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Patrick Reed once again showed his affinity for the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club, firing a flawless second-round 66 to move into a slender lead at the Dubai Desert Classic, as India's challenge ended with both Shubhankar Sharma and Yuvraj Singh Sandhu failing to make the cut.
The American, a former Masters champion, climbed to nine-under-par to hold a one-shot advantage over England's Andy Sullivan, who produced one of the rounds of the tournament with a brilliant seven-under 65. Reed's latest surge added to his impressive recent record in Dubai, having finished runner-up in 2023 and inside the top ten last season. Indian debutant Yuvraj Singh Sandhu signed for successive rounds of 73 to miss the weekend, while Sharma endured a difficult second day, adding a 77 to his opening 74 to exit the $9 million Rolex Series event at the halfway stage. Reed began the day four strokes behind overnight leader Francesco Molinari but quickly made up ground after starting on the back nine. A birdie from the fringe at the 12th sparked his charge before he produced a moment of magic at the 13th, draining a remarkable 42-foot eagle putt that catapulted him up the leaderboard. Another birdie at the 17th took Reed to seven-under, and when he rolled in a four-foot birdie putt at the opening hole, he briefly shared the lead. He then moved clear with a further birdie at the third, reaching nine-under, and maintained his advantage with a composed finish of six straight pars to complete a bogey-free round. Sullivan's challenge gathered momentum early. The 38-year-old found his rhythm with four consecutive birdies starting at the third hole and added another at the ninth to turn in five-under-par. Though a bogey-birdie-bogey sequence from the 12th momentarily slowed him, Sullivan responded admirably after another dropped shot at the 16th. A birdie at the 17th was followed by a superb approach into the final hole, setting up a closing eagle that vaulted him into second place at eight-under. Mikael Lindberg also remained firmly in contention as he continued a run of consistent performances. The Swede birdied three of his opening four holes to climb to eight-under, but successive bogeys checked his progress. Further dropped shots later in the round saw him slip back to seven-under, still very much in the mix heading into the weekend. Behind the leading trio, Italy's Francesco Molinari and Andrea Pavan sat one shot further adrift, while Denmark's Nicolai Hjgaard produced a bogey-free 67 that included five birdies on the back nine to move into solo fifth at six-under. Race to Dubai leader Jayden Schaper returned a 68 to reach five-under, joined by fellow South African Hennie du Plessis, Lindberg, Finland's Oliver Lindell and defending champion Tyrrell Hatton, ensuring a tightly packed leaderboard going into the final two rounds. (ANI)
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