By Terry Rowles, Fanling, Hong Kong.
Now it’s the turn of Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello and this time at the UBS Hong Kong Open.
Since the European Ryder Cup team lost by six points to the USA Ryder Cup team at Hazeline we have seen a number of the hapless Europeans emerge back into the limelight.
Firstly, there was Martin Kaymer sixth at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and followed a week later by Lee Westwood grabbing third place at the British Masters.
Andy Sullivan was then second to Padraig Harrington at the Portugal Masters while the Englishman was T3rd a few weeks later at the Nedbank Challenge.
We saw Henrik Stenson finish second at the WGC – HSBC Championship while Rory McIlroy shared fourth place.
Now it’s the turn of Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello and taking a three shot lead into the final two rounds of the 20916 UBS Hong Kong Open. (Photo – www.europeantour.com)
And then Matthew Fitzpatrick, who was beaten in both his Hazeltine matches, captured the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Cabrera Bello will take a three-shot lead into the weekend at the UBS Hong Kong Open after adding a 65 to his opening 64 and lead the way from Asian Tour based Australian Sam Brazel.
Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett joined Brazel in firing a 66 to then sit at six under alongside fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, American Paul Peterson and South African Justin Walters.
Cabrera-Bello was one of Darren Clarke’s hapless Hazeltine men who could hold his head high having played in three matches and earning two-and-a-half points including taking out PGA Champion, Jimmy Walker 3 & 2 in the Sunday Singles.
But the only thing missing from Cabrera-Bello’s stellar season is a win and the 32 year old is confident he will soon lift a trophy, something he has not done on the European Tour since the Dubai Desert Classic in 2012.
“I know I will win again,” he said. “I’ve won before. I just need to keep giving myself chances.
“I have been working on some mistakes that maybe I have done on other occasions. I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong not to get the win, so it will happen. Hopefully it will happen in two days’ time.”
Brazel flew out of the blocks from the 11th, birdieing the 12th and making an eagle on the 13th but Cabrera Bello made birdies on the second and third to keep his nose in front.
A bogey on the fifth from the leader saw Brazel share top spot but Cabrera Bello made back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth to turn in 31 and open up a two-shot lead.
Brazel put his tee-shot on the fifth to tap-in range to cut the gap and when he followed it with another birdie on the sixth, there was a tie at the top again.
Cabrera Bello was not in the mood to be caught, however, and a tap-in birdie on the par five 13th was followed by a stunning approach to the 15th, and with Brazel dropping a shot on the ninth after finding the sand, the lead was three.
“I managed to play well again,” said Cabrera Bello. “I played solid and put myself in very few risky positions. I felt in control again and just managed to keep up the good work like yesterday.
“I felt I paid my dues here other years as well, from not knowing the course and not playing it smart enough.
Willett opened his second round with a bogey on the 11th but a hat-trick of birdies followed from the 12th and when he rolled in a six-footer on the 17th, he was within striking distance of the lead.
He hit the summit courtesy of an approach to four feet on the second and while he dropped a shot on the fourth, a closing birdie on the tenth got him back to six under.
D+D REAL Czech Masters champion Peterson had five birdies and three bogeys in his 68, as did Fleetwood, while Walters made just two bogeys in his 67.
