Wiesberger flying high with two

 eagles in Dubai

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Bernd Wiesberger produced two eagles in his final five holes to catapult himself into contention on day two of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai today.

To register two eagles in a single round is something quite special but to do it coming down the stretch in one of the most high-pressure events of the year could be called remarkable.

The Austrian was level par for his round as he reached the 14th but a brilliant three wood helped create an eagle and he followed that up with a birdie on the 16th.

The tee on the 18th had been moved up in round two to enable players to attack the green and Wiesberger did just that, making another big bird to pick up five shots in as many holes and sit just two off the lead heading into the weekend.

"That swing on that three wood on 14 really kind of changed the momentum and approach to the shot for me," he said. 

"So that was not only important for the score but also to get my rhythm on the shots back and get comfortable over the ball again. It was just the right shot at the right time, I guess.

"I didn't miss a shot in the last five and that gives me good feelings and good momentum for the weekend. I'm looking forward to the weekend and I hope we can get some more of those eagles out there the next two days and see what happens."

Lee Westwood had no such luck on the last, putting his second in the water to record the only bogey of his round and leave him one shot behind Sergio Garcia and Francesco Molinari at the top of the leaderboard.

The 23-time European Tour winner has seen it all before, though, and will not let that disappointment derail his bid for a second victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

"Somebody clicked a camera on the right-hand side and put me off, it happens," he said. "I just have to regroup. The pitch shot in was poor but it was a good two-putt.

"I am looking forward to the weekend. There's always a low score around this golf course. That's the great thing about it; if you play well it gives you a chance to score low and, if you don't, anybody can shoot 75 or 76."

Tyrrell Hatton came home in 31 to equal the low round of the week with a 66 and he will head into the weekend just two off the lead.

The Englishman won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last month to move himself into the top five in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, and he is hoping to use that experience in the United Arab Emirates.

"I have the confidence that I can win and I've done well in big events in the past," he said. "So I'll just take that confidence and hopefully I can have a good weekend.

"I don't feel like I hit it particularly close today but I just holed more than my fair share. So hopefully that continues over the weekend."

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Ross Kellett and David Law look on bright side after Tour School disappointment

By COLIN FARQUHARSON 

Paul Lawrie Golf Centre pair Ross Kellett and David Law are disappointed but not downhearted after their failure to gain pass marks to the 2017 European Tour through the Final Qualifying School at PGA Catalunya.
Said Motherwell man Kellett:

"It was a solid week all round for me; few putts here and there and I could have been right in the mix but no doubt the same for everyone . Some more valuable experience. 

"Will take a strong Category into Challenge Tour next season and hopefully build on some good results this year ."

Law's form in winning his Stage 2 event raised his hopes of continuing the run at the Final School. But it was not to be. After a good start, his scores got higher.
Said the Aberdonian:
"Very disappointing day (last of six rounds) yesterday obviously. Looking forward to some time off and then rebuild for the Challenge Tour next year." 

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Michael Sim beats cut but Connor Syme fails at Royal Sydney

Nitties leads Aussie Open after a 65

The Adam Scott versus Jordan Spieth shoot-out that the Emirates Australian Open organisers probably crave is still a possibility.

But for now, it is New South Welshman James Nitties who leads the Open at Royal Sydney after a dazzling 65 in relatively still conditions today.

Nitties (nine-under par) leads by a shot from New Zealander Ryan Fox and a further shot to another New South Welshman, US-based Australian Rhein Gibson. World No. 7 Scott, who also shot 65, is just three shots from the lead going into the weekend, and Spieth a further shot away.

Playing the back nine first in the afternoon, Nitties gave no indication of what was to come, even par for his first 10 holes, but he exploded with a front nine of 29 shots, including an eagle at the second when he hit a four iron inside a metre at the par-five, and three consecutive birdies to finish his round. 

On the last, he hit a sand wedge to just inside three metres and rattled home the birdie putt.

