Cormac Sharvin ensured his safe passage to the weekend rounds as the halfway cut claimed Jonathan Caldwell as a victim at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
It was another mixed day for Ardglass pro Sharvin who’s had no issue making birdies this week around Education City Golf Club but has struggled to also limit the mistakes on his card.
On Friday he traded six birdies and four bogeys for a two-under par 69 to sit just inside the top-50 ahead of moving day, albeit eight shots back.
In-all, Sharvin’s carded 11 birdies through 36-holes and if he can somehow limit the dropped shots and continue at that rate of birdies into the weekend, he could yet feature come the back nine on Sunday.
Sadly Clandeboye’s Caldwell won’t be there despite a spirited fightback on Friday. Starting the day at plus-three, the 35-year old got to four-under par on the day with four gains, minus-one for the tournament, before bogeys at 9 and 12 scuppered his chances.
He signed off with a 69 of his won to miss out on the cut line by two strokes. Amateur Michael Young returned rounds of 78 and 76 for a 12-over tally.
At the top, Jorge Campillo and Andy Sullivan shared the lead heading into the weekend in Doha but they had a host of European Tour winners breathing down their necks at Education City Golf Club.
Sullivan took advantage of the low winds in the morning to fire a second consecutive 66 and get to ten under and it looked for a long time as if the Englishman would not be caught at the top of a congested leaderboard.
“I’ve got it under lock at the moment,” said O’Sullivan. “I feel like I am control of myself, which is the most important thing for me, I really felt like I took my time a little bit more on shots and stuff. When I have been doing well before I generally rush the shot, maybe try to hit it a bit quickly, so I have been trying to take my time a little bit more and be a bit more composed over the shot trying to hit it to the right areas.
“I’ve not been super aggressive the past two days and I have holed a couple of putts to keep me in it, so like I said yesterday, it’s just about being patient and that is what I have been doing the past two days.”
It’s the result of some concerted efforts from Sullivan to keep his concentrate in check in recent times.
“I feel like I have grown up a little bit now on the golf course. You know I think that having a laugh on the golf course is all well and good, and I still enjoy it but for me, I have really had to knuckle down the past two days to keep myself in check because there are times when I find myself wandering.
“It has been difficult, and it is something new for me, trying to keep focused for so long, normally I drift in and out a little bit, but it’s been really good and positive signs as the golf has been really good.”
Campillo went blemish free in posting a 66 on his own to also get to double figures and join Sullivan in top spot.
Swede Alexander Björk carded the lowest round of the week and his European Tour career with a course record 63 to sit at nine under alongside countryman Marcus Kinhult, England’s Oliver Fisher, Frenchman Romain Langasque and Dutchman Joost Luiten.
Danish trio Nicolai Højgaard, Benjamin Poke and Jeff Winther, South African Darren Fichardt, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and England’s Jack Senior were three shots off the lead.
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