Sullivan sizzles at Fire course, retains lead in second round
Sullivan sits clear of fellow Englishmen Ross Fisher and Mat Wallace, who both reached 14 under par at the halfway stage with matching scores of 63-67
Andy Sullivan continued to atack the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates as he carded a second round six under par 66 to get to 17 under par and take a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the inaugural Golf in Dubai Championship presented by DP World.
“Trying to follow a 61, the key is to stay patient and try and give myself as many chances as possible,” said Sullivan, who was one shot shy of breaking the European Tour’s lowest 36-hole score to par record.
“When I was three under through nine today I didn’t feel as good as I did yesterday, but I knew if I kept giving myself opportunities coming in I would eventually take some.”
Sullivan sits clear of fellow Englishmen Ross Fisher and Mat Wallace, who both reached 14 under par at the halfway stage with matching scores of 63-67.
“My processes were really good, I feel like I was seeing the line really well on the greens but my pace with the puts was a litle strong today,” said Sullivan, who has converted a 36 hole lead three times out of six on the European Tour so far in his career.
“I feel like I’ve got the golf ball under some sort of control at the moment and I feel comfortable out there - both off the tee and into the green. It’s a feeling that doesn’t happen too oten.”
Fisher was pleased to remain bogey free through the opening 36 holes having made seven birdies and an eagle yesterday and five birdies today.
“It was trickier today as it was bit fresher teeing off first thing in the morning and it was playing longer than yesterday,” said Fisher. “Patience was a big thing, waiting for the weather to warm up so you could start hiting the clubs you were hiting yesterday. So, it was tricky out there but I managed to get away with no bogeys.
“Yesterday, making all those birdies and one eagle, you feel like the game is in good shape. I made five birdies today and there were probably at least a handful that slipped by, but I’m not going to stand here and complain that I’ve missed a few puts. I’m 14 under, haven’t made a bogey, so life’s prety good.”
Wallace birdied the last to get to 14-under par alongside Fisher and is happy to be playing alongside his compatriots in tomorrow’s third round.
“I’m very happy with where I’m at,” said Wallace. “I showed myself that I can be patient ater a bad start. I kept saying to myself: ‘I shot nine under yesterday, so I’m allowed to play bad - but I’m not allowed to get down on myself’. I knew I was playing well so I just had to commit to every shot, and I did that.
“I’m in a good place and I’m looking forward to playing with Ross and Andy - three English guys at the top is nice.”
Craig Howie, Max Schmit and Antoine Rozner all sit at 12 under par, five strokes back ready to build some weekend momentum.
Germany’s Schmit, who had local pro Sam Taylor carrying his bag, is well positioned ater a superb 64 while Scotland’s Howie followed yesterday’s 64 with a 68. France’s Rozner added a 69 today to his opening 63.
England’s Steven Brown made a big move ater signing for a nine under par 63 to tag onto his opening round of two under par 70 to climb over 40 places into a share of seventh alongside a host of players on 11 under par, including 2018 Ryder Cup star Thorbjørn Olesen who fired a 64 today.
With the European Tour beginning its Dubai double-header of world-class golf at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dr Andrew Murray, the Tour’s Chief Medical Officer, is encouraging more people to hit the golf course to boost their wellbeing in an environment where it is easy to maintain social distancing.
The Golf in Dubai Championship presented by DP World is currently being held over the Fire course with four-time European Tour. The tournament precedes the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai -- the final Rolex Series event of the season-- on the Earth course.
Golfers know that playing golf is good for both your physical and mental health - and studies have confirmed that people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds can benefit from regular rounds of golf.
“Golf is in many ways the perfect social distancing sport,” explains Murray. “As it is a non-contact sport, which takes place over acres of sparselypopulated land, social distancing is very easy and effective. Additionally, a golfer can play a whole round of golf with his or her own golf clubs and balls, with virtually no need for any contact or cross-contamination.