| Ryder Cup team-mates Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm reeled in Francesco Laporta to share a one shot lead heading into the weekend at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
Italian Laporta had led after a brilliant 62 on day one but a 70 in round two at Yas Links left the door ajar and close friends Hatton and Rahm took advantage.
Hatton carded a 65, two shots fewer than Rahm, and the pair – who are both looking for a record sixth Rolex Series victory – will head into the weekend at 12 under par alongside Laporta.
Rory McIlroy carded a 63 to sit one shot back alongside Pole Adrian Meronk and English pair Sam Bairstow and Matt Jordan.
The Northern Irishman is hunting an eighth Race to Dubai title, and with current leader Eugenio Chacarra back on three under, he is well positioned to advance his cause.
Hatton was a winner of this event in 2021 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club but seems equally at home at Yas Links with a second and two other top tens in four starts.
The Englishman birdied his first two holes and then made four in a row from the sixth to turn in 30.
Further gains followed on the 11th and 13th as he hit the front on his own but a bogey on the 16th dropped him back closer to the pack on a day where several players had held a share of the lead.
Event debutant Rahm went out in the final group of the day and was soon in front with birdies on the second, third and fifth.
He then made four birdies and three bogeys in a roller coaster next seven holes before a two-putt gain on the last put him back on top.
Laporta had a roller coaster of his own as he bogeyed the third but then made a hat-trick of birdies from the seventh.
He made a bogey-birdie start to the back nine and while a double on the 14th could have derailed his round, he picked the shots back up on the 15th and last.
McIlroy found an unplayable lie as he bogeyed the first but then birdied the second, fourth and seventh and made five in a row from the ninth.
That run ended with a bogey but he would still make gains on three of his last four holes for a total of 11 birdies – his highest in a DP World Tour round.
Meronk and Jordan both carded rounds of 67, one shot fewer than Bairstow, to sit a shot ahead of Spaniard David Puig and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.
Player Quotes
Tyrrell Hatton: Yeah, really happy how I’ve played. Obviously, there’s been a couple of mistakes. But overall, compared to where I’ve been at over the last month and a half, it’s nice to put a couple of decent scores together again.I spent a bit of time over in Orlando at Lake Nona, and yeah, it was good to practise out there again. I asked Chris Paisley, he’s a member there, to help me with my practise. I feel like it’s something I’ve been struggling with probably the last couple of years, to be honest.
He just kind of structured it a bit better for me. He was there on the range, helping me sort of video some swings, set up some putting drills, all that kind of stuff.
Yeah, I feel like it’s helped me a lot, and I feel like I’ve come into this week ready to play decent golf. So it’s nice that it’s already showed that so far. Obviously, there’s still 36 holes to go, but hopefully I can keep hitting it well and holing putts.
You just kind of take one shot at a time, really. I find it easier to focus on the negatives, but it’s also a quick reminder of it can go bad quickly.
Yeah, I’m happy with how I’m hitting it this week, and hopefully that continues.
Jon Rahm: Pretty good play. Only thing to take back would be just a couple of bad tee shots right now, feeling fairly comfortable otherwise. Just there’s been a couple of swings off the tee that were unexpected. But hopefully I can fix that, but otherwise the play has been lovely.
It’s going to be hard to ever find a golf course in better shape than this one. It’s phenomenal what they’ve been able to do. The greens are all perfect. When you give some of the best players in the world perfect greens and fairways that are firm, unless the wind conditions get crazy, you’re going to have some close scores, and that’s what we’re seeing on this course here.
Overall, the golf course can be quite tricky, especially with certain pin locations, slopes. You can put yourself in difficult spots. But it’s been quite calm, and that’s what’s allowed us to be aggressive.
I’m really looking forward to it. This part of the world has treated me very well, and I’m hoping I can do on the weekend what I’ve already done.
Francesco Laporta: End of the day, it was a good day. Didn’t start very well, I was 1-over after 6. Then I made three birdies in a row, a few mistakes on the back nine, but few really in the last four.I’m quite happy about how I finished, but still a lot of golf.
I just hit the ball closer. I had a few great shots on 7, 8 and 9. It does help when you put the ball very close to the hole. It helps to make birdies.
I think it was a mentality shift. I started pretty bad in the first few holes, missing three putts for birdies, and then I made those for the next, like, three holes. But I tried my best.
Yeah, after 7, I was probably more comfortable on the course. I had more feeling on the putting, and yeah, that helps.
I have a goal this week. My goal is just to play next week in Dubai. So obviously right now where I am, I’m probably trying to aim for something more. But yeah, that’s — as soon as I get my first goal, so I’ll get to Dubai, and then I will be happy, and then we can focus on the next ones.
Rory McIlroy: Yesterday was yesterday, and today’s a new day. I had to take an unplayable at the first and made a bogey. It wasn’t like I got off to the greatest of starts today.
But then obviously I got it going. As I said last night, I felt like I’d played well enough to feel like I could play my way back into the tournament.
I went out today and played a good round of golf and did get myself back into it.
I did everything well again. I drove the ball well. I hit my irons well. I putted a little bit better. I saw a few more putts go in, which is something that I haven’t been seeing for the last couple of months.
I finished second at Wentworth. Felt like if I had holed any putts at the weekend, I could have walked away with the win there. Struggled on the greens in India.
But did some work with Brad Faxon last week and feel like I’m in a better spot with it. I definitely saw some encouraging signs on the greens today. |
