Rory leads in Dubai, Shiv makes cut

Rory McIlroy has bounced back to his lead from a shaky start in the second round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Friday.

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January 31, 2014: Rory McIlroy has bounced back to his lead from a shaky start in the second round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Friday. He shot two-under-70 to total his two round score  at 133. He retains one shot lead over America’s Brooks Koepka, who shot impressive seven-under 65.

 

On the Indian front, Shiv Kapur has kept the Indian challenge alive in Dubai after shooting two under 70 on Friday after his first round score of 72 . He lies tied 58th with total two-round score of 142, nine shots behind the leader.

 

However, despite recovering in the  second round with three-under 69, Jeev Milkha singh missed the halfway cut. While, Gaganjeet Bhullar continued his dismal performance second day in a row with two over 74. He too will not play the weekend.

 

The former World Number One McIlroy was unable to reproduce that sort of form in round two.McIlroy pulled his tee shot on the first hole and was unable to keep his approach from running through the green, from where he three-putted from the fringe from long range.

 

Perhaps frustrated by that start, McIlroy opted to hit a driver on the short par four second after playing partners Stephen Gallacher and Tiger Woods laid up with long irons, but this time carved it well right into the trees and was lucky to have a clear pitch onto the green.

 

After making par there – Gallacher holed from ten feet for birdie – another bad drive followed on the par five third and McIlroy was again fortunate his ball rolled down a slope in the waste area to give him a shot towards the green.

 

The World Number Six found a greenside bunker with his approach but then played a superb long bunker shot to four feet and holed the birdie putt to get back to nine under par.

 

That seemed to steady the ship and McIlroy picked up further shots on the fifth and seventh before scrambling par on the eighth after another wayward drive, a par on the ninth completing a front nine of 33.

 

At 11 under par he led by one from American Brooks Koepka, who had covered the back nine in 33 and then rolled in a hat-trick of birdies from the first to be seven under for his round.

 

Woods had matched McIlroy’s birdie from sand on the third but then three-putted the sixth from long range and dropped another shot on the ninth to drop back to three under par.

 

Defending champion Gallacher had also bogeyed the ninth to lie seven under.

 

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