By Bernie McGuire in Dubai.
“It’s nice to get some weekend work.”
The words of Padraig Harrington after posting a pair of 70s to be easily into the closing two rounds of the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic.
Harrington headed to lunch inside the leading 20 following a second day’s play in glorious warm conditions, grabbing three birdies and just the one dropped shot as he had done a day prior.
Everything looks good in this picture on the iconic 8th @EmiratesGC @SlyncDDC @DPWorldTour it’s a pity it resulted in a pull hook. pic.twitter.com/hV5KEmr4LN
— Padraig Harrington (@padraig_h) January 28, 2022
It handed Harrington a four-under-par tally and while that is currently seven adrift of South African Justin Harding (68), who leads by three shots at 11-under-par, he’s only four back of second as the afternoon half of the draw in the $8m Rolex Series took to the course.
Again, the three-time Major champ made the most of the closing holes of the host course, birdieing the 16th, that he was playing as his seventh hole, and then posting the second birdie of his round at the 18th.
Harrington headed to his inward half of day two dropping a shot at the first or his 10th hole but then sandwiched a 16th hole birdie, at the seventh hole on the scorecard, among seven inward pars.
“Yes, nice to be getting some more weekend work, and a pair of 70s is nice,” he said.
“It was very strange as I certainly didn’t play very well for the first seven holes today and I got the most out of my round at that stage and then I played really well for the last 11 holes.
“What I am doing well, is that I am getting up-and-down a lot. That was the key also to my round yesterday and it was the same today. I felt very good about myself leaving the course late yesterday and I kind of took that good feeling also into today.”
It is the second time in as many New Year events for Harrington that he will get to play all four days on the renamed DP World Tour and this after sharing 20th place ‘down the road’ in last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
“It’s important heading into a new year you do play all four rounds in any tournament, and for this DP World Tour and each being a Rolex Series event, these are exceptionally important events for those guys playing the full season,” he said.
“You want to do well in the Race to Dubai, so you have to play well in these two events.
“I’m looking forward now to the final two rounds and hopefully I can play a lot better over the weekend, and the way I have I played these two rounds, it would be nice to play just a little bit better over the last two days.”
- Full scoring HERE
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