LONDON: For the second day in a row it was a case of catch me if you can at the
Abu Dhabi Golf Championship as Shane Lowry remained on top of the leaderboard.
The Irishman shot a record-equalling 62 in the first round to make a statement of intent in the UAE capital. He followed that up with a more sedate two-under 70 yesterday to stay out in front on
12-under, a shot ahead of South African duo Louis Oosthuizen and Richard Sterne.
Having made such a great start, Lowry knew he had to keep his concentration and that if he hung in there, he would stay ahead of the rest of the field.
“I’m really happy with that,” the world No.75 said.
“I knew today was going to be a bit of a weird day after shooting such a low score (on Wednesday).
“I just tried to go out and play like I played. To be honest, right from the start, I really feel like I played pretty well today. I think
I gave myself a lot of chances.
“Some of the shots early on were pretty horrendous. I battled back and hit some really nice shots out there, and hit some in close and made some birdies. I was happy with myself.”
Lowry has had a patchy run of form over the past 12 months, with only three top 10 finishes in 2018. But on the National course he has looked back to his best. Yesterday he showed grit and determination to bounce back from two bogeys in the first three holes. He fired in four birdies over the remaining holes to stay on top of the leaderboard.
And Lowry claimed he is in the sort of form that will make it tough for his rivals to catch him.
“I am happy to be in the lead going into the weekend,” he said.
“My iron play is good and playing the par-3s very well. I am happy with where my game is at and I am looking forward to the weekend.
“This is a huge event and it would be nice to get off to a good start, get some Race to Dubai points on the board and kick on from there.”
If Lowry is to stay ahead of the impressive field and win his first title since the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, he will have to hold off the challenge of a revitalized Lee Westwood. The former world No. 1 backed up his opening 66 with a four-under 68 to lie two shots back. The Englishman won the Nedbank Challenge — like the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, one of the eight events that make up the cash-rich Rolex series — in December and has looked close
to his brilliant best over the first two rounds.
A good showing in the UAE will help him get back into the world top 50 and into the Majors, one of Westwood’s aims for the year.
Also showing the sort of form that made him one of the best golfers in the world was Oosthuizen. The former Open champion shot a four-under 68 to lie on 11-under going into the final two rounds, and he is looking forward to trying to chase down Lowry.
“Trying to win any event and going into the weekend really close, it’s always exciting,” the South African world No. 26 said.
Shane Lowry confident he will take some stopping in Abu Dhabi
Shane Lowry confident he will take some stopping in Abu Dhabi
- Irishman Lowry leads by one shot after gritty round in UAE capital.
- Westwood and Oosthuizen in hot pursuit at Rolex event.
Al-Nassr down Al-Najma in 5-0 drubbing to move clear at the summit of SPL
- Ronaldo, Coman, Martínez and Mané all on the scoresheet in 5-0 victory as Al-Nassr move two points clear of second-place Al-Ahli
DAMMAM: When Al-Najma beat Al-Kholood two weeks ago to secure their first-ever Saudi Pro League victory under new manager Néstor El Maestro, it seemed like a page was turned in their turbulent debut season in the league.
Days later, they led Al-Ahli 1-0 in Jeddah, further showing that this team were not prepared to go down so easily. Unfortunately for the Qassim-based side, they crumbled in the second half and fell to a 4-1 defeat.
Next up for El Maestro’s squad was Al-Nassr. With Al-Hilal dropping points to Al-Taawoun and Al-Ahli beating Damac by the skin of their teeth, this was Jorge Jesus’ chance to reclaim top spot with a two-point gap. There was no option but victory.
Al-Najma were no match for Al-Nassr from the get-go. Only five minutes were needed for fans to complain about the level of refereeing for the third consecutive day, with Al-Nassr winning a penalty just five minutes in.
It wasn’t to be for Al-Najma’s goalkeeper Victor Braga, though. Just last week, he became the first player to save an Ivan Toney penalty in an Al-Ahli shirt.
This time, Cristiano Ronaldo slotted home with confidence, and there was no looking back. Al-Najma accepted defeat with more than 80 minutes to go, and the only question remained was how big the scoreline would be.
With Íñigo Martínez now Jesus’ trusted option at left-back, Marcelo Brozović was afforded greater freedom to push forward. Martinez operated as a pseudo-left-defensive midfielder, giving the Croatian the green light to overload the channels in the final third.
This led to Al-Nassr’s second of the night, when Brozović received the ball down the left flank to square it to Kingsley Coman in the 31st minute. The Frenchman converted his sixth goal of the campaign.
Moments later, Braga was injured while attempting to deal with a corner. Waleed Al-Anzi replaced him, but a low Martinez strike from range deflected off Nasser Al-Haleel to slip between his legs for Al-Nassr’s third in the 42nd minute.
The second half would prove no different for the hosts. Playing higher up the pitch in a bid to lessen the deficit, it saw Nawaf Bu Washl released with acres of space down the right after a chipped ball by Abdullah Al-Khaibari.
Bu Washl found Ronaldo in the box, but after hesitating to shoot, he opted to release Sadio Mané instead, who netted the fourth in the 52nd minute.
The next 10 minutes saw Ronaldo, Mané, Brozović, Coman and João Félix substituted as Jesus manages the team’s fitness levels. Al-Nassr travel to Al Majma’ah to face Al-Fayha in less than 72 hours.
The icing on the cake came via Martinez in the 80th minute. Abdulrahman Ghareeb delivered a corner to the near post that was met by the Spaniard and headed past Al-Anzi at the far post for Al-Nassr’s fifth.
Eleven games remain for Al-Nassr on their quest for their first league title since 2019. Their next five games include Al-Fayha, NEOM, Al-Khaleej, Al-Najma and Al-Okhdood, a run that helped them solidify top spot in the first half of the season.
That is followed by the stretch that previously saw them go four games without a win: Al-Ettifaq, Al-Ahli, Al-Qadsiah and Al-Hilal, before their final two games of the season against Al-Shabab and Damac.
The title race remains tight. Al-Nassr may sit top, but Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal and Al-Qadsiah sit two, three and five points behind them respectively. Time will tell if Ronaldo can grab the coveted title he’s missed since his arrival in the Kingdom.
Elsewhere, Alexandre Lacazette’s stellar strike was cancelled out by Yassine Benzia in NEOM’s 1-1 draw with Al-Fayha. The newly-promoted side remain in eighth place, five points ahead of Al-Khaleej in ninth, and six behind seventh-placed Al-Ettifaq.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Thursday. Al-Fateh go head-to-head with Damac while Al-Hazem host Al-Ettifaq. Al-Ahli, despite a few recent struggles, have won 12 out of their last 13 matches and travel to the capital to face Al-Riyadh on the same day.