It has been quite some time since the 34-year-old, who has spent the past five years on the web.com Tour in the United States, has contended in a big tournament.

In fact, he has lost his playing status on the secondary American Tour and spent most of 2016 knocking it around on mini-tours and Monday qualifiers, "staying in hotels with cockroaches running around them''. Coming home to Newcastle, he even played in some pro-ams to quench his thirst for competition.

It is a long way from pro-ams to leader of the Australian Open but Nitties loves playing golf; did not think of walking away. "A lot of people work really hard in middle class jobs and they have to work 60 hours a week,'' he said. "If I can work really hard for four hours and get something out of it, it really changes perspective.''

Moving day came a day early at Royal Sydney with light winds making the scoring easy. By the time the joint-first round leaders Curtis Luck and Lucas Herbert hit-off in the afternoon, they had been overtaken.

Scott was one of the first to move, although he took some time to find his mojo, going through the back nine without picking up a shot but then getting around the front side in 30. He birdied the short first from close range, had another birdie at the par-five second and again at the par-three sixth where he made a long putt, which kept the momentum.

At the reachable par-five seventh, he made his big move, hitting a four-iron to short-range, calling it "my best shot of the day'', and rolling in the eagle putt from just inside two metres. The Australian could easily have signed for 64; at the ninth, his last hole, he hit a wedge to just more than a metre but tugged the putt left and had to be content with par.

"I hit a lot of good shots,'' he said.  "I played a solid last nine holes.  Unfortunately, it took me 27 to get that kind of good golf out of me, so hopefully there’s 36 good holes coming up.''

Fox, the New Zealander who is the son of All Black legend Grant Fox, is closest to Nitties after a 68 today that puts him in tomorrow's final group. Like Nitties he has never won a tournament on this level, but he has qualified to play on the European Tour next year and he has loads of game.

No New Zealander has ever won the Australian Open, a fact that brought a smile to his face last night. "I guess you guys are our biggest rivals in pretty much everything sport and it would certainly be nice to have a Kiwi name on the Stonehaven Cup,'' he said.

Amateur Curtis Luck birdied the final hole for a 71 that keeps him in the mix at six-under, brushing off a moment on the seventh hole when his tee shot flared right and stayed up a tree. Unable to find or identify the ball despite the fact spectators saw it fly into the branches, he had to return to the tee to reload.

Luck is not the only amateur on the first page, with another Perth player, Min Woo Lee, carding a 67 to underline his talent and sit within the top 10.

Aberdeen-born Michael Sim is T50 with rounds of 71 and 72 for 143 which was the limit mark for making the cut to play the final two rounds.
Scotland's Connor Syme (Drumoig), winner of the Australian open amateur championship earlier this year, missed the cut by three shots with a pair of 73s for 146. He was T89 in the overall scoreboard

SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 144 (2x72) Players from Australia unless stated otherwise
135 James Nitties 70 65
136 Ryan Fox (NZ) 68 68
137 Rhein Gibson 71 66
138 Rod Pampling 71 67, Adam Scott 73 65, Todd Sinnott 70 68, Curtis Luck (am) 67 71, Lucas Herbert 67 71.
SELECTED QUALIFIERS
143 and better qualified for final two rounds
139 Jordan Spieth (USA) 69 70 (T9)
143 Michael Sim (Sco) 71 72 (T50)
MISSED THE CUT
146 Connor Syme (Sco) 73 73 (T89).

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Garcia and Molinari share lead in Dubai

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Sergio Garcia and Francesco Molinari will take a share of the lead into the weekend at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai after an enthralling second day at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Both men began the day two shots behind overnight leader Lee Westwood but caught him early in their rounds on a day of nip-and-tuck scoring in the United Arab Emirates.

An impressive late burst of scoring then moved the trio away from the pack but a bogey on the last from the Englishman meant he would tee off on Saturday a shot behind Garcia and Molinari, who were nine under after rounds of 67.

