Hatton, Rahm share Abu Dhabi Championship lead with Laporta

England’s Tyrrell Hatton was on song as he joined Jon Rahm of Spain and Italy’s overnight leader Francesco Laporta at the head of the field after 36 holes of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at the Yas Links on Friday. Image courtesy DPWT.

Hatton, Rahm share Abu Dhabi Championship lead with Laporta

By Rahul Banerji

Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm reeled in Francesco Laporta to share a one shot lead heading into the weekend at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at the Yas Links on Friday.

Italy’s Laporta had led after a brilliant 10 under par 62 on day one but a 70 in round two left the door ajar and close friends and Ryder Cup team-mates Hatton and Rahm took advantage, the DPWT said.

Hatton carded a 7 under 65, two shots fewer than Rahm, and the two shared the lead at 12 under 132 alongside Laporta.

“Obviously, there’s been a couple of mistakes,” Hatton said later. 

“But overall, compared to where I’ve been at over the last month and a half, it’s nice to put a couple of decent scores together again.

“You just kind of take one shot at a time, really. I find it easier to focus on the negatives, but it’s also a quick reminder of it can go bad quickly.

“I’m happy with how I’m hitting it this week, and hopefully that continues.”

Bouncing back

Unfazed by his day one penalty, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy carded a 9 under 63 to share fourth place alongside Pole Adrian Meronk and England’s Sam Bairstow and Matthew Jordan.

McIlroy is in chase of an eighth Race to Dubai title, and with current leader Eugenio Chacarra back in tied 38th on 3 under 141, he is well placed to move up the standings.

“Yesterday was yesterday, and today’s a new day,” said the world no. 2. “I had to take an unplayable at the first and made a bogey. It wasn’t like I got off to the greatest of starts today.

“But then obviously I got it going. As I said last night, I felt like I’d played well enough to feel like I could play my way back into the tournament.

“I did everything well again. I drove the ball well. I hit my irons well. I putted a little bit better. I saw a few more putts go in, which is something that I haven’t been seeing for the last couple of months.”

Former LIV Golf star Hatton won this event in 2021 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club but seems equally at home at Yas Links with a second and two other top tens in four starts.

Hot streak

The Englishman birdied his first two holes and then made four in a row from the sixth to turn in 30. He then mixed two further birdies with a dropped shot for an eventful second day.

Fellow LIV player and team captain Rahm was in the final group of the day and quickly hit the front with birdies on holes two, three and five.

Four more birdies and three bogeys in a roller coaster seven holes before a two-putt gain on the last put the event debutant back on top of the leaderboard.

“Pretty good play. Only thing to take back would be just a couple of bad tee shots right now, feeling fairly comfortable otherwise,” Rahm said. 

“It’s going to be hard to ever find a golf course in better shape than this one. It’s phenomenal what they’ve been able to do. The greens are all perfect. 

“When you give some of the best players in the world perfect greens and fairways that are firm, unless the wind conditions get crazy, you’re going to have some close scores, and that’s what we’re seeing on this course here.”

Solid finish

Laporta had a roller coaster ride of his own as he bogeyed hole three but then made a hat-trick of birdies from the seventh onwards.

He made a bogey-birdie start to the back nine and while a double on 14 could have derailed his round, the Italian regained the shots back on 15 and 18.

“End of the day, it was a good day,” Laports said later. “Didn’t start very well, I was 1-over after 6. Then I made three birdies in a row, a few mistakes on the back nine, but few really in the last four.

“I’m quite happy about how I finished, but still a lot of golf (to go).”

McIlroy found an unplayable lie as he bogeyed the first but then birdied holes two, four and seven before reeling off five in a row from the ninth hole onwards.

That run ended with a bogey but he would still pick up shots on three of his last four holes for a total of 11 birdies — his best in a DP World Tour round.

Meronk and Jordan both carded 5 under 67s, one less than Bairstow, to sit a shot ahead of Spaniard David Puig and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger on 10 under 134.

Also read: Italy’s Laporta sets a scorching pace in Yas Links opening round