters, who is some eight years his junior.
The Belgian, who is in only his second season as part of The Race to Dubai, dropped a shot at the ninth, his last, but that did little to dampen an exemplary day on which he signed for a 67 to lie a shot adrift with two rounds to go.
As a result of his ace at the par three 15th hole, thanks to a pin-point nine iron from 177 yards, McIlroy carded a 66 to earn a place in the penultimate group on Moving Day.
He will play alongside England's James Morrison, who will start two shots further adrift on Saturday, as he looks to improve on an Abu Dhabi record that has seen him unable to make the cut in three previous starts.
Morrison is alongside America's Peter Uihlein in a tie for fourth, with the pair a shot clear of Australia’s Richard Green, and two-time 2014 tournament winner Alexander Levy, who are both five strokes adrift of Kaymer’s leading mark.
Playing alongside McIlroy on day two, America’s Rickie Fowler carded a triple-bogey on the par five eighth, which, alongside two bogeys and a couple of birdies, saw him round in three-over 75 for a two-under tally of 142. He made the cut with a shot to spare.
QUOTES
Martin Kaymer (-13)
“I guess it's the greens that I love here, as I can read them very well and my stroke always feels good when I come here.
“Again, today, I didn't miss many fairways, which gives you the opportunity to go for a lot of flags, and to be honest, I really believe the golf course plays two or three shots tougher in the morning than in the afternoon.
Once you miss the fairway you're in that thick, wet grass and then it's almost impossible to get home in two on the par fours, so I was therefore very happy to shoot five under today.
“When you start in the morning you have to shoot a good score because the greens are good and there's no wind, but I see it the other way around, and I don't see anything. I just see it as a bigger challenge, and therefore I don't expect myself to shoot five or six under par.
“I don't know what they are going to do with the golf course (tomorrow), maybe they will change a few tee boxes and make it a little bit more scorable tomorrow. Obviously you expect yourself to make even more birdies in that case though.
“What I said yesterday, though, is that it's important you don't compare yourself to the last two rounds and just keep playing the weekend.”
Thomas Pieters (-12)
“It was a solid day, and I started off well, just struggled coming in a little bit. I rolled it well with my putter though, so that was nice. I'm just trying to do all the little things right and hopefully it comes together with a good score.
“I got to see the course when I played last year, however, I wasn't really prepared but at least I got to play three or four rounds last year which has helped me a little bit.
“For the weekend, I want to win, that's for sure. I wouldn't be in this position if I didn't want to win, so it's simple. I just need to be patient, drive it well, drive it straight and make some putts.
“I think that I showed last year at the Open de Espana that I could do it on this Tour, so I’m just looking forward to the challenge tomorrow and this weekend.”
Rory McIlroy (-11)
“I felt really good today, as I went to the range yesterday and worked a little bit on a couple of things, so I drove the ball much better today, which you need to around here.
“Ball striking wise, I couldn't really fault it. I played really well from tee to green, and felt like I was hitting some good putts that just weren't dropping. I'm not going to complain with a 66, and it's a great position to be going into the weekend.
“The hole in one definitely made up for the two previous holes. It was a perfect number, straight downwind, 177 yards, and I had a nine iron. The 12th hole was playing sort of similar and I hit the same club there, so I knew it was a pretty good number.
“As soon as it left, it looked like it had a chance, and took a nice little hop to the right. It’s my first one ever in competition as a pro, so obviously the beers are on me tonight.
“It's always tough giving Martin Kaymer a two-shot advantage over 36 holes around this place, but I'll try my best. He's obviously playing very well, and I feel like I'm playing good too, so I’ll see if I can put some pressure on him.
“You look at Martin and he has got a phenomenal record around here. I couldn't think of a better way to start the season than to test yourself against one of the best players in the world, a two-time Major Champion, who plays this course really, really well, so I'm looking forward to the weekend.”
