Graeme McDowell just two off the halfway lead at Saudi International
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Friday 31 January 2020 15:35, UK
Graeme McDowell stayed in the hunt for his first European Tour win since 2014 as he lies just two shots off the halfway lead at the Saudi International.
McDowell again outscored playing partner Phil Mickelson and added a steady 68 to his opening 64 to reach eight under, leaving him two adrift of Victor Perez with Gavin Green alone in second place.
Mickelson was unable to match his barrage of birdies on day one, making only three in a frustrating 70 as he remained on four under and one behind defending champion Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson.
Perez will take the outright lead into the weekend thanks to impressive rounds of 65, the Frenchman enjoying an excellent start to his second round when he made four birdies in six holes in a back-nine 31.
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The Alfred Dunhill Links champion was a little more erratic on the outward half, but his seventh birdie of the day at the ninth capped a stellar first 36 holes and ensured a one-shot advantage over the consistent Green.
The Malaysian did get to 10 under when he rolled in his fifth birdie putt of the day at the sixth - his 15th - but a late mistake at the eighth would ultimately cost him a share of the lead at the halfway stage.
The top two will be casting an eye over their shoulders at the star quality in pursuit, a chasing pack led by McDowell after he recovered from an early error to maintain his bid for his first European Tour silverware in five-and-a-half years.
McDowell bogeyed his second hole when he three-putted at the 11th, a hole he double-bogeyed on Thursday, but bounced back with a run of steady pars and a birdie at 15, and back-to-back gains at the fourth and fifth got him safely under the card for the round.
The Northern Irishman admitted afterwards that he had put too much focus on gaining extra length off the tee in recent months, and he has now gone back to basics.
"I went through the process of trying to get longer, throwing myself at speed, jumping around," he said. "I came to the conclusion that it affects the rest of my game too much. My rhythm speeds up and I start swinging too fast at everything.
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"I came to the conclusion that I feel like I'm long enough to compete right now. I'm not driving it short, I'm driving it average length, which is long enough to compete most weeks. I'm just trying to get better at what I'm good at, which is inside of 150 yards.
"I think being comfortable in your own skin, that's what you've got to do out here. It's a hard game, 350 yards off the tee, that's only one little part of it and there's a lot more to it."
Ross Fisher emerged as the leading English challenger after a 68 got him to six under, one ahead of Johnson (68) and Stenson, who birdied three of the first five holes to race to eight under before a bogey at six and a double at the ninth took the wind out of his sails.
The Swede also bogeyed the last following a pulled drive and a blocked third as he settled for a 70 which kept him one ahead of Mickelson and reigning Open champion Shane Lowry, who fired a four-birdie 67.
But world No 1 Brooks Koepka has nine shots to make up over the weekend after he mixed three birdies with two bogeys in a disappointing 69.
