The second day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship has followed the same path as the first: a flood of birdies and ups and downs. If on Thursday Tommy Fleetwood equalled the Yas Links record with his round of 62 strokes, on Friday it was Paul Waring (-19) who broke it with a score of 61 strokes, eleven under par for the day, taking him to the top of the leaderboard. The Englishman, in fact, has become the leading candidate for the final victory, as he currently holds a five-stroke advantage over his closest pursuers, who are Johannes Veerman, Niklas Norgaard, Tommy Fleetwood, and Thorbjorn Olesen. There are, however, still 36 holes to play, and Waring has never been a paragon of composure when he has had to handle himself at the top…
A more rigorous analysis of the day’s play can be made. In reality, today’s average score was higher, as it went to 68.7 strokes, compared to the staggering 68.33 average strokes on Thursday. There was a fundamental reason, and it was the breeze that this time did pick up with some substance as the hours passed, and especially in the final stretch of this beautiful golf course, making things more complicated for the players. Perhaps a second reason can be argued, which has its significance: everyone here is already crystal clear that to give oneself a remote chance of victory, many birdies must be made, but many (the leader has already signed 18 birdies and an eagle in 36 holes), so it’s not surprising that some push a bit too hard and find themselves in more trouble than expected (oh, that triple bogey by Rory McIlroy (-10) on the 17th, which abruptly halted his progress)…
And so we are. Calculating whether this first play-off of the DP World Tour could become the highest-scoring event of the year. To date, the honour belongs to the Ras Al Khaimah Championship last January, when Olesen won with a total of -27, although with a six-stroke difference over the second-place finisher, with -16 marking the top ten line. The Jonsson Workwear event in South Africa wasn’t bad either, where Manassero won with a total of -26, with a three-stroke advantage over his pursuers, and it took -19 to get into the top ten… In short, that’s where things might be heading this week in Abu Dhabi. It’s possible (and even probable) that the scores from RAK and Jonsson might be surpassed, especially if Waring holds his ground and with more scorecards around 62, 63, and 64 strokes being signed from behind.
Alfredo García Heredia (-10) is the best of the six Spaniards present, after delivering his second consecutive 67 today. The Asturian’s performance so far is impeccable, as he strings together 35 consecutive holes without a bogey, but in the mentioned conditions, besides playing well, you have to sink a few bonuses on the greens, or you quickly fall behind. Today, in reality, if one had to analyse the joint performance of the Spanish Armada, it would have to be rated as a solid notable. To Alfredo’s 67, we must add the 68-stroke cards of Ángel Hidalgo (-9), Nacho Elvira (-7), and Jorge Campillo (-5); also the 69 of Adrián Otaegui (-9); and above the rest, a 66 from Alex del Rey (-8), which in the end left the Madrid native with a bitter aftertaste, as by the 10th hole he was on a stunning eight under par for the day, but ended with a frustrating two over par in the last eight holes. Can you guess who he was playing with? Well, with Waring. Between the two, if a virtual fourball is allowed, they tore the course apart with a -15 for the day. Things that happen in Abu Dhabi this week and will continue to happen if the wind doesn’t blow more or the greens don’t firm up. Although, while we’re at it, maybe it would be better to go the other way: water the greens and move some tees forward, to see how many records can be broken. Let’s see if the shadow of a 58 looms…