Scores after round two
Par 144 (2x72)
131 M Kaymer (Ger) 64 67,
132 T Pieters (Bel) 65 67
133 R McIlroy (NIr) 67 66
135 J Morrison (Eng) 68 67, P Uihlein (USA) 67 68
136 R Green (Aus) 68 68, A Levy (Fra) 66 70
137 B Wiesberger (Aut) 72 65, M Madsen (Den) 68 69, T Hatton (Eng) 66 71, G Stal (Fra) 68 69
138 R Karlsson (Swe) 67 71, E Pepperell (Eng) 70 68, S Hansen (Den) 69 69, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 69 69
139 N Fasth (Swe) 69 70, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 72 67, N Colsaerts (Bel) 68 71, R Paratore (Ita) 70 69, M Nixon (Eng) 68 71, C Schwartzel (RSA) 71 68, M Jiménez (Esp) 72 67, A Cañizares (Esp) 69 70, O Fisher (Eng) 69 70, G Tian-Lang (Chn) 70 69
140 R Jacquelin (Fra) 69 71, S Khan (Eng) 73 67, A Lahiri (Ind) 72 68, S Hend (Aus) 70 70, D Van Der Walt (RSA) 70 70, D McGrane (Irl) 71 69, M Fraser (Aus) 72 68, Y Yang (SKor) 70 70, B Grace (RSA) 66 74, R Fisher (Eng) 71 69, S Webster (Eng) 73 67, J Donaldson (Wal) 73 67, G Bourdy (Fra) 66 74, K Broberg (Swe) 69 71, E Grillo (Arg) 70 70
141 P Lawrie (Sco) 68 73, A Hansen (Den) 68 73, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 70 71, A Johnston (Eng) 73 68, R Sterne (RSA) 71 70, M Kieffer (Ger) 70 71, M Ilonen (Fin) 66 75, G Coetzee (RSA) 68 73, C Lee (Sco) 73 68, D Drysdale (Sco) 70 71, T Olesen (Den) 72 69, J Singh (Ind) 68 73, A Wall (Eng) 70 71, V Dubuisson (Fra) 69 72, D Willett (Eng) 70 71
142 R Fowler (USA) 67 75, O Wilson (Eng) 71 71, R Rock (Eng) 69 73, J Kruger (RSA) 74 68, E Els (RSA) 70 72, R Bland (Eng) 69 73, B An (Kor) 67 75, J Campillo (Esp) 72 70, A Noren (Swe) 67 75, J Rose (Eng) 73 69, J Carlsson (Swe) 70 72, A Sullivan (Eng) 71 71, J Palmer (Eng) 71 71, B Dredge (Wal) 72 70, O Farr (Wal) 73 69, S Benson (Eng) 69 73, D Fichardt (RSA) 69 73
MISSED THE CUT
143 P Larrazábal (Esp) 71 72, R Ramsay (Sco) 74 69, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 71 72, D Lipsky (USA) 72 71, M Hoey (Nir) 69 74, D Clarke (Ni
ir) 72 71, D Howell (Eng) 72 71, T Fleetwood (Eng) 74 69
144 P Waring (Eng) 68 76, L Slattery (Eng) 70 74, H Stenson (Swe) 76 68, P Maddy (Eng) 72 72, E Espana (Fra) 73 71, R Finch (Eng) 75 69, M Warren (Sco) 69 75, T Lewis (Eng) 69 75, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 70 74, L Bjerregaard (Den) 74 70, T Aiken (RSA) 70 74, M Foster (Eng) 74 70
145 G Storm (Eng) 74 71, S Dyson (Eng) 73 72, S Jamieson (Sco) 70 75, E Molinari (Ita) 72 73, M Tullo (Chi) 73 72, M Manassero (Ita) 72 73, A Quiros (Esp) 69 76
146 M Lampert (Ger) 72 74, M Crespi (Ita) 72 74, G Mulroy (RSA) 73 73, J Quesne (Fra) 74 72, R Wattel (Fra) 73 73, G Havret (Fra) 71 75, D Foos (Ger) 71 75, D Horsey (Eng) 71 75
147 A Tadini (Ita) 76 71, S Kapur (Ind) 76 71, M Baldwin (Eng) 73 74, B Rumford (Aus) 73 74
148 S Hutsby (Eng) 73 75, W Ormsby (Aus) 75 73, S Kjeldsen (Den) 74 74
149 F Aguilar (Chi) 76 73, M Carlsson (Swe) 75 74, F Zanotti (Par) 76 73
151 C Doak (Sco) 76 75, B Hebert (Fra) 76 75, O Schniederjans (USA) (am) 76 75
152 C Shinkwin (Eng) 77 75
153 D Brooks (Eng) 76 77
154 C Dimarco (USA) 78 76
155 A Al Musharrekh (Uae) 78 77
166 J Jeong (SKor) 80 86
** M Campbell (Nzl) retired
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Paul Lawrie (68-73), Craig Lee (73-68) and David Drysdale (70-71) are T41 on three-under-par 141. Out went Richie Ramsay (74-69), Marc Warren (69-75), Scott Jamieson (70-75) and Chris Doak (76-75).
Martin Kaymer leads with 13-under-par 131
while Rory McIlroy has his first tour ace
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
US Open champion Martin Kaymer matched his 36-hole scoring record of 13 under par at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship to enter the final two rounds of this year’s event a stroke clear of Thomas Pieters on a day when World Number One Rory McIlroy had the first hole in one of his European Tour career.
