Liam Nolan recovered from a double bogey to birdie five of his next eight holes as he soared to the top of the leaderboard and gave his DP World Tour promotion hopes a boost at the Abu Dhabi Challenge.
Nolan started his day well with three birdies in four holes on the 4th, 6th and 7th and it’s a testament to his mental resilience that he wasn’t rattled by a bogey on the 9th and a double bogey on the par-5 10th. A birdie rally on 11, 12, 14, 15 and 18 saw him sign for a 65 and a share of the lead with Tapio Pulkannen and Matthis Besard at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club.
“I’m playing really nice and have been very patient which has helped me bounce back after some wobbly holes here and there so really looking forward to the weekend,” said the Galway man who is looking to push from 43rd in the Road to Mallorca Rankings towards the top-15 who would earn DP World Tour cards at the Grand Final.
“Sean said to me on eleven you’re swinging it well and have been for the last two days so just reset. I rattled off five birdies coming in and I knew I was playing well so wasn’t too worried after the bogey and double just tough lies in the rough which you get out here but really happy with the finish.
“I did a one club challenge on the tenth and had a better score with just a four-iron than I did with my full set today! It’s a par-5 which everybody thinks you should birdie but it’s just a good tough hole especially into the wind. People will make mistakes but it’s about what you do after the mistakes.”
Nolan has put on a fast finish to both of his rounds so far this week showing that he can keep a cool head under the pressure of over 40 degree heat in Abu Dhabi. He admitted that he has shortened his warm up to try and conserve energy for when he takes to the course.
“I’ve shortened my warm up this week which gives me more energy out there but I’m taking on lots of water and trying to get food into me because the temptation is not to eat out there. Keep chatting with my caddie Sean to make sure we are both well out there. It helps with him out there trying to battle the heat.”
Nolan made it to the Grand Final last season in his rookie campaign as a professional which he started just on invites. A couple of early top-5 finishes secured his passage to Mallorca. This year the 26-year-old has been consistent with three top-10 finishes and just five missed cuts. But consistency doesn’t get rewarded on the HotelPlanner Tour and he is looking for a big finish to give him momentum heading to the two larger events in China and the Grand Final.
“It’s the time of year where every shot matters a little bit more but I’m just going to focus on being really patient like I have all year. I’m happy to be back up the top of a leaderboard it’s been a little while. I feel like I have been playing well but just a little off the pace it will be a good test of where my game is at under pressure before I head to China so really looking forward to it.”
Meanwhile, a 66 moved Gary Hurley into the top-40 on three-under-par as a late birdie saw Mark Power chisel out a 69 to make the cut on the number at two-under. Power has an opportunity to push himself from 73rd in the Road to Mallorca Rankings into the top-70 which would extend his season into the two Chinese events.
Unfortunately, Max Kennedy who was 77th entering this week has seen his season come to an end and he will be joined at Q-School by Ronan Mullarney, Conor Purcell and James Sugrue who also missed the cut.
West of Ireland champion Mark Cadden missed the cut on six-over as did UAE based pro Damien Scott.
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