Two Asians share lead

Shiv Kapoor started off in style on Friday. — Supplied photo

Dubai — Two Asians shared the lead on a day when the Els Club course played easier and 11 Mena Tour members made the cut in the Dubai Open.

Dubai-based Indian Shiv Kapoor carded 66 in the second round to share the lead with Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert, who had a score of 67. Both had an overall score of seven-under-par for 137.

However, the overnight leader, Kalem Richardson, had a disastrous outing on a pleasant day for most golfers as he carded over five 77 to slip to 37^th position among 66 who made the cut. The Aussie had seven bogeys as he struggled to keep up with an early promise that he showed on day one.

The second day of the Asian Tour event was dominated aby the Indians as Arjun Atwal posted the best score of the day, 65 for a total of six under par 138 with a steady golf for seven birdies. Gaganjeet Bhullar on the other hand continued his steady progress with another score of three under par 69 to stay a point behind the joint leaders. The course played easier on Friday because, unlike on Thursday, there’s wasn’t much wind to trouble the golfers.

“Today there wasn’t much (wind),” pointed out Simon Yates, who carded five under 67 to stay a point behind the joint leaders.

“There was hardly anything. It didn’t really affect much,” the Scottish golfer said about the wind factor that bothered some on the first day, especially in the afternoon session. “Maybe one club, half club wind, Nothing much,” he said with a chuckle.

“When we teed off it started blowing up a little bit, and I thought, here we go, we’re going to get some 20 mile an hour winds on the bad side of the draw, but nothing so it wasn’t bad,” he said heaving a sigh of relief. Yates, who teed-off just before noon, had a super first count of 31 with five birdies. Add to that two more birdies early on the back nine, he looked set for a score that could put him at the top but on the 17^th he double bogeyed.

“On the 17^th I hit it in the wrong spot and the wrong bunker. Hit it out on the green 15 feet, and I putted down the hill four feet short and missed it, double. But other than that, everything was really good,” he revealed after his round.

Kapoor, who has set his eyes on the title in his adopted home, started off in style when he holed about 190-yard second shot on the first hole with a six iron for an eagle on par-four first hole. “Solid performance, I guess,” he quipped when asked to sum up his day.

“Started off holing my second shot on the first hole, so that’s always a great way to start the day, and I pretty much just eliminated the mistakes on my card,” explained Kapoor, who won in Dubai on the European Challenge Tour at the end of last season.

Talking about his steady but strong performance on the first two days, he pointed out: “Made one bogey in two rounds, and I haven’t made a ton of putts or a ton of birdies, but when you keep the bogeys off the card, you’re usually going to be there or thereabouts.”

He also pointed out on the strong Indian presence on the leaderboard and hoped more Indians would come to watch the final two days. “I saw Gaganjeet and Arjun’s name up there. Obviously Dubai has got a huge Indian community, so it will be good on the weekend for them to come and cheer for all the Indian players, so I think it’ll be good fun.”

A bogey on the 16^th pulled joint leader Pavit slightly back after a steady round of golf that included three birdies and 12 pars. “On 16 I hit driver in the bunker and I had 50 yards to the flag, and I tried to hit it too hard. The full swing with the ball, it went like 100 over everything to the desert. I cannot get it out and make four on, two putts, yeah, that’s double on a short par 4,” he confessed.

sunilvaidya@khaleejtimes.com