Bland’s top form in desert storms
RICHARD BLAND holds a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the rain-hit Hero Dubai Desert Classic after posting two successive rounds of 67.
The Englishman, 49, returned to complete his second round yesterday morning, having made three birdies over the first four holes before play was suspended due to fading light on the Majlis course on Friday.
And Bland carded three more birdies and a solitary bogey in his remaining 14 holes to set the target at
10-under par.
Belgium’s
Thomas Pieters joined Bland at the summit after closing his Saturday 67 with seven birdies on the back nine.
American amateur Michael Thorbjornsen then made it a threeway tie at the top.
Thorbjornsen carded an eagle, seven birdies and one bogey in his 64 as he also grabbed a share of the lead.
Scotland’s Connor Syme, Swede Marcus Kinhult and Spaniard Adri Arnaus all sat one shot off the lead on nine under in a rain-delayed event which will now conclude tomorrow.
The build-up had been dominated by a war of words between Northern Ireland’s Rory Mcilroy (below) and American Patrick Reed.
They were another stroke back on eight under but will play in different groups in today’s third round.
Joining the pair on that total were Englishmen Matt Wallace, Dan
Bradbury and
Ian Poulter, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, Australian Lucas Herbert and Spain’s Angel Hidalgo.
Bland has made just one bogey in his two rounds and is happy with his form.
He said: “Every part of my game is in pretty good shape.
“The only shot that I dropped all day was at the sixth this morning (his second hole of the day).
‘‘I misjudged the temperature, chipped to three feet and from there I missed.
“So other than that it’s been pretty stressfree today, which is kind of nice.”