The German’s 67 on day two saw him equal the mark he set back in 2008 en route to the first of three titles so far at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, and thanks to a flawless round of five birdies in the desert sunshine, he is in pole position to make it four this weekend.
Only 30 himself, Kaymer will be the elder statesman in the final group on Saturday when he tees it up alongside Pieters, who is some eight years his junior.
The Belgian, who is in only his second season as part of The Race to Dubai, dropped a shot at the ninth, his last, but that did little to dampen an exemplary day on which he signed for a 67 to lie a shot adrift with two rounds to go.
As a result of his ace at the par three 15th hole, thanks to a pin-point nine iron from 177 yards, McIlroy carded a 66 to earn a place in the penultimate group on Moving Day.
He will play alongside England's James Morrison, who will start two shots further adrift on Saturday, as he looks to improve on an Abu Dhabi record that has seen him unable to make the cut in three previous starts.
Morrison is alongside America's Peter Uihlein in a tie for fourth, with the pair a shot clear of Australia’s Richard Green, and two-time 2014 tournament winner Alexander Levy, who are both five strokes adrift of Kaymer’s leading mark.
Playing alongside McIlroy on day two, America’s Rickie Fowler carded a triple-bogey on the par five eighth, which, alongside two bogeys and a couple of birdies, saw him round in three-over 75 for a two-under tally of 142. He made the cut with a shot to spare.
QUOTES
Martin Kaymer (-13)
“I guess it's the greens that I love here, as I can read them very well and my stroke always feels good when I come here.
“Again, today, I didn't miss many fairways, which gives you the opportunity to go for a lot of flags, and to be honest, I really believe the golf course plays two or three shots tougher in the morning than in the afternoon.
Once you miss the fairway you're in that thick, wet grass and then it's almost impossible to get home in two on the par fours, so I was therefore very happy to shoot five under today.
“When you start in the morning you have to shoot a good score because the greens are good and there's no wind, but I see it the other way around, and I don't see anything. I just see it as a bigger challenge, and therefore I don't expect myself to shoot five or six under par.
“I don't know what they are going to do with the golf course (tomorrow), maybe they will change a few tee boxes and make it a little bit more scorable tomorrow. Obviously you expect yourself to make even more birdies in that case though.
“What I said yesterday, though, is that it's important you don't compare yourself to the last two rounds and just keep playing the weekend.”
Thomas Pieters (-12)
“It was a solid day, and I started off well, just struggled coming in a little bit. I rolled it well with my putter though, so that was nice. I'm just trying to do all the little things right and hopefully it comes together with a good score.
“I got to see the course when I played last year, however, I wasn't really prepared but at least I got to play three or four rounds last year which has helped me a little bit.
“For the weekend, I want to win, that's for sure. I wouldn't be in this position if I didn't want to win, so it's simple. I just need to be patient, drive it well, drive it straight and make some putts.
“I think that I showed last year at the Open de Espana that I could do it on this Tour, so I’m just looking forward to the challenge tomorrow and this weekend.”
Rory McIlroy (-11)
“I felt really good today, as I went to the range yesterday and worked a little bit on a couple of things, so I drove the ball much better today, which you need to around here.
“Ball striking wise, I couldn't really fault it. I played really well from tee to green, and felt like I was hitting some good putts that just weren't dropping. I'm not going to complain with a 66, and it's a great position to be going into the weekend.
“The hole in one definitely made up for the two previous holes. It was a perfect number, straight downwind, 177 yards, and I had a nine iron. The 12th hole was playing sort of similar and I hit the same club there, so I knew it was a pretty good number.
“As soon as it left, it looked like it had a chance, and took a nice little hop to the right. It’s my first one ever in competition as a pro, so obviously the beers are on me tonight.
“It's always tough giving Martin Kaymer a two-shot advantage over 36 holes around this place, but I'll try my best. He's obviously playing very well, and I feel like I'm playing good too, so I’ll see if I can put some pressure on him.
“You look at Martin and he has got a phenomenal record around here. I couldn't think of a better way to start the season than to test yourself against one of the best players in the world, a two-time Major Champion, who plays this course really, really well, so I'm looking forward to the weekend.”
