Sergio Garcia and Francesco Molinari set the pace in World Tour Championship in Dubai
Shooting five-under-par 67s and sitting nine under, they head Lee Westwood by one stroke at the halfway stage of the season ender; Race to Dubai leader Henrik Stenson stays in touch at three under
Sergio Garcia and Francesco Molinari share a one-stroke lead halfway through the World Tour Championship in Dubai after shooting 5-under-par 67s on Friday.
They each made six birdies and a solitary bogey, and moved to 9-under 135 totals, one better than overnight leader Lee Westwood.
Westwood carded a 70, dropping a shot on the final hole after hitting his second shot into the water.
Fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton (66), Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger (67), South African Charl Schwartzel (67) and Dutchman Joost Luiten (69) were tied for fourth at 7 under in the season-ending championship of the European Tour.
“I try to enjoy myself as much as possible. Obviously, when you’re playing well, it’s a little easier. It was a good day,” said the Spanish Ryder Cup star.
Molinari made his only bogey on the 10th.
“Maybe yesterday the start was even better, but [I] played solid pretty much all round,” the Italian said. “I had a little lapse in concentration on the 10th and then recovered well.”
Stenson was saved by a hot putter on a day when he wasn’t his usual accurate self with his irons. An errant tee shot on the 13th hole injured a female spectator.
Meanwhile, defending champion Rory McIlroy improved on his horror start of 75 with a 68.
“Mentally, yesterday, I was still on holiday,” he said. “I felt a bit better out there today.”