It’s not often that the weather absolutely dominates the field during a round of golf. Friday in Abu Dhabi was one of those days.
This week the DP World Tour is at Yas Links for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Scott Jamieson fired a first-round 9-under 63 and began the second 18 with a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland. Like many in the field, Jamieson went the wrong way Friday, signing for a 2-over 74. All in all, the second round effort was impressive and good enough to stay ahead of the pack — for now.
“It certainly wasn’t easy,” he said. “It’s so tricky, obviously hitting shots is tricky with all the gusts but the hardest thing is putting. You get over the ball and you feel like you’ve got to be so tense to stop everything moving but that’s the worst thing you can do when you’re trying to putt. I holed a lot of really good putts from inside five feet today which kept my score respectable.”
You may be asking: “Was it really that bad?” Take a look for yourself.
Gusts between 20-30mph 💨
A windy day in the desert.#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/bKGiSXrxlF
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 21, 2022
Hovland, like Jamieson, carded a 2-over 74 — 10 shots worse than his opening round effort. The Norwegian finished before darkness forced a suspension and will be in prime position heading into the weekend.
James Morrison, after starting the week with a 6-under 66, was through 14 holes when the horns blew. He currently stands at even par for his second round with a chance to earn the 36-hole lead with a solid finish Saturday morning.
Notable names in the field and where they stand:
Ian Poulter (T-2)
Shane Lowry (T-5)
Adam Scott (T-16)
Tyrrell Hatton (T-23)
Tommy Fleetwood (T-30)
Collin Morikawa (T-60)
Rory McIlroy (T-60)
