Max Kennedy’s late season travels continue to prove lucrative as the Dubliner is safely through to the final two rounds of the Asian Tour’s season-ending Saudi Open at Dirab Golf and Country Club.
Playing on a tournament invitation in the $1 million tour finale, Kennedy opened up with a bogey-free, two-under-par round of 70, and matched that number in round two.
Starting on the 10th, he birdied the par-5 opening hole, and then made 10 consecutive pars before a rollercoaster finish in which he bogeyed the third and eighth holes, but birdied the fifth, sixth and ninth to move to -4 overall and share 36th place.
With full HotelPlanner Tour status again for 2026 following an impressive rookie season as a pro, Kennedy is keeping himself sharp and looking to ensure that he hits the ground running when the DP World Tour’s official feeder tour gets the campaign underway in South Africa in late January.
Australian Jack Thompson was one of those with lots to play for this week, but he put any fears of losing his card to rest by charging into the lead at the halfway mark thanks to a seven-under-par 65 that moved him to -14.
Swede Bjorn Hellgren, playing in the same group, also fired a 65, to sit in second place, one shot behind Thompson, while Malaysia’s Ervin Chang (64), and Runchanapong Youprayong (66) from Thailand are another stroke back.
Thompson started the week in 62nd place on the Tour’s Order of Merit (OOM), with the top-65 keeping their cards next year. He is comfortably on course to make it through with a win predicted to catapult him into seventh place.
However, there remains a long way to go and the 28-year-old from Adelaide, chasing his first win on the Asian Tour, is not getting ahead of himself.
“Just not getting too caught up in everything,” said Thompson, who won the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2023.
“Just really trying to be in the moment for every shot. I know that my game’s good enough to compete out here and win, definitely. So, yeah, I mean, it would be nice, obviously, but yeah, not really looking at it that way.”
He was three ahead of Hellgren playing their final hole, the ninth as they started on 10, but he three putted for bogey, his only dropped shot of the day, while his Swedish opponent made an eight footer for birdie.
Thompson had made his move on his second nine by making five birdies in six holes from the third. He’d made three birdies on his front nine.
He added: “I mean, it’s fun to be up the top and playing because sometimes if you just make the cut or whatever, you know, obviously you’re happy to play four rounds. But sometimes it can be pointless, make a birdie, and might move you up a couple spots. But it’s always fun to play when it means something. So, yeah, very lucky.”
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