The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Gallacher in touch as play suspended
Stephen Gallacher remains firmly in contention after day two of the weather disrupted Saudi International yesterday.
The 46-year-old shares the lead with New Zealander Ryan Fox on 10-under-par with six holes of his second round left to play.
Gallacher made a perfect start to the tournament with an opening round of 62 – his lowest ever opening round on the European Tour – before playing the opening 12 holes of his second round in two under.
He recovered from a bogey at the second with gains at the third, fourth and eighth to remain in good shape heading into the weekend.
Fox is in position to make the most of a late change of plans after claiming the clubhouse lead in the Saudi International.
Fox completed a second consecutive 65 at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club shortly before play was suspended for the day following an earlier twohour delay due to bad weather.
England’s Andy Sullivan and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger are also safely in the clubhouse on eight under.
World No 1 and 2019 winner Dustin Johnson was also eight under with four holes remaining, with Tommy Fleetwood a shot further back after exercising his option to complete the 18th after play was suspended, only to find the water with his second shot and card his only bogey of the day.
“I’m very happy,” Fox said after a round containing six birdies and a solitary bogey on the difficult ninth, his final hole of the day.
“It’s been a really solid couple days of ball striking and saw a few putts go in both days, which was nice. To be sitting near the top of this leaderboard is always a good thing. It’s a pretty strong field this week.
“I think we got very, very lucky (with the draw). No wind on Thursday morning and the showers went through with the thunderstorms. When we came back out it was pretty much perfect.
“You don’t often get two days of no wind around here and it was nice to take advantage of that.”
Fox will return to New Zealand after the final leg of the European Tour’s
“Desert Swing” and faces 14 days of quarantine when he gets home.
The 34-year-old had to book a slot before he left and opted for February 9, knowing that if he missed that date the next available was sometime in May.
Fox therefore thought about skipping the event in Saudi Arabia, but with a Jeddah-to-Dubai flight pushed back on Sunday evening he can make his connection to Auckland – via Kuala Lumpur – and make it home on the ninth.
Asked about being in contention for a second European Tour win, Fox added: “It is (where you want to be), as long as I can make my flight on Sunday to make sure I get back into New Zealand.
“I can just control what I can control. If I go out and play well, try to set the target and make them chase me. I don’t know how many of the top 50 in the world are here this week, but it’s a lot.
“And I certainly hope to be there one day. If I can play well this week, then it’s a step in that direction.”
England’s David Horsey, who equalled the course record with an opening 61, was two over par for 12 holes of his second round to fall three off the pace.
Scotland’s Calum Hill is sitting tied seventh on seven under after rounds of 65 and 68, while Robert MacIntyre is tied 52nd on one under after a 68, while Aberdeen’s David Law is a shot behind after a second successive round of 70.
Richie Ramsay finished four over after rounds of 73 and 71.