A TRIPLE BOGEY on the 17th hole saw Rory McIlroy slip back the leaderboard on day two of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
McIlroy carded another round of 67, and is now in a share of 14th on 10-under overall — nine shots behind runaway leader Paul Waring.
The Hollywood man was on course for a stronger second round — -7 after 16, -12 overall and tied for fifth — but a triple bogey on the penultimate hole proved costly.
He did finish with a birdie on the 18th, his eighth of the day, but will have been frustrated to drop back after his round was marred by a six on the short 17th.
“I played quite nice up to that point and I feel like I hit a nice shot into 17, just trundled into the bunker,” McIlroy said. “There wasn’t a lot of sand where the ball was and I just sort of made a mess of it from there, but bounced back well to birdie the last.”
McIlroy came from 10 shots behind at halfway to win in Dubai in January, but admitted: “I need the golf course to toughen up a little bit to have a chance. There’s so many gettable holes out there.
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“I shot 63 on that Saturday in Dubai and I’m going to need something similar, if not lower, to give myself a chance going into Sunday.”
Shane Lowry is a shot behind McIlroy after a good Friday showing. A six-under 66 leaves the Offaly man on nine-under overall.
An eagle on the seventh was among Lowry’s highlights, while he shot six birdies. Bogeys on the first and fourth were setbacks, but he rallied.
Tom McKibbin carded a round of 69, and sits seven-under overall. He double-bogeyed on the second and finished with five birdies.
England’s Paul Waring carded a course record of 61 to open up a commanding halfway lead at Yas Links, Abu Dhabi.
Waring holed his second shot at the sixth from 119 yards for an eagle and also recorded nine birdies to reach 19 under par in pursuit of his second DP World Tour title at Yas Links.
That gave the 39-year-old a five-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood, Thorbjorn Olesen, Johannes Veerman and Niklas Norgaard.
Waring rounded off his round in spectacular fashion on the par-five 18th, hitting his third shot from 265 yards to within three feet of the pin after having to pitch back on to the fairway following a wayward drive.
“That was the best shot I’ve ever hit in my life to be honest,” Waring said.
“The tee shot on 18 was a little bit peculiar for me because I had been hitting it great all day, so even over that three wood I felt like could I hit a solid shot into the part of the green and just hit a little draw. In total honesty I’m just trying to keep going, keep making birdies.”
Fleetwood, who had equalled the previous course record with a 62 on Thursday, added a 68 as he bids to win in Abu Dhabi for the third time.
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Triple bogey on the 17th proves costly as Rory McIlroy slips back in Abu Dhabi
A TRIPLE BOGEY on the 17th hole saw Rory McIlroy slip back the leaderboard on day two of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
McIlroy carded another round of 67, and is now in a share of 14th on 10-under overall — nine shots behind runaway leader Paul Waring.
The Hollywood man was on course for a stronger second round — -7 after 16, -12 overall and tied for fifth — but a triple bogey on the penultimate hole proved costly.
He did finish with a birdie on the 18th, his eighth of the day, but will have been frustrated to drop back after his round was marred by a six on the short 17th.
“I played quite nice up to that point and I feel like I hit a nice shot into 17, just trundled into the bunker,” McIlroy said. “There wasn’t a lot of sand where the ball was and I just sort of made a mess of it from there, but bounced back well to birdie the last.”
McIlroy came from 10 shots behind at halfway to win in Dubai in January, but admitted: “I need the golf course to toughen up a little bit to have a chance. There’s so many gettable holes out there.
“I shot 63 on that Saturday in Dubai and I’m going to need something similar, if not lower, to give myself a chance going into Sunday.”
Shane Lowry is a shot behind McIlroy after a good Friday showing. A six-under 66 leaves the Offaly man on nine-under overall.
An eagle on the seventh was among Lowry’s highlights, while he shot six birdies. Bogeys on the first and fourth were setbacks, but he rallied.
Tom McKibbin carded a round of 69, and sits seven-under overall. He double-bogeyed on the second and finished with five birdies.
England’s Paul Waring carded a course record of 61 to open up a commanding halfway lead at Yas Links, Abu Dhabi.
Waring holed his second shot at the sixth from 119 yards for an eagle and also recorded nine birdies to reach 19 under par in pursuit of his second DP World Tour title at Yas Links.
That gave the 39-year-old a five-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood, Thorbjorn Olesen, Johannes Veerman and Niklas Norgaard.
Waring rounded off his round in spectacular fashion on the par-five 18th, hitting his third shot from 265 yards to within three feet of the pin after having to pitch back on to the fairway following a wayward drive.
“That was the best shot I’ve ever hit in my life to be honest,” Waring said.
“The tee shot on 18 was a little bit peculiar for me because I had been hitting it great all day, so even over that three wood I felt like could I hit a solid shot into the part of the green and just hit a little draw. In total honesty I’m just trying to keep going, keep making birdies.”
Fleetwood, who had equalled the previous course record with a 62 on Thursday, added a 68 as he bids to win in Abu Dhabi for the third time.
- Additional reporting from The 42 Team.
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