Tyrrell Hatton came home in 31 to equal the low round of 

the week with a 66 and get to seven under alongside 

Joost Luiten, Charl Schwartzel and Bernd Wiesberger.

Italian Molinari is going in search of his second title of the season after claiming his home Open in September, while Spaniard Garcia and Westwood are both looking for their first European Tour wins since 2014.

"I felt like I was swinging the club really, really well," said Garcia. "I was hitting a lot of good shots. I hit a couple of iffy putts here and there but I made some really good ones, also. I was very happy to see all of that.

"I'm excited about it. It's good to be out there with a chance the last tournament of the year. I just want to make sure that I keep playing the same way I've played these first two days and see where that takes us."

In the battle to win the Race to Dubai, leader Henrik Stenson remained in the box seat after he fired a 69 to sit at three under.

That was one shot behind Alex Noren - who also signed for a three under round - but Noren needs a top-two finish and some help from Stenson if he is to be crowned Europe's Number One.

Danny Willett was also at three under after a second round 70 while defending champion Rory McIlroy followed up his disappointing opening 75 with a 68 to sit two shots further back.

There had been a seven-way tie for the lead at seven under before Garcia, Molinari and Westwood - with 38 European Tour titles between them - pulled away from the pack.

Garcia - who already had four birdies and a bogey on the card with an incredible par save on the 12th - was the first to break out of the pack with a stunning approach to the 15th setting up a birdie.

SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD

Par 144 (2x720

135 F Molinari (Italy) 68 67, S Garcia (Spain) 68 67.
136 L Westwood (England) 66 70.
137 J Luiten (Netherlands) 68 69, C Schwartzel (SouthAfrica) 70 67, B Wiesberger (Austria) 70 67, T Hatton (England) 71 67
138 N Colsaerts (Belgium) 67 71, M Fitzpatrick (England) 69 69.

SELECTED SCORES
140 A Noren (Sweden) 71 69  (T14)
141 D Willett (England) 671 70, T Fleetwood (England) 70 71, S Lowry (Ireland) 70 71, H Stenson (Sweden) 72 69 (T17).
143 P Harrington (Ireland) 72 71, R McIlroy (N Ireland) 75 68, R Fisher (England) 72 71, D Horsey (England) 72 71 (T29)
148 A Johnston (England) 78 70 (59th).
Field of 60 players.
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Jane Turner leads by four shots in Morocco

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Jane Turner continues to make all the running in the Ladies European Tour Q School Pre-Qualifier at Mohammedia Golf Club, Morocco.

With one round to go, the Lothians player leads the field of 64 players by four shots after rounds of 65, 73 and 72 for six-under-par 210.

Amateurs Camille Chevalier (France) (66 for 214) and Puk Lyng Thomsen (Denmark) (68 for 216) are occupying second and third places.

Former Scottish women's champion Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw), also an amateur, is tied 28th on 232 with rounds of 78, 80 and 74.

A third Scot in the field, Rachael McQueen, is tied 45th on 239 with scores of 85, 81 and 743.

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR Q SCHOOL PRE-QUALIFIER

Mohammedia Golf Club, Morocco.

LEADING THIRD-ROUND SCORES

Par 216 (3x72)

210 J Turner (Sco) 65 73 72

214 C Chevalier (Fra) (am) 73 75 66

216 P L Thomsen (Den) 75 73 68.

217 J Aime (Fra) 74 71 72, B Popel (Eng) 71 74 72, L Goddard (Eng) 74 71 72.

SELECTED SCORES

221 C Williams (Wal) 81 70 70 (10th).

222 C Frankish (Eng) (am) 74 71 77, I Mehmet (Eng) (am) 73 71 78 (T11).

228 E Mallett (Eng) (am) 74 79 75 (T20)

232 G MacDonald (Sco) (am) 78 80 74 (T28)

239 R McQueen (Sco) 85 81 73 (T45)

Field of 64 players.

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