Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship: Rory McIlroy is hit by a triple bogey late in the second round as Paul Waring breaks the course record | Golf News

Rory McIlroy’s hopes of winning the Race to Dubai with a week to go at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship suffered a blow in the second round after an ugly triple-bogey on the par-3 17th helped leave him nine shots behind Englishman Paul Waring landed. who set a new course record.

McIlroy, who will be sure to finish 2024 as Europe’s best player for the sixth time before the DP World Tour Championship ends in Dubai next week if he finishes first or second this Sunday, was already seven seconds off the blistering pace , which Waring had specified as standing on the second-to-last tee, despite being an impressive seven-under in his own round at the time.

The short 17th hole was the only hole that undid McIlroy in the first round, and the 211-yarder tripped him up again, albeit in more spectacular fashion on Friday.

After finding the bunker on the right side with his tee shot, the 35-year-old’s chip went well over the green and eventually rolled straight into the sand on the other side.

Because McIlroy now had a particularly bad downhill lie, he was just able to get it to the edge of the bunker with his next chip. He then took his chip past the pin and into the green before three-putting.

“I was playing pretty well up to that point and even felt like I hit a nice shot on 17, a nice 5-iron with flight, hit the slope and rolled into the bunker,” McIlroy said.

“It wasn’t a great sendoff to begin with, but the club bounced on me, there wasn’t a lot of sand where the ball was in the bunker, and I kind of messed it up from there.”

Perhaps crucially, though, he immediately birdied the par-five 18th, pulling back a shot and leaving him in a tie for 14th on the leaderboard after two consecutive rounds of 67s.

“I recovered well, made two good shots to the end and made a birdie there,” McIlroy added. “So I just have to go out there (on Saturday), try to start fast and get back in.”

McIlroy came from 10 shots behind halfway to victory in Dubai in January but admitted: “I would like the course to be a bit firmer. There were a few greens today that got a little shinier and a little trickier. That’s why the golf course has to be a little firmer and harder to have a chance.

“There are so many reachable holes out there, the par fives and some of the shorter par fours. It’s up to me, I hit 63 in Dubai this Saturday, I’ll need something similar this year if not lower to give myself a chance by Sunday.

“I know it’s out there. I was under seven for 13 holes today, so it’s possible.”

Record-breaking Waring is in control after an impressive 61

The entire field now has a clear goal to achieve this weekend after world number 229 Waring took a five-shot lead at the top of the 70-player field thanks to a record-breaking 61 points around the Yas Links. Ranking list has been developed.

After shooting eight-under 64 on Thursday, Waring also set a new record for the lowest combined par score (19 under) in DP World Tour history after two rounds.

The Englishman holed his second shot on the sixth from 119 yards for an eagle and also recorded nine birdies to reach 19 under par and look for his second title on tour.

This gave the 39-year-old a five-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood, Thorbjörn Olesen, Johannes Veerman and Niklas Norgaard.

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Waring rounded out his round in spectacular fashion on the par-5 18th, hitting his third shot from 265 yards to within three feet of the marker after a wayward drive forced him to throw back onto the fairway.

“That was honestly the best shot I’ve ever made in my life,” Waring said.

“The tee shot on 18 was a little strange for me because I had been hitting it great all day, and even beyond those three woods I felt like I could hit a good shot into that part of the green and just a small one Make a draw.” .

“Honestly, I just try to keep going and keep making birdies. My caddy made the comment a few days ago that we played a bit of golf at Trump’s over in Dubai and we also played the Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates and I actually had 50 percent birdies in those two rounds.

“We laughed a bit yesterday [Thursday] Because I had nine birdies, so 50 percent, so today he said, right, you better have 50 percent birdies every round.

“Obviously when I swing it great I feel great. The putter behaves. I would say this is a weak point for me every now and then, but I’ve worked on it a lot and since moving to Dubai I’m very used to these types of greens too.”

Fleetwood, who equaled the previous course record with a 62 on Thursday, added a 68 as he hopes to win in Abu Dhabi for the third time.

Who will win the Race to Dubai? Watch the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and DP World Tour Championship live on Sky Sports Golf this month. Get Sky Sports