Dubai Desert Classic: Sharma Makes Cut; Young Leads By Three

Hero Dubai Desert Classic: India’s lone representative Shubhankar Sharma added 1-under 71 to his first round 72 to make the cut in tied-52nd place at the Dubai Desert Classic.

Sharma saw all the action in the first eight holes, which he began with a double bogey after being stuck in the rough, as against an eagle a day earlier.

Cameron Young shot 67-64 to move into a three-shot lead at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He is now 13-under and his nearest rivals are Andy Sullivan, a five-time winner on the DP World Tour, and Poland’s Adrian Meronk, recently voted as the DP World Tour’s Players Player of the Year. Meronk missed a four-foot birdie putt on Par-5 18th which could have put him sole second.

Twins, Nicolai (69) and Rasmus (70) Hojgaard were tied fourth alongside Scotsman Richie Ramsay at 7-under 137.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy, survived three bogeys between eighth and the 11th as he shot 2-under 70. He had a closing birdie on 18th and is 3-under for 36 holes and Tied-24th and 10 shots behind Young.

It is the fifth time in seven starts at the event that Sharma is making the cut. Despite the early double, Sharma fought back superbly with some great approach shots. He birdied the second and third and on the Par-3 fourth he hit his tee shot to around two feet from the pin for a third birdie in succession.

However, he then missed a two-footer for par on Par-3 seventh, but again fought back with a birdie on the eighth. He missed another putt inside three feet for birdie on 13th as he parred the last 10 holes for 71.

Young has been sensational on the back nine of the Majlis Course at the Emirates Golf, where the rough has provided a stiff challenge to the golfers. After closing the first round on the first day with 6-under 31, including a birdie-birdie-eagle finish, he teed on the back nine on the second day.

Immediately, he racked up five birdies, including three in a row from 16th to 18th. He added a fourth on the first. Three more birdies on third, fourth and the seventh brought him to 14-under, before he gave away a shot on the ninth, just as he had on the first day.

Young said, “I put fantastic. I made a couple long ones yesterday and then made a few more today that had no right going in. I hit a bunch of good putts but just one of those days where you kind of have a couple 30-footers and you look up and they are going right in the middle, which doesn't happen all that often to have a bunch of them in one round. But really nicely and putted great.”

The 2023 British Open winner Brian Harman had an eagle, four birdies and five bogeys for a second straight 71as he made the cut in T-38th place.

Sharing the 38th place with Harman was the European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald had a hole-in-one on the Par-3 fourth, where he used the 8-iron from 183 yards. With 71-71 he is T-38th.