His putter misbehaved time and time again but still Shane Lowry managed to keep some order, as a second round 70 for a midway total of seven-under-par 137 left him just three shots adrift of midway leaders Guido Migliozzi and Francesco Molinari in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links.
“I’m only three back going into the weekend and that’s where I want to be,” said Lowry, in tied-ninth, adding: “I want to put myself in position come Sunday afternoon to give myself a chance to win this tournament and I think I’ve done some great work the first two days.”
In a mixed bag of a round – six birdies and four bogeys – that was far from a smooth run on the contrived links hard on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, Lowry was frustrated at times with putts that consistently shaved the cup, yet it was a hard-earned bogey, avoiding a double-bogey or greater, on the tough par five 18th that provided hope that he could kick on over the final two rounds.
“Yeah, it was a nice way to finish. Well, not a nice way to finish but a nice putt to hole on the last. I’m disappointed to make bogey but a bad lie in the bunker off the tee and you’re behind the 8-ball from there . . . I played good.
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“I missed a couple of chances today and even a couple of short par putts. It could have been quite low today. But it was tricky out there. The greens were getting shiny in the afternoon. The wind picked up and the course started to play a little bit firmer, which is pretty good. It’s nice to see it playing that way,” said Lowry, a past winner of the tournament in 2019 which acted as a springboard to later that year capturing the Claret Jug.
Séamus Power, on a brief breakaway stint away from the PGA Tour where he is currently number one on the FedEx Cup, added a second round 73 to his opening 66 for a 36-holes total of five-under-par 139 (in tied-22nd place, five strokes off the Italian pacesetters).
The Waterford man struggled to get any momentum going after a first hole bogey until managing a birdie on the par five seventh and claimed further birdies on the 11th and 15th. However, there were further dropped shots on the 12th and 14th and, like Lowry, also on the 18th.
Pádraig Harrington, too, signed for a second round 73 to reach the midpoint on three-under-par 141 (in tied-43rd) and safely inside the cutline. However, Tom McKibbin was among those players unable to complete their second rounds due to fading light and will finish his final two holes Saturday. McKibbin, in his rookie season on the tour, opened with a level par 72 and was an impressive three under on his round through 16 holes.
On the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire added a second round 69 – six birdies, three bogeys – to her opening 71 for a midway total of four-under-par 141 to lie in tied-seventh at the midway point of season-opening HGV Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson, the world number seven, extended her lead after adding a 66 to her opening 67 for 137, which gave her a four stroke lead over Nelly Korda.
