Antoine Rozner (-9) is the solo leader at the DP World Tour Championship after the second round at the Earth course in Jumeirah. The Frenchman has delivered the best card of the tournament so far, a score of 65 with seven birdies and no bogeys. Textbook. His stretch between holes 9 and 16 was pure excellence, with a six-under-par in eight holes. He sank a couple of very good putts, but the rest of his successes came with sublime shots.
Today we saw that version of Rozner that points to a top 50 world player, a regular in the Majors and with more than enough resources to move confidently on the PGA Tour. His problem is that he hasn’t reached that version yet because he only shows it sporadically. He has everything, except the necessary consistency. That’s why Matthieu Pavon overtook him last season. The Spanish Open champion did what was expected before his compatriot Antoine. However, it feels like he has seen his tracks and is willing to follow in his footsteps. Right now, with that first position, he would be placed in second place in the Race to Dubai. It would be a full 15.
The worst news for Rozner is that there are still 36 holes ahead at the Jumeirah Golf in Dubai, and what he sees in the rearview mirror is a pack of wolves. Not much further, one stroke behind, are Rory McIlroy (-8) and Tyrrell Hatton (-8) (here the Jaws music would be fitting). The Northern Irishman seems like he hasn’t hit fifth gear yet. That’s the feeling, as if he still has two or three more gears. If he finds them, it seems the trophy has an owner. He played very well up to the 7th hole and then got stuck. He created opportunities, but his putter cooled down. His only blemish was the 10th hole, where he missed the fairway and deservedly made a bogey. However, he finished with an extraordinary wood from the fairway that left him about four metres for eagle. He didn’t make it, but it could be something like a warning to others.
Hatton doesn’t lose his footing. He never loses his footing. He always seems to be playing worse than he actually is because of his gestures. He goes at his own pace. No rush, but no pause. A birdie here, another there. A monstrous putt on this side, a couple of great shots on the other, some recovery over there… Without displaying his best golf, he manages to almost always be at the top.
The leaderboard is very tight, and there are very strong names at the top. Joaquín Niemann (-7) is two strokes behind, and three strokes back, sharing fifth place, are Rasmus Hojgaard, Shane Lowry, Keita Nakajima, and Jesper Svensson. Quite something. Closing the top 10, we have Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Wallace, and Paul Waring, who fell from the lead in the last nine holes, as if the inspiration from Abu Dhabi had come to an end. We’ll see.
We are in for a high-flying weekend at the Dubai Finale, with Otaegui and Campillo on the verge of the top 10 and fifteen players separated by only five strokes.
