It was smiles all round as Sergio Garcia and Francesco Molinari shot matching scores of 5 under par 67 to share the halfway lead at Jumeirah Golf Estates after the second round of the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Both men posted six birdies with just one bogey apiece to take a one-stroke lead over Lee Westwood into today’s third round at 9 under par 135.
“It was good fun,” said Garcia whose best result at the DP World Tour Championship is a seventh place finish at the inaugural event in 2009. “I try to enjoy myself as much as possible every time. Obviously when you’re playing well, it’s a little easier. It was a good day.
“I’m excited about it. It’s good to be out there with a chance the last tournament of the year. I just want to make sure that I keep playing the same way I’ve played these first two days and see where that takes us.”
A captivating second day saw seven players tied for the lead at one point before Garcia, Molinari and Westwood pulled away over the closing holes, with the Englishman giving a shot away with a bogey on the last when he found the water with his second shot.
Molinari, searching for his second win of the season after victory on home soil at the Italian Open in September, was pleased to continue his good form around the Earth course after bettering his solid opening round of 68 by one.
“I’m happy, it was another good day,” he said. “I played well. Maybe yesterday the start was even better, but I played solid pretty much all the way round.
“I’m happy where I am after two rounds.”
Tyrrell Hatton’s putter caught fire down the back nine as he came home in 31 to equal the low round of the week with a 66 and get to seven under alongside Joost Luiten, Charl Schwartzel and Bernd Wiesberger.
“I felt I got off to a slow start,” said Hatton who won his first European Tour title at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last month. “I missed a few putts early on and then I tried to stay as patient as I can. And then thankfully they started dropping, and that was the key to a good score today.”
In the battle to win the race to Dubai, leader Henrik Stenson remained in the box seat after he fired a 69 to sit at three under in a share of 17th place.
The third round gets underway at 7.40am.
