DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Prime-ranked Rory McIlroy and rival Patrick Reed had been two photographs off the direct at the midway stage of the Dubai Desert Basic on Saturday.
Richard Bland, Thomas Pieters and amateur Michael Thorbjornsen all reached 10-beneath over-all at Emirates Golfing Club for a share of the direct right after two rounds of the weather-impacted tournament, which will conclude Monday.
Thorbjornsen, who is No. 2 in the entire world amateur rankings, shot an 8-underneath 64. He started out on the 10th and birdied 5 of his very first 6 holes before chipping for an eagle at the par-5 18th. He included a bogey and two additional birdies.
“I get pleasure from playing specialist golfing a lot and I’m nevertheless an amateur,” the Stanford University junior reported, “but just the golfing courses that we enjoy, the crowd out there, it is what I’m dreaming of at any time considering that I was five or 6 a long time old.”
Pieters recorded 7 birdies on the again 9 to near out his 67.
Bland posted his next straight spherical of 67 and has produced just a person bogey at the halfway mark.
Images: McIlroy, Reed tied driving leaders at Dubai Desert Common
Marcus Kinhult, Connor Syme and Adri Arnaus had been all a single shot again of the leaders.
McIlroy and Reed designed headlines with some pre-match friction in between them on the practice range, but they’ll engage in in various groups in Sunday’s 3rd spherical.
Like Reed, McIlroy shot a 70 on Saturday. The Northern Irishman combined a birdie and a bogey with an eagle at the par-5 13th.
“I only hit two fairways right now,” McIlroy said. “When you cannot hit fairways close to below, and the tough is quite thick, it’s extremely hard to have any command of your ball and get it shut into par fours. Yeah, just a little rusty. Need to go do a small operate.”
Along with Reed and McIlroy at 8 less than have been Matt Wallace, Dan Bradbury, Ian Poulter, Bernd Wiesberger, Lucas Herbert and Angel Hidalgo.
The levels of competition will conclude on Monday mainly because of delays over the earlier two times prompted by damp climate then fading mild.
Reed, a previous Masters winner who is a person of the superior-profile gamers to have joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golfing breakaway league, experienced a few birdies and a bogey.