Niall Kearney is making the most of just a fifth European Tour showing this year and also his first Tour event in the UAE with a six-under par tally heading to the closing two rounds of the inaugural Golf in Dubai Championship.
The 32-year old Royal Dublin pro snatched seven birdies in a five-under par 67 and an opening 71 to move to just outside the top-40 at six-under on day two of the event on the Fire course at Jumeirah Estates in Dubai.
“I’ve played very well the last couple of days and got some nicer yardages so I was able to hit it a bit closer and gave myself opportunities to score,” he said.
“Scoring has been pretty hot even though the course isn’t playing that easy. The pins are really tight so you’ve got to hit really good approach shots to get close but overall, I’m playing really well”.
Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney
And the former double Irish PGA winner was complimentary of the work with coach, Eddie Doyle at The Heritage.
“I had a great preparation with Eddie prior to coming out here to Dubai,” said Kearney.
“I feel like the game is strong so I’d like to bring a bit of intensity to the weekend rather than easing into it because it’s the last one of the year. It would be great to bring that intensity to it, shoot a couple of good scores and finish the year off nicely.”
Up front, England’s Andy Sullivan moved three shots clear of his rivals adding a 66 to his opening 61 for a 17-under par tally and just a shot shy of matching the Tour’s outward half record low.
Disappointing news for Gavin Moynihan ending his season with rounds of 77 and 74 to be two off the bottom in Dubai.
Moynihan has teed-up in 19 events this year, 14 on the main tour and five on the secondary Challenge Tour and made the cut in just three while he’s now sat out the weekend rounds in his last 14 events.
At the 110th South African Open Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell and Ardglass Cormac Shavin shared 28th place at level par on the opening day at a very windy Sun City.
Six players head the co-sanctioned event at five-under par including top-ranked Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and No.41 in the world, and winner of last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship.
And former 2015 champion, Graeme McDowell is the lone Irish teeing-up in the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Championship at Playa de Carmen in Mexico though the Irishman was out late on day one.
