Dodd stays two ahead at Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen Open
A frustrating double-bogey on the closing hole stymied Ross McGowan’s bid to catch up with Stephen Dodd at the top of the leaderboard going into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen Open, the second event on the 2012 MENA Golf Tour, at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club on Tuesday.
The winner of the 2009 Madrid Masters, McGowan, shot a 69 to go seven under for the tournament along with Germany’s Roland Steiner, a good two shots behind the seasoned Welshman, who followed up his course record-breaking 66 with a steady 69.
McGowan made a blazing start to his round, picking four birdies in his first five holes, but dropped two shots on the closing hole, thanks to a misjudged iron after a great drive.
“Overall, I played solid golf and drove the ball better than I did in the first round. I could have done even better considering the start that I had, but missed out on a couple of good scoring chances,” said the Englishman.
“That double bogey on the 18th was just frustrating especially after a good drive. That’s golf, Things don’t always go your way,” said McGowan, who is still recovering from a wrist injury he sustained in 2010.
“We still have 18 holes to play and if I continue to play the way I am playing I can expect a good result,” said McGowan, who will be leaving for the US next week to play in the PGA Tour qualifying rounds.
The Englishman, however, would need to produce something special to track down Dodd, a three-time winner on the European Tour, in the final round.
Dodd made four birdies, two in each half, to move closer to the title on nine under. “I played a fairly steady round and held up nicely. I think I stand a good chance tomorrow,” said Dodd.
“Of course, the pressure and nervousness will be there to hold on to the lead, but I think I am in a good position with a two-shot advantage,” said the 46-year-old Welshman.
Germany’s Steiner could provide a new twist to the script with a late charge on Wednesday. Starting the day two shots adrift, Steiner picked up pace with three birdies in a row from the first before making the turn at two under.
Almost similar was the story on the back nine where the German mixed three birdies with two bogeys to stay in contention for the top $9,000 prize.
Elsewhere, England’s Tyler Hogarty continued his domination in the amateur division, carding a level-par round for a 36-hole total of 140, three shots ahead of Onovan Liddicoat of South Africa and six off Michael Harradine, a UAE-based player from Switzerland.
The cut was made at five-over-par 149 with top 50 and ties (a total of 54 players) making it to the final round. Among the notables who missed the cut included UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh (81 and 76) and Ahmed Marjan, the winner of last year’s Order of Merit title for amateurs.
Meanwhile, Jake Shepherd, the winner of the 2011 MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit title, was forced to pull out because of a nagging neck injury after playing just 10 holes in the second round.
“It’s a shame that I had to go out in this manner. I just couldn’t swing the club. It was so painful. I am not sure whether I would be playing in the next event.
“I will see my physio and will make the decision accordingly,” said the Englishman, who shot a disappointing 78 in the first round.
A new initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour is affiliated to R&A and the Arab Golf Federation. Backed by Omega and Mercedes-Benz, the six-stop Tour boasts a combined prize fund of $325,000.
Leading scores after the second round:
135 — Stephen Dodd (Wales) 66 69
137 – Ross McGowan (England) 68 69; Roland Steiner (Germany) 68 69
140 – Tyler Hogarty (AM – England) 68 72
141 – Berni Reiter (Austria) 71 70, Mitchell Slorach (Singapore) 72 69, Gavin Dear (Scotland) 72 69
142 – Trevor Marshall (New Zealand) 73 69; Alex Christie (England) 70 72; Simon Dunn (England), William Harrold (England) 75 67
143 – Yasin Ali (England) 71 72; Brian Lee (England) 69 74, Michael Borrett (England) 72 71; Fredrik Quicker (Sweden) 70 73; Daniel Wardrop (UK) 70 73
