Gallacher tied with Hojgaard for Oman lead
● Scot cards a bogey-free 67 in Muscat ● Young Dane chasing his second win
Stephen Gallacher claimed a share of the halfway lead in the $1.75 million Oman Open with a superb second-round 67.
The 45-year-old, who started the day two shots off the pace after an opening 68, was in brilliant form as he added a bogeyfree five-under-par effort at the Greg Norman-designed Al Mouj Golf in Muscat.
Gallacher, who tied for ninth in this event at the same venue two years ago, birdied the fifth, seventh, eighth, 12th and 13th holes in halves of 33-34 as he moved to nine under par alongside 18-year-old Dane Rasmus Højgaard .
“It was tough from the get-go this morning in the wind – we had four holes straight into it at the start – and it never really dropped,” said the four-time European Tour winner after signing for his first bogey-free round in 18 months
“You’ve got to hit the fairways out there, especially when the pins are tucked and the wind is coming from opposite angles. The fairways are generous, but being on the right side of them helps a lot.”
While the 2014 Ryder Cup player returned to winning ways in the Hero Indian Open last March, he managed only one top-25 finish outwith that effort to end up 92nd in the Race to Dubai.
He then missed the cut in his opening two events of the 2020 campaign in Abu Dhabi and Dubai before receiving a much-needed confidence boost with a closing 66 in the
Saudi International to finish just outside the top 20.
“I had been struggling a bit and changed some things,” he said. “I worked on things before going to Saudi, started to hit some good shots there and it’s amazing how things snowball.
“You start to chip better, you start to putt better and you start to compete. By Sunday,
you just want to have a chance to win coming down the stretch.”
Gallacher is bidding for a third title triumph in the Middle East following his back-toback victories in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club in 2013 and 2014.
“It’s a good spot to be in,” he admitted. “But there’s still a lot of golf to be played.”
Avid Celtic fan Gallacher had a wry smile on his face when he was asked in an interview on Sky Sports Golf about the team’s exit from the Europa League at the hands of FC Copenhagen following a 4-2 aggregate defeat in the last 32.
“We’ve had a blip,” he said of that. “The team is flying. Neil Lennon is doing a great job, so we are just going to focus on the league and cup now.”
Højgaard, who is 27 years younger than Gallacher, became the third youngest winner in European Tour history when he won the Afrasia Bank Mauritus Open earlier this season.
Looking as though he is going to continue to take the circuit by storm, he carded a 68 for his nine-under total, the pair sitting one ahead of Finn Kalle Samooja (65) and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts (67).
Calum Hill carded a fourunder 68 in the afternoon to sit joint 19th on three under, two shots ahead of both Connor Syme (70) and Grant Forrest (73) as four Scots from nine starters made the cut.
First-round leaders Michele Thomson and Gemma Dryburgh slipped to fifth and ninth respectively at the halfway stage in the Women’s NSW Open as Belgian Manon De Roey swept into top spot with an eight-under 64 that contained two eagles.
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