Hero Dubai Desert Classic: Ewen Ferguson leads second round after bizarre finish with Rory McIlroy ninth behind | Golf news
Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland missed the cut and Rory McIlroy was forced to battle it out for the weekend as the mainstays battled it out in a dramatic second round at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Scotsman Ewen Ferguson, however, had a major role in taking a one-shot lead into the weekend, shooting a seven-under 65 to finish with a remarkable – and extremely lucky – eagle on the 18th.
Ferguson, the world’s 141st player to win three times on the DP World Tour, bogeyed his second shot on the par-five final hole but saw the ball bounce off the big scoreboard and back onto the green, landing five feet from pins. .
He bogeyed the eagle putt to move to 12 under for the week.
New Zealand’s David Hillier also shot 65 to be second and the only player within three strokes of Ferguson. LIV Golf’s Tyrrell Hatton (65) was in a three-way tie for third at eight under after a round that featured eight birdies.
But Hatton’s LIV counterpart, Rahm, battled hard to round 77 to finish two shots clear of par. He was joined in the early finish of the competition by world number 8 Hovland, who finished four over after an opening round of 75 with a 73.
“I wouldn’t say anything went well,” Rahm said. “No part of the game today was even average compared to what I would like to feel.”
McIlroy falls further – but can he repeat his 2024 comeback?
McIlroy has secured his place for the final two rounds, but will start Saturday nine shots behind Ferguson and everything if he is to win the event for the third year in a row and fourth time overall.
Although he finished with a birdie four at the last, having earlier shown his skill with the driver by hitting the green 356 yards in par-four seconds, McIlroy admitted he felt “a bit frustrated” at the end of his round amid “tricky” conditions of shifting winds and dense barrels.
However, McIlroy was encouraged when reminded that he was 10 strokes behind after 36 holes last year before successfully defending his title.
“I would say the winning score won’t be much above what the current leader is, especially with the way the course is going to look over the weekend and especially with the way this golf course has played over the past few years,” he added.
“The greens are still going to be a little bit tighter, and they’re going to put such a premium on fairway placement and hitting a lot of greens. If I can focus on that over the weekend, get a few putts to get out, I think I still have a decent chance.”
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Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Sky Sports
Sky Sports will have extended coverage from all four rounds of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, with featured groups live from 4am each morning Sky Sports Golf and bringing the bonus action before the main action.
Full coverage continues at 7am over the weekend, with all four rounds of the American Express PGA Tour and the Latin American Amateur Championship also live on Sky Sports. Stream the DP world tour, major competitions and more NOW.
