After missing the cut in his first three starts as a full DP World Tour member, Conor Purcell will now see weekend action for the second week running after a level-par 71 on day two of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The Portmarnock man had to return to Doha Golf Club at 07:00 to complete the final hole of round one before making his way to the first tee for round two and he rounded his first 18 out with a par and a one-under tally of 70.
A birdie on the second hole was cancelled out by a bogey on the next and he traded one more of each before reaching the brutish par-5 ninth. Having laid up, he found the putting surface in three but was a long way from the hole and inexplicably took four putts to get down, resulting in a double bogey-seven.
Now needing to shoot a couple-under on the back, he wiped that double from his mind in the perfect fashion by rolling in an eight-footer for eagle. Another bogey on 11 was recouped with a birdie on 12 and from there he parred his way home to reach the clubhouse at -1 for the week and just above the provisional cutline.
After an anxious wait, it became evident that the mark would hold and he’d return on Saturday morning with eyes on a moving day push up the leaderboard.
Brandon Robinson Thompson takes a two-shot lead into the weekend after an extraordinary eagle on the 16th moved him out of the chasing pack’s reach on Friday.
The Englishman has been in fine form of late, smashing the course record with an opening 61 in Bahrain last week before sharing the first-round lead at Doha Golf Club following Thursday’s 66.
Morning starter Robinson Thompson kept the momentum going in the second round as he fired a spotless 68 which contained birdies at the eighth and tenth and a remarkable eagle on the par-four 16th.
He drove the 16th green, sending his tee-shot to four feet, before tapping in the eagle putt to climb to 10-under-par.
After finishing up with two closing pars, he set a testing clubhouse target which none of the afternoon starters were able to match.
South Korean MK Kim and Chinese pair Wenyi Ding and Li Haotong were in a tie for second on eight-under after they each signed for 67s on day two. Japan’s Keita Nakajima and England’s Dan Brown were another shot back in joint-fifth.
Robinson Thompson revealed Qatar feels like a home from home for him, having spent a lot of time there over the years.
He said: “I’ve been here so many times. I used to come here every year for about five or six years.
“I’ve played this course 50 or 60 times. I’m so comfortable out here.
“There isn’t a shot that I probably haven’t seen already and I have a bit of support out here.
“I’ve had a lot of friends I’ve met who have come out and supported me. It’s like a home game for me and that’s where the confidence and comfort comes from.”
Speaking about Friday’s round, HotelPlanner Tour graduate Robinson Thompson said: “A great morning. It was tough, actually. The wind was ripping early. I thought the pins were quite tricky, so it was a lot of discipline.
“I hit a lot of shots to 30-40 feet and took my two putts and tried to take advantage of holes I could give myself chances on.
“Snuck one in on 16, hit driver to three or four feet. Happy with how I stayed patient and it’s good to finish bogey free.”
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