Scores after round two
Par 144 (2x72)
131 M Kaymer (Ger) 64 67,
132 T Pieters (Bel) 65 67
133 R McIlroy (NIr) 67 66
135 J Morrison (Eng) 68 67, P Uihlein (USA) 67 68
136 R Green (Aus) 68 68, A Levy (Fra) 66 70
137 B Wiesberger (Aut) 72 65, M Madsen (Den) 68 69, T Hatton (Eng) 66 71, G Stal (Fra) 68 69
138 R Karlsson (Swe) 67 71, E Pepperell (Eng) 70 68, S Hansen (Den) 69 69, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 69 69
139 N Fasth (Swe) 69 70, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 72 67, N Colsaerts (Bel) 68 71, R Paratore (Ita) 70 69, M Nixon (Eng) 68 71, C Schwartzel (RSA) 71 68, M Jiménez (Esp) 72 67, A Cañizares (Esp) 69 70, O Fisher (Eng) 69 70, G Tian-Lang (Chn) 70 69
140 R Jacquelin (Fra) 69 71, S Khan (Eng) 73 67, A Lahiri (Ind) 72 68, S Hend (Aus) 70 70, D Van Der Walt (RSA) 70 70, D McGrane (Irl) 71 69, M Fraser (Aus) 72 68, Y Yang (SKor) 70 70, B Grace (RSA) 66 74, R Fisher (Eng) 71 69, S Webster (Eng) 73 67, J Donaldson (Wal) 73 67, G Bourdy (Fra) 66 74, K Broberg (Swe) 69 71, E Grillo (Arg) 70 70
141 P Lawrie (Sco) 68 73, A Hansen (Den) 68 73, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 70 71, A Johnston (Eng) 73 68, R Sterne (RSA) 71 70, M Kieffer (Ger) 70 71, M Ilonen (Fin) 66 75, G Coetzee (RSA) 68 73, C Lee (Sco) 73 68, D Drysdale (Sco) 70 71, T Olesen (Den) 72 69, J Singh (Ind) 68 73, A Wall (Eng) 70 71, V Dubuisson (Fra) 69 72, D Willett (Eng) 70 71
142 R Fowler (USA) 67 75, O Wilson (Eng) 71 71, R Rock (Eng) 69 73, J Kruger (RSA) 74 68, E Els (RSA) 70 72, R Bland (Eng) 69 73, B An (Kor) 67 75, J Campillo (Esp) 72 70, A Noren (Swe) 67 75, J Rose (Eng) 73 69, J Carlsson (Swe) 70 72, A Sullivan (Eng) 71 71, J Palmer (Eng) 71 71, B Dredge (Wal) 72 70, O Farr (Wal) 73 69, S Benson (Eng) 69 73, D Fichardt (RSA) 69 73
MISSED THE CUT
143 P Larrazábal (Esp) 71 72, R Ramsay (Sco) 74 69, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 71 72, D Lipsky (USA) 72 71, M Hoey (Nir) 69 74, D Clarke (Ni
ir) 72 71, D Howell (Eng) 72 71, T Fleetwood (Eng) 74 69
144 P Waring (Eng) 68 76, L Slattery (Eng) 70 74, H Stenson (Swe) 76 68, P Maddy (Eng) 72 72, E Espana (Fra) 73 71, R Finch (Eng) 75 69, M Warren (Sco) 69 75, T Lewis (Eng) 69 75, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 70 74, L Bjerregaard (Den) 74 70, T Aiken (RSA) 70 74, M Foster (Eng) 74 70
145 G Storm (Eng) 74 71, S Dyson (Eng) 73 72, S Jamieson (Sco) 70 75, E Molinari (Ita) 72 73, M Tullo (Chi) 73 72, M Manassero (Ita) 72 73, A Quiros (Esp) 69 76
146 M Lampert (Ger) 72 74, M Crespi (Ita) 72 74, G Mulroy (RSA) 73 73, J Quesne (Fra) 74 72, R Wattel (Fra) 73 73, G Havret (Fra) 71 75, D Foos (Ger) 71 75, D Horsey (Eng) 71 75
147 A Tadini (Ita) 76 71, S Kapur (Ind) 76 71, M Baldwin (Eng) 73 74, B Rumford (Aus) 73 74
148 S Hutsby (Eng) 73 75, W Ormsby (Aus) 75 73, S Kjeldsen (Den) 74 74
149 F Aguilar (Chi) 76 73, M Carlsson (Swe) 75 74, F Zanotti (Par) 76 73
151 C Doak (Sco) 76 75, B Hebert (Fra) 76 75, O Schniederjans (USA) (am) 76 75
152 C Shinkwin (Eng) 77 75
153 D Brooks (Eng) 76 77
154 C Dimarco (USA) 78 76
155 A Al Musharrekh (Uae) 78 77
166 J Jeong (SKor) 80 86
** M Campbell (Nzl) retired
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
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See story on its own page | Friday, January 16, 2